Comments on: D.C. Taxi Probe: Who Are These People?

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:24:15 +0000

So I am reading the part about Abdul Kamus and here are his crimes reported by the article:

|He lobbied for better police protection for African businesses. Oh what a horrible and corrupt person he is!!

He arranged for a trip for a local politician to go to Ethiopia(that bastion of wealth) so he can better understand his constituents- Wow! Imagine that? Whose ever heard of politicians traveling to foreign countries?

He lobbied for 30 parking lot attendants and the Ethiopian community won "in a big way" because Graham defended them in a press conference. Come ON! We are talking about PARKING LOT ATTENDANTS , not some big shot drug dealers or rich businesses say like wall street firms. Guess it is a crime to stand up for parking lot attendants, but not for the big banks who fleeced the nation

By: Ex-aide to Jim Graham faces more charges in cab industry probe at Tadias Magazine

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 09:18:13 +0000

[...] D.C. Taxi Probe: Who Are These People? (Washington City Paper) Thirty-Nine Individuals Charged with Conspiring to Bribe Chair of D.C. Taxicab Commission (FBI) [...]

By: Jay Apple

Jay Apple — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:47:17 +0000

No complaints from the Ethiopian community when trying to rename 9th and U streets to Little Ethiopia. Now they are caught stealing "doing what they do best" and want to be distant from the very name they display at the expense of African Americans.

By: Bribery Case: Syume On Tape Threatening FBI Informant - City Desk - Washington City Paper

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:10:01 +0000

[...] Toney’s house was raided last Friday by federal agents. Toney is a partner with Syume in UFM and Jet Cab. He has not been charged in this case. [...]

By: WaPo: Cabbie Suspect Threatened Murder - City Desk - Washington City Paper

WaPo: Cabbie Suspect Threatened Murder - City Desk - Washington City Paper — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:51:43 +0000

[...] Yitbarek Syume, who was arrested last week as part of the feds’ roundup of taxi workers who sought to illegally influence the District’s regulation of the industry. Here’s how Wilber phrases the matter: The [court] papers reveal that Yitbarek Syume met [...]

By: Eyangalele BeDC

Eyangalele BeDC — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:54:04 +0000

Hopefully the wonderful job done by FBI will continue to trace so many irregularites and bribes in the taxi industry and save the hard working taxi cub driver who life is daily at stake and risk while running the wheel every risky night. Bribing and taking the bussiness from the hard working class is a sin and enthical and shame too. But I would like to say Kudus and thank you for the great job done by our great FBI people and request to do more. Believe me the more you investigate the more you will find them. I also believe the UCDC tax commision test had been stolen and many people passed recently.

By: Korrupt

Korrupt — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:49:37 +0000

Forgot to add: keep up the coverage City Paper. As we all can see the WaPo is sweeping this under the rug.

By: Korrupt

Korrupt — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:48:51 +0000

But the fact is those involved are predominantly East African. To steal a line from an old movie "But you are in that chair Blanche, you are!"

By: Agona

Agona — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:36:19 +0000

This is just mind-boggling! At a time when the FBI is supposed to be strapped for resources and letting the likes of AIG rob the country in blind, why the focus on a group of people that are struggling to make ends meet. All wrong doing should be exposed and fought; however, I believe the investigation should have focused more on the big shots you have made a living bending the rules and bribing city counsel folks around the country. I really do hate it when justice always seems to come down very hard on those you can defend themselves the least.

By: getu

getu — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:27:43 +0000

I wonder where this bribery thing is going to take us. is it towardes our own millionar taxicab insurance owner? I hope some would examine his past history from Atlanta.

By: Truth Hurts

Truth Hurts — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:56:54 +0000

Redboarding: Thanks for the clarification. I see how you could've misinterpreted my posts by just skimming them. Read my second post carefully. I said that when I first commented on this story,"I felt" that the poor caption would divert attention from good reporting. In fact, I did feel that way. I wrote in my first post that the caption diminished DB's reporting. Perhaps you're a more talented wordsmith than me. But I don't view the substance of those two comments as constituting "redboarding". But I thank you for adding a new word to my vocabulary.

By: Redboarding

Redboarding — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:26:12 +0000

Redboard = to claim to have predicted an outcome after the fact (and with no evidence of the prediction being made before the fact).

You said you were right about the caption diverting attention from the topic at hand (after the fact). Your original post said nothing about diverting attention.

By: Fox=CNN

Fox=CNN — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:16:02 +0000

Well done Mike DeBonis! To listen to others and explain or correct one's errors, big or small, is a virtue long lost in today's divisive society. You are a true journalist, with all the integrity others lack.

By: Dawit

Dawit — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:20:46 +0000

This is great insensitivity. Who're all these Ethiopians? It's always such generalities that help widen cultural gaps. Ethiopians in the DC area are business men, doctors, engineers and yes, cap drivers. The title brings back sad but effective tactics deployed many immigrant groups through the history of America. It's sad we're seeing such language at a time when African American is in the oval office.

By: Mike DeBonis

Mike DeBonis — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:00:05 +0000

OK, LL has changed the title of the post. It was indeed ill-advised (not to mention poor SEO).