Cabbies on edge as penalties begin (Unhappy Muslim Cabdrivers at MSP Airport!)

Minneapolis StarTribune (aka The Red Star) ^ | 5/11/07 | Heron Marquez Estrada - Staff Reporter

[MplsSteve]

Things were relatively quiet at the airport Friday, the first day that taxi drivers faced tougher penalties for refusing to transport passengers with alcohol.

"There were no incidents," said Patrick Hogan, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airport Commission (MAC) and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. "Everyone was in compliance. It was pretty much business as usual."

That doesn't mean, however, that anger, bitterness, hurt feelings, accusations and harsh words weren't expressed by many of the hundreds of taxi drivers affected by the MAC's new penalties.

"The new ordinance is very tough," said Mekonnen Doyamo, an airport taxi driver for about 10 years. "It's excessive punishment ... The new rules ruin our life totally."

The airport each year handles more than 700,000 taxi rides. Since 2002, the MAC says, it has received about 4,800 complaints from customers of drivers who refused to drive people carrying alcohol.

Many cab drivers, however, take exception with that number. They maintain the MAC is inflating the figures by citing all the drivers in line when one of them refuses to transport alcohol. The MAC denies the allegation.

[MplsSteve]

It's not a surprise that Muslim cabdrivers (at MSP Airport) are unhappy.

And guess what? Union organizers are using this as an opportunity to start a new union.

I suspect it's only a matter of time before some cabdrivers file a lawsuit challenging religious discrimination. Hell, maybe the ACLU will do it for them.

Opinions or comments - anyone?

[NormsRevenge]

“The new ordinance is very tough,” said Mekonnen Doyamo, an airport taxi driver for about 10 years. “It’s excessive punishment ... The new rules ruin our life totally.”

—

Life is unfair, so move back to Africa.

[stboz]

"It's excessive punishment ... The new rules ruin our life totally."

That's the general idea, dummy.

[MplsSteve]

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[muawiyah]

Yeah, a cross complaint against the airport by customers denied a ride by cabdrivers approved by the airport over the issue of alcohol.

What I wonder, though, is why there are people allowed to wander the streets of Minneapolis with open packages of alcoholic beverages. Everywhere else in the country you have to have the items "packaged", which means totally covered up.

[hole_n_one]

I don't get it.

Are there drunks on every corner in Minneapolis hailing cabs while holding brown paper bags containing bottles of JD and Smirnoff?

How does a cabbie know what a potential fare is carrying?

[sageb1]

I’m in Northeastern New York. I could walk down the street carrying a case of beer if I wanted.

[muawiyah]

But is it legal ~ might check the law on that. Could be it’s simply unenforced.

[muawiyah]

It would have to be the case that they do not have the brown paper bags ~

[muawiyah]

Oh, "packaged" would include the outer wrapper ~ that's not a beer bottle or beer can ~ just cardboard, although I wouldn't put it past some folks to try to drink the pictures.

Still, outside of Stroh's in the old days where they sold only regionally, why would any beer at all be toted around on a flight by air by any passenger.

These cab drivers have to be taking offense at wine bottles inside bags and boxes ~ the contents of which they can only guess.

[hole_n_one]

It would have to be the case that they do not have the brown paper bags ~

I thought the dateline of the story was Minneapolis, not HBO's Deadwood.

[sageb1]

Yes, it's legal. You can't have open containers. In other words, I can't walk down the street with an open bottle of an alcoholic beverage.

[LibKill]

Hmmmmm. Let me consider the plight of the bigoted muzzie cabbies.

Wait a minute, It's all becoming clear to me now. I can now make a statement about them and their feelings.

**** them to death!

[blam]

"The MAC unanimously approved the tougher sanctions last month. Before, a violation meant that a cabbie had to go to the end of the customer line; now drivers will have their licenses suspended for 30 days for a first offense, and up to two years for a second."

"The numbers [of refusals] have gone down," Hogan said, "but that's still significant. It's still an issue for some people."

Deport the worthless stand-around Muslim POS's!!!

[sageb1]

Whereas I can understand where you’re coming from, that post is really inappropriate for FR. Try satellite radio.

[blam]

A real tough day of work

[Porterville]

can we stone them?

[hole_n_one]

I could walk down the street carrying a case of beer if I wanted.

........and I see that as many times as I see a guy wearing a leather jacket and a tight pair of pants while swinging a can of paint walking down the sidewalk in step to the tune of Stayin Alive by the Bee Gees.

[sageb1]

lol! Seriously, though, clerks at convenience stores don’t bag a six-pack unless the customer requests it.

[LibKill]

Whereas I can understand where you’re coming from, that post is really inappropriate for FR. Try satellite radio.

You have no right to censor me. That is reserved for moderators.

And I could have done worse. I could have replaced the astericks with the word "Love".

4 astericks. 4 letters in the word "Love".

If you thought it was another word you have a filthy mind.