Rickey Smiley has accused Uber of engaging in racial profiling as he brings attention to an alleged incident.
On Friday, the comedian shared a video of the aftermath of the incident to social media. In the short clip, Smiley is heard saying, “The Uber driver won’t drive me because I’m black.” Despite Smiley standing in the rain and capturing the incident on camera, the male driver, who is not black, did not engage with him.
“So this guy drives this car right here,” Smiley said as he filmed the driver pulling off in a minivan. “Just got denied Uber because I’m Black,” he continued.
Additionally, a nearby individual approached Smiley and expressed empathy, stating he experienced the same situation with the company.
“I done got denied a couple of times. Trying to go home sometimes, like, when I first started and didn’t get my bike, a couple of dudes… they pick it up, and then they see you,” the unidentified man said. “He didn’t even acknowledge you. He barely rolled down his window. They be doing that.”
Nevertheless, Uber has since addressed the incident saying, “we have a zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination, and this is not okay. We’re so sorry this happened, and we are investigating this right away.”
