Veteran San Francisco Cabbie Takes A Spin In A Robotaxi & NYC Cabbie Attacked And Beaten & Hey Seattle Cabbies: Remember That You Are Operating A Business

San Francisco Standard's Article and Video---"We Took a San Francisco Cabbie for a Driverless Car Ride.  He Had Opinions."

In a July 27th article by Han Li, Barry Taranto, a longtime "City-by-the Bay" cab driver and board member of the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance, took a ride in a robotaxi from Delores Park in the in the Mission District to Lands End in the Richmond neighborhood, essentially the oceanside end of Golden Gate Park.  The attached two minute video is worth watching, Mister Taranto providing nonstop commentary along the way.  Some of the positives to the autonomous cab, according to Taranto were "It doesn't have road rage." and "It's not cursing out other drivers," which I'm sure is true.  The ride is a hilarious moment in current taxi history.  Worth checking out.

New York City Cabbie Afzal Butt Makes a Poor Decision---He Got Out of his Cab

New York media was abuzz with the July 19th story that five people, three women and two men, attacked and unmercifully beat a Yellow cabbie on a Manhattan street.  Why all this happened was not explained.  Also not explained was why, since these folks were not his passengers, he got out of the cab to argue with them.  The cabbie was hit with both fists and shoes.  Two of the assailants were immediately arrested.  The three other suspects are being sought.   Again, lock the doors, stay in that cab.

Imagine Yourself as a Grocery Story, or a Coffee Shop

In other words, all of my fellow cabbie comrades need to finally recognize that they are legitimate business owners, incumbent upon them to understand what their obligations are 24/7.  Operating in a daze is not acceptable.  Why am I saying all this?   Because many driving Seattle Yellow cabs remain unaware how to deal with City licensing requirements, along with ignoring Puget Sound Dispatch when PSD wants to talk to them.  When will it ever end?

Kinda Crazy---800 Blog Posts And Counting & More Than 15,000 Lyft Drivers Underpaid & Roadway Chaos Not Your Imagination----745 Dead On WA ST Highways & Streets in 2022 & Beavers And Owls

 This Is My 801st Posting

Last week was my 800th post, certainly a personal milestone, and perhaps a milestone in the history of cab driving, a subject not merely ignored but something not even considered, delegated to the cultural sewer, flushed directly down organized society's toilet.  Having begun over twelve years ago in 2011, my intention was to give voice not only to the overall experience that is taxi driving but also to a credible history, one that, too obviously to me, going unnoticed and unrecognized.  

Scrolling through all these weekly columns, I believe you will find what was once an invisible history now revealed, made available to anyone who might be interested, "RealSeattleTaxi" a minute examination of what it means to drive "beneath the toplight," highlighting both its terrors and glories.   Welcome, I say, to a world within a world I have intimately known since my innocent and very unintentional introduction to cab way back in September 1987.  Who wanted to be a cab driver?  Not me.  

Good or bad, up or down, taxi is an unique environment, truly a microscopic examination of a universal human behavior, cab driving then more than just mere transportation, in real terms a kind of mobile laboratory exploring all aspects of our shared existence.  Given that reality, much of what can be found in these many lines scribbled over the years both appalling and exhilarating, and ultimately, as I have found taxi to be, exhausting, not consoling nor restful.  

But I do assure you, everything published over these past years is the truth, and if the truth, as is said, setting you free, these assorted posts present you the reader an escape from the bondage of the ordinary to the freedom and bedlam that is, and always will be, taxi, life at its worst, and best.  Having written it myself, never a truer statement ever made, taxi down and dirty and certainly, rarely pretty.

Lyft Said It Was An Unintentional Mistake---RCW 49.46.300

The WA State Department of Labor and Industry found that Lyft underpaid 15,271 drivers by a quarter (1/4) of one cent for each minute and mile of their trips.  A Lyft self-audit determined that $193,000 (actual $192,991.30) was the amount owed and repaid to the drivers.  What does that amount to for each driver?  A more or less $12.00.   Let everyone head off to Starbuck's and get one of those overpriced coffees. Hurrah!

Yes, Madness Upon State of Washington Streets and Roads

Mayhem and chaos remain the prevailing theme these days upon Seattle and Washington streets.  Sunday night, a driver proceeding the wrong way down Fifth Avenue in downtown Seattle refused to stop and turn around, continuing forward despite common sense.  This kind of  idiocy illustrates why 745 people died in 2022 in car accidents in our Evergreen State.  A few days ago, six passengers were killed in Tacoma in a 2-car accident.  Those killed were 6 of 7 passengers riding in 2021 Kia Forte designed for only five passengers, yet another example of stupid irresponsible behavior, all the fatalities dumbbell kids.

Everyday I am witness to potentially fatal actions on local roadways.  When will it ever end?  According to some, when all of us are being driven around in robotic cars but if you believe that then back in 1968 you would have bought a used car from Richard Nixon, definitely not a good idea, not a trustworthy purchase.  But unbelievably 31,004,304 voted for the lemon that was Mister Nixon.  We can thank Nixon for the subcompact Henry Kissinger driving the USA to the car wreck that was the conclusion of the Vietnam War.

Can't Make it to the Mountains, Beavers and Owls are Waiting for you in Seattle

As I have encouraged everyone to get out into the wilderness, Seattle itself has a bit of the wild to entertain you, last week coming across two beavers chewing branches in Carkeek Park ( located off of 117th & NW 3rd), and three big Great Horned Owls roosting in Llandover Woods, 143rd and NW 3rd.  Get out and hug a tree, you'll be healthier for it.   Park that cab, quit squawking, start walking! 

Sunday To Sunday Hiking & How To Stop A San Francisco Robotaxi & Lyft Driver Murdered In WA DC

 Get Off Those Streets and into the Mountains!

From Sunday July 2nd to Sunday July 9th, I camped and hiked in the general Mount Baker/North Cascades National Park area.  I'm telling you this, and briefly describing the hikes, to encourage everyone to get out and walk up some mountains and along rivers and creeks.  I'm glad I took the time and I know that you too would enjoy leaving bad, old Seattle behind.  A quick overview of those eight days wandering the trails and roads off State Route 20:

That first day I set up camp above the Skagit River near Hamilton, WA.  My sister has property up there, making it a convenient spot to set up without having to daily pack up.  Also making it ideal was the more or less three mile drive to Rasar State Park, allowing ready access to toilets and showers.  For 50 cents you get a three-minute long shower, very refreshing after a long day hiking.   It also has a trail along the Skagit River.

Monday, I took it easy and walked in the Hurn Field Conservation Area, a nice property conserved by the Skagit Land Trust.  I also discovered the 22.5 mile long Cascade Trail that parallels Highway 20 to the north.  I walked for about a mile but the section I was on was too close to the road, traffic noice something I wasn't interested in hearing.

Tuesday I picked what I thought would be an easy trek, the 3.4 mile roundtrip Diobsud Creek trail but turning out to be fairly arduous, a rocky path eventually  petering out in some head-high growth, making it difficult to proceed forward.   The raging creek was good company, and at the very beginning, I found red huckleberries, and a little further down the trail, plenty of blue huckleberries along with lots of yellow salmon berries.  One major plus was having the trail solely to myself save encountering a couple and their dog upon their return to the trailhead, blessed solitude a balm in this noisy 21st Century.

Wednesday I decided on something easier, choosing to walk the Skagit-Sauk Reach trail located in the tiny burg of Rockport.  It's a wonderful trail taking one along the north side of the Skagit River.  Once again, I had a trail mostly to myself but for a lone jogger.  Other than her quick presence, the river's great expanse was mine to enjoy along with many thimbleberries to munch on.  During certain times of the year, it can be a good place to watch eagles catch salmon.  Whatever your motive might be, I recommend this walk, soothing to the mind and soul. 

Thursday my first choice of hikes was stymied by a road closure, forcing me to choose a trail somewhat close by, that being the 7.4 RT Park Butte trail, a path taking me up and up with an over 2000 foot elevation gain, ultimately providing wonderful views of a looming Mount Baker and other surrounding peaks and mountains.  While enjoying the alpine expanse, my poor body wasn't quite ready for that kind of push up into the mountains.  Regardless, I remain pleased I made the effort, telling me one of my favorite places to be is above tree line, my hands extended toward blue heaven. 

Friday, my choice was the Baker River trail, a path leading north of that huge body of water, Lake Baker.  Once again I had the trail mostly to myself, especially the second half of the walk, requiring the negotiation of a weather-induced tangle of logs and destroyed riverbank, making for a few confusing minutes until deciphering just where the trail continued on.  The payoff was soothing silence taking me to the trail's end and Sulphide Creek, a wonderfully raucous stream officially located within the boundaries of North Cascades National Park.  Refreshing myself creekside, I could see beautiful Mount Shuksan towering to the northeast.  Incredible!

Saturday was somewhat frustrating because I wanted to hike to Slide Lake for a high elevation swim but the 20 mile long forest road proved to be too rough for my faithful but low to the ground Chevy Sonic, causing me to turn around.  For my alternatives, I first walked in the Barr Creek Conservation area, and after that, returning once more to the Skagit River-Sauk Reach trail, this time not meeting anyone upon the path.  I like that trail, and whenever I am back up in that part of the state, I'll visit it again.

Sunday, having to get back to Seattle for an early Monday morning eye appointment, I decided to extend my trip by detouring through Whidbey Island, taking the Clinton ferry back to the mainland.  On the way there, I stopped to walk in what is called the Northern State Hospital Recreation Area, a Skagit County park located on the grounds of the old psychiatric hospital just outside of Sedro-Woolley .  I found the concept a trifle disrespectful, further exemplified by the Seattle Times front page headlines greeting me this morning, "Lost Patients---Two People's Consuming Quest to Unearth the Truth about Washington's Abandoned Psychiatric Hospital," an in-depth article about Northern State Hospital.  I wandered the grounds, examining the still intact weathered, ominous looking buildings where untold suffering occurred, barred windows telling sad stories.  A quick doggerel poetic impression:

Let's have a holiday, 

let's have a picnic, 

on the psychiatric hospital grounds,

all anguished tears 

and frowns buried

and now forgotten, 

screams and cries and moans

a litany of terrible sounds

lost to the wind--- 

happy people now walking 

their dogs, oblivious 

to society's past egregious 

sins. 

And a further point is that despite many information signs greeting visitors at the parking lot, there is not one mention of the hospital, its history or its residents.  I found that extremely odd given the name of the recreation area.  Is Skagit County in complete denial?  I think so, is the answer. 

After that, I continued on to a Whidbey Island initially swamped with visitors, prompting me to quickly head south and away from the maddening crowds.  One prime personal destination was Fort Ebey, an old WWI encampment known for its concrete gun emplacements.  Back in 1975,  I visited the park with Karen, an early Seattle girlfriend who was also a photographer, taking many photos of me walking on the beach.  

After Elby, I drove down down to South Whidbey State Park, a walk down to the beach made more interesting by a broken wooden stairwell allowed to tumble into complete disrepair.  Instead of steps, I was forced to rappel down an embankment using a rope provided by the park.  Somewhat unreal but once down, I had the beach to myself.  Sitting on a log, I watched an Alaska cruise ship head north, very glad I was no longer concerned with picking and dropping off all those thousands of vacation goers.  You can have them, not me. 

I loved the ferry ride from Clinton to Mukilteo, it being a few years since riding on a Washington State ferry, the short "ocean" cruise topping off my trip.  I'm ready to go back.  Who can blame me?

Decision Concerning San Francisco Robotaxis Delayed Until August 10th, 2023

Lots of noice and protest emanating from the City of San Francisco concerning the potential 24/7 approval of robotaxis being allowed to operate without restraint throughout the entire city.  City government, plus many private citizens are telling anyone who will listen that, given almost too many negative incidents to count, that the technology is too new to allow unfettered access to San Francisco's very crowded urban streets.  

The problem is that State of California law does not allow for the city to make its own decisions in this matter, instead control and decision making are in the hands of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), they alone retaining power of what will happen or not.  Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, and Waymo Robotaxi Services, are fighting to make sure the CPUC rules in their favor.  A few days ago, Cruise published full page ads in the NY Times and other major American newspapers saying that because Americans are such horrible drivers, autonomous vehicles are the logical solution to obvious human failings. 

Causing more controversy is that CPUC commissioner John Reynolds, for three years, served as managing counsel for Cruise.  Some think this might be some kind of conflict of interest, which of course it is.  Some San Francisco residents have come up with their own novel solution to stopping the robotaxis by placing an orange traffic cone on the car's hood.  After that, they don't move, which is the entire idea.  

Another somewhat humorous development is the joining of cabbies and ride-share drivers in a collective effort to stop Waymo and Cruise.  Perhaps "strange bedfellows," but all of them see the robotaxis as a personal threat to their economic future.  Hard to argue against that. 

Given the uproar, official and otherwise, a decision one way or the other has been delayed by the CPUC until August 10th.  If they do approve expansion, it will be interesting to hear their justification, especially the words coming from the mouth of Mister Reynolds.  It might be amusing. Or perhaps not. 

Nasrat Ahmad Yar Murdered While Driving Lyft in WA DC

In early July, a former Afghan language interpreter who had assisted American forces in Afghanistan, was shot to death while driving for Lyft.  Four teenagers were caught on video fleeing the area.  A GoFundMe account has to this date brought in over a half a million dollars for his widow and five children.  To this date, no arrests have been made.  

Taxi/Uber Rhyme & New Toll Rates For the Highway 520 Bridge Effective July 1, 2023 & WA ST Gasoline Now Highest In USA & Troublesome Intersection: S 129th And MLK JR South & Rioting In France

 Yikes!

Driving taxi & Uber not so fun

dealing with every kind of fool

beneath the shining sun

be they in your car or on the road

you know these a-holes are

human toads 

you simply wish would disappear 

and stay away 

not just for tomorrow but to eternity's

last day 

hip hip hurray!

Speaking of Irritation: More $$$ out of your Pocket

Leaving the University District heading east, the best way across Lake Washington is the Evergreen Point 520 Bridge but as of July 1st, you will be paying more.  Back in 1973, the toll was one dollar which was reasonable, though even better after the toll requirement was removed.  But since tolls have been reinstated, they keep going up in a reminder that Seattle is the 16th most expensive city on the planet.  Weekday rates are increasing between 20 cents and $1.10 depending on the time of day.  Peak rate time periods have expanded to 7-10 AM and 3-7 PM.  Peak rates top out at $4.50.  Weekend rate hikes vary between 20 and 40 cents, with the highest peak rate at $3.50 when driving between 11 AM and 6 PM.  You can be assured that many more drivers will now be clogging I-5 S-bound to reach the non-tolled I-90 Bridge.  It happened the last toll increase and there will be a repeat of same behavior.  Now don''t honk that horn, its not polite!

Gas Prices as High as Mount Rainer 

Yes, the Evergreen State now has the current distinction of have the highest average gasoline prices in the country.  In Seattle, it's over five dollars.  Want cheap gasoline?  Move down to Mississippi where gas is averaging $3.00 per gallon.  Hey, on my most recent car trip I filled up in Oregon for as little as $3.49 per gallon.  And now, holy cow, you can pump your gasoline in Oregon minus an attendant.   Ain't that good!?  National average price this 4th of July 2023 weekend is $3.24 per gallon of gasoline.  Last year it was $4.98.

No Fun on the Martin Luther King Way South Going through Skyway

Good recent article by Mike Lindblom in the Seattle Times describes the chaos at one particular State Highway 900 intersection.  Knowing that stretch of roadway well, it has been bad news for a very long time, speeding a very serious issue.  Coming off of I-5, drivers routinely speed up 70 mph and more.  It is nuts!   More concentrated enforcement is the answer.  How often have I seen stopped motorists?  Never is the sorry plain answer.  This weekend the full moon is beaming down upon an already deranged humanity, translating into a very good moment to avoid that troublesome section of Skyway/Tukwila MLK Way.  In general it's a wild part of Seattle/King County, the local residents sometimes rabid, ready to bite.   And that 129th intersection will not change for a very long time.  Approaching it, I advise patience and caution, and please, slow down.  Skip the jive, stay alive!

Where Ever You Are, Do Not Simply Drive Away When Stopped By The Police

For the past 6 days, there have been rioting across France after a cop killed a 17 year-old driver who began moving his car after a traffic stop.  The cop fired point blank into the car, killing the kid.  When stopped by the police, it is extremely important that you do not do anything that might be perceived as threatening.  Any sudden move and you might die.  Keep your hands in clear view.  Endure the insult and live.  Having been stopped between 75-100 times over my taxi years, I understand that the police are in complete control of the situation.  The vast majority are not nice.  Be careful!

I No Longer Have The Temperament To Drive Taxi Or Uber & Chaos On The Homeless Advisory Board & The All-Star Game And New MLB Mariner's Ride-Share Lot & Idiot Passenger Shoots Uber Driver In The Head

 Seattle's  Inane Driving Style is Now Beyond My Ordinary Tolerance 

This past Gay Pride Sunday, June 25th, needing "grocery money," I drove a more or less day-long Uber shift.  For the most part, it was easy money, essentially following the "money trail," taxi and Uber sharing basic traits, knowing where the "action is" a sure fire way of ringing up the dollar bills.   But despite the money raining down upon my head on a sunny day, Seattle's dumbbell drivers were making me "nuts," seemingly never having learned how to swiftly proceed down a city street, not comprehending what "sharing the road" actually means when encountering congested roadways.   

Working the P-69 Victoria Clipper, I was continually frustrated trying to get back to the surging crowd coming off the boat, two short fares allowing me time to come back for a third trip, luckily translating into a great fare, the gentleman heading south in what in WE in the business call a "deep Sea-Tac," his destination being the Sea-Tac Sheraton Four Point, a hotel located many blocks south of the airport.  

It wasn't easy fighting my way back to P-69 but obviously worth the effort, fool Seattle drivers notwithstanding, reminding me once again I can't do this any more, because nothing ever changes in Seattle, repetition ad nauseam the City's thematic presentation to the unwary.  To protest is in vain, to fight the BS is to go insane, and continuing the rhyme, guaranteeing you quickly lose your brain. 

"Amateur Hour" Never Works 

It appears that a "peer-based" advisory board designed to help end homelessness in Seattle and King County is on the skids, dysfunctional members making it impossible to get anything done.  A photograph in the Seattle Times said it all, anyone thinking that this particular person featured in the article was a good political choice to decide anything, is naive, delusional and plainly dumb.   

Which brings me back to my days as the Chair(man) of the thankfully defunct Seattle & King County Taxi Advisory Commission, the Seattle City Council, in its profound lack of wisdom, appointing members who more than having never driven a cab, could rarely afford to ride in one, meaning they knew zero to nothing concerning the taxi industry.  It was a joke, which is why I resigned.  Is insanity a new virtue, making one both saintly and wise?  No, believe me, its not, madness is what it is, coherency instead a muted voice amidst all the shouting.

The Uber Driver Died

On June 16th, during an Uber ride in El Paso, Texas, the passenger, Phoebe Copas, shot her driver, Daniel Piedra Garcia in the head after reading a road sign saying "Juarez, Mexico, somehow believing she was being kidnapped.  Of course, if you think you are in trouble, there are many alternatives other than "shoot first, ask questions later."  Most obvious is, if indeed she was being taken to Mexico against her will, they would have faced Mexican Customs, providing ample opportunity to then alert authorities and escape.  Dumbbell passengers, unfortunately, are commonplace but the kind of stupidity displayed by Copas is difficult to fathom.  Garcia died after several days, his family taking him off life support.  Copas remains jailed, now charged with murder, held on a 1.5 million dollar bond. 

Baseball $$$ Days coming to Seattle Second Week in July 2023

Advance alert:  Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is coming to Seattle.  First events begin Friday, July 7th, with three more days of activities leading up to the grand finale on Tuesday, July 11, when the actual game will be played.  There will be plenty of business for everyone.  Also coming is a new Uber, Lyft and taxi Ride-Share lot located on 3rd Avenue South somewhere between S. Massachusetts and Hogate Streets.  Don't know the details or how it will truly function and, most importantly, whether passengers will find their way there but maybe, just maybe it's a good idea.  More details when I know them.

 

The "How Not To Guide" To How To Respond When Thugs Enter The Cab & More Sea-Tac (Port of Seattle) Insult & Crazed Cabbie---Pastor Paul Makenzie & The New Slavery? In Seattle, You Have To Make $40.38 An Hour To Afford An One-Bedroom Apartment & Some Thoughts Concerning The New Juneteenth Federal Holiday

First, You Can Never Be Surprised When Trouble Enters Your Cab 

The following paragraphs were inspired by yet another conversation with the same former Seattle Yellow cabbie I featured last week, this time telling me how he was robbed at gunpoint, shot but luckily, not killed.  His story is an almost step-by-step textbook on how NOT to respond when trouble approaches your cab.  And this is the major lesson here: you have to know, understand what kind of person is entering your cab, making it far too late once you have started off, and suddenly, all hell! is breaking out, and find yourself in deep trouble.

As I have said in past blog posts, the awake cabbie must first be a psychologist when assessing your passengers.  Any and all behaviors should be expected.  Thugs, crooks and ruffians are too obvious in their behaviors to not notice these guys are potential trouble.  My most helpful piece of advise is, upon sensing that something is wrong, is to give voice to your suspicions.  If you think they are dangerous, tell them that.  If you think they might rob or assault you, don't be shy or overly polite, tell them straight out what you suspect while adding it would be a great mistake if they tried to hurt you.   You are the boss in the cab, not the passenger.  Demand up front payment, and if refused, its the end of the ride.   Remember, you can't negotiate when your life is on the line.  Have no doubt whatsoever, people will kill you minus a second thought.  That is the cold reality of being a cab driver.  Back in the mid-1980s, 50 cabbies a year on average were murdered in New York City.  Playing games with a thug could mean you might die.  It's as simple as that.

His story is that he took a call late in the West Seattle during a time when crack cocaine usage was epidemic, at an intersection near the then notorious High Point neighborhood, an area I even avoided due to its well deserved bad reputation.  His first mistake was letting the two guys into his cab instead of locking his doors while interviewing them through a cracked window.  Then, after letting them enter the cab, he  followed their directions to a darkened, dead end street.  Again, as I have warned previously, NEVER, EVER with questionable passengers, drive to a street with no escape route.

It was then the gun was placed against his head, and after giving the robbers $200.00 he ran, only to be shot in the head, thankfully the bullet only grazing him.  Making this far worse, the Seattle Police officers he later dealt with were dismissive, allowing the assailants never to be charged, even though one of the suspects were known to them.  Yes, armed robbery and attempted murder wasn't enough for SPD to make an arrest.   This is also another unfortunate part of the Seattle taxicab story known too well to those of us working beneath the toplight.  Seattle cops, they hated us.  Why, I don't know but from my many negative interactions with Seattle's finest, it is damn well true, you could not trust or rely upon Seattle's Blue. 

The Port of Seattle Once Again Shows How It Truly Feels About Cab Drivers

Sea-Tac was pressuring owner operators to put on wheelchair vans but even after the extra expense, having no intention of allowing those operators to now work seven days a week at the airport.  This new initiative also caught the attention of the guys currently driving Yellow's WAT vans, with a friend of mine expressing his official displeasure on behalf of his fellow WAT associates.  But all this ruckus was for naught, the Port withdrawing its offer, showing once again their unconcealed disrespect for the cabbies working Sea-Tac.  Uber and Lyft, they can work at the airport 24/7.  Not so the cabbies.  

Trouble in Nigeria 

You might have heard about the cult in Nigeria, where a pastor told his followers that in order to enter heaven and see Jesus, they must starve themselves to death, in this way reaching the promised land.  Hundreds have died.   What most don't know is that before preaching death as the guaranteed path to salvation, Paul McKenzie Nhenge was a cab driver.  Vladimir Putin also once drove a cab in Saint Petersburg, Russia.  Is there some kind of pattern in play here?  But the Nigerian is amateurish in comparison, Putin responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands, and counting.  The big different is that Nhenge is under arrest.  But with Putin, nothing will occur, incurring no accountability whatsoever.  

Is Anyone Working in Seattle Really a Free Human Being?

The answer to that question might be yes, yes if you are making $100.00 plus per hour but less than that, you are probably struggling.  Recent headlines have screamed the news that to afford an one bedroom Seattle apartment, it's necessary to earn $40.38 per hour.  To live in in a two bedroom apartment, $47.21 per hour is required.  To rent an one bedroom apartment you will be paying on average $2,335.00.  For that 2 bedroom, you are looking at $3,132.00.  I see this as a new kind of slavery, wage slavery keeping your nose, as they say, to the grindstone.  Today we were told Seattle's annual inflation rate is 18%, basically the highest in the nation, and scary, nearly equal to San Francisco.  Wasn't the 13th Amendment to the American Constitution passed on December 6th, 1865?  Maybe not.

Monday was Juneteenth Day

For those who don't know, June 19th, 1865 is commemorated because it is the day black slaves in Texas were told they were free, this 2 1/2  years after Lincoln's January 1st, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation freeing all the slaves.   To that point, in 1865, slaves in Texas  didn't know they had been freed.  The 13th Amendment further ratified Lincoln's intentions stated back in 1863.   That American blacks are still fighting for equal protections under American law speaks sadly to our nation's legacy of forced enslavement.   Every black immigrant cabbie in Seattle and elsewhere in the United States will tell you that their personal fight for equality is something they encounter each and everyday in the cab.   

When my friend Pavel was still driving a cab, he was followed onto the West Seattle Bridge by a WSP officer and ticketed.  Why was he stopped?   For not wearing a seatbelt, the sole reason why the officer risked  his own life on the ever precarious West Seattle Bridge, because, more than simply issuing a citation, he was making a statement.   Pavel certainly heard it.  It was because he was black.  There was no other rationale.  It was because Pavel was free and not a slave, feeling entitled to make his own decisions.  

To this day, many still object that blacks are free---can live where they want, work where they want, marry who they want.  Racism is still very much alive in our country, with many still not interested in hearing Lincoln's words written and spoken back in 1863, saying, without equivocation, that all Americans, regardless of their color, are forever freed, never again to be enslaved.  

That's why this holiday is utterly important for you and me and everyone, never wishing to be enslaved anytime in the future.  Though believe me, many, if given the opportunity, would return us to the America that existed before 1861, and be glad of it.  One thing I have learned these 69 years being alive is that some people never learn the lessons history has to teach---ignorance their mouths, foolishness their tongues. 

 

The June First Strike Against Puget Sound Dispatch That Never Was & Corrupt Yellow Cab Dispatch 1992 & Eventually, Dennis Roberts' Ashes Will Be Buried In Columbus Falls, Montana & More Travel

 You Seattle Yellow Cab Drivers Only Have Yourselves to Blame

June 1st was to be the day that Yellow's maligned drivers told Puget Sound Dispatch management to "stuff it," and strike the MV Metro account for three days, protesting those potential $50.00 fines assessed for not living up to MV's Draconian mandates concerning arrival and pickup times.   There are two major problems here, and add another given driver attitude.  

The first is PSD General Manager Amin Shifow's failure to protect the owner operators funding PSD.  I will spare him the harsh commentary he deserves.  From my personal experience, blasting him will not change his behavior.

A second point is the City and County's failure to protect a regulated industry from abuse.  This is not something new but a continuation of bad and shortsighted policy.  But this isn't going to change due to owner operators failure to organize and stand up for their rights, which brings me to driver attitude.  

The strike failed to materialize despite flyers made and nearly a full month to organize because, despite constant complaint, the owner operators have no real interest in defending themselves against despicable PSD and MV Metro behavior.  Like sacrificial lambs, they allow themselves to be led to slaughter, their blood spilled on the seats of their cabs, red, not yellow the color of their taxis. 

A Bad Era at Seattle Yellow Cab

In a conversation with a former Yellow cab owner and driver, he told me how corrupt Yellow's dispatch was in the late 1980s, early 1990s, bribes and feeding the everyday norm.  I believe his story on how he was fed a fare to California carrying a passenger with a large parcel of marijuana all the way to San Jose, a Bay Area city south of San Francisco.  He first stopped at dispatch and paid the dispatcher his bribe, then drove to California, earning $3000.00 for the trip.  This same driver also told me about one of the majority cab owners daily use of prostitutes, something that was an ill concealed secret.  I know that person well. 

And if anyone is still wondering why the demise of the American taxicab industry, I suggest you wake up and smell the gasoline.  Too many selfish assholes being the real reason Uber and Lyft won.   When you don't care, you simply don't, and that, everyone, is the way it was then back in 1992.  Take the money and screw anything and everything else, including hookers!

Dennis Roberts' Mother is Buried in Columbus Falls, Montana

Given the proper space in time, I will be transporting his ashes to be buried next to his mother.  The cost, including headstone, is barely $500.00.  I will have a marker made engraved with a toplight.  Once I am nearing my departure, I will do another "Go Fund Me" effort on his behalf.  Why am I making the effort? Because too many cabbies are just kicked down the road, that's why.   Dennis deserves better and I am ensuring that he is given his proper due.  Unlike too many others who don't, I do care.  Dennis also cared, making him someone deserving a lasting remembrance.  Maybe one day, you too will drop by Columbus Falls and pay your respects to a fallen (taken by Covid-19) driver.  I certainly hope so.

Drive Highway 395 in Oregon

Beautiful roadway!  Fourth night out I camped off of 395, taking Forest Road 15 to the Wickiup Campground located next to Canyon Creek, quietly nestled in the Fremont-Winema National Forest.  I had the camp entirely to myself.

Also, in the same general area, off Oregon Route 31, and just a few miles outside of Paisley, is the Chewaucan Crossing Campground, located just above the Chewaucan River and in the Malheur National Forest.  I have camped there 3 times.  Great area.  And the river is wonderful. 

Take the time to get out and explore!  It is worth your time.