SAINT PAUL, MN – District Court Judge Claudia Crichlow ruled in favor of the Department of For-Hire Vehicles on behalf of Minnesota State Rep. Ilhan Omar in an incident with a cab driver in Washington D.C. on December 6, 2016.
Judge Crichlow, from the District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings, found the cab driver, Uka O. Onuma, guilty of two violations: discrimination (DCMR 816.14) and offensive language (DCMR818.1). He was fined $1,000. His cab driver’s license will be suspended for 45 days and he was ordered to attend anger management and cultural sensitivity classes.
“I believe in restorative justice so I am pleased that the judge’s ruling includes classes on cultural sensitivity for Mr. Onuma. Bigotry is a product of ignorance and by educating people, we can move toward respect and understanding. When something like this happens, it can be difficult to come forward. I hope by sharing my experience and the judge’s ruling, it can prevent this from happening to someone else.”
Rep. Omar and her sister were subjected to overt hate speech while visiting Washington D.C. in December. The cab driver, an African-immigrant himself, called them “filthy,” “ISIS” and threatened to remove Rep. Omar’s headscarf.
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