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| Re: Brooklyn NYPD crack down on dollar vans, activist group calls it racist (292406) | |||
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Re: Brooklyn NYPD crack down on dollar vans, activist group calls it racist |
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Posted by BusMgr on Thu Apr 17 14:42:00 2014, in response to Brooklyn NYPD crack down on dollar vans, activist group calls it racist, posted by Gold_12th on Wed Apr 16 22:53:20 2014. Notice the inconsistencies in the reasoning behind the campaign. For example, there is a blanket statement from the police: "We want to send a message that they’re not safe." It cannot be proven that every van operator is unsafe, and such statements defame those van operators who are in fact safe. The TLC says that dollar vans are "rolling liabilities," even though it also says that "Van drivers playing by the rules . . . have nothing to fear." So which is it? Are there "safe" van operators?The real issue here is that van operators threaten the union jobs of NYCTA bus drivers. This story notes that "properly" licensed van operations includes the responsibility for "picking up [only those] passengers who call ahead for rides." That is, even a van operator who was licensed, insured, drug tested, and background-checked, would face penalties for daring to compete with unionized bus drivers. And since we all know where Mayor de Blasio's support originates, it is not surprising that he would have his police department go after anyone threatening his political base. Here, van operators are convenient to go after because many cannot navigate the Byzantine of the City's regulations, and may not be able to abide by its financially-imposing requirements. Any legitimate safety campaign would focus on reasonable regulation that is rationally related to safety, coupled with programs supportive of the van industry and its compliance therewith. Neither is present here. From the administration's perspective, imposition of economic regulation and hardship on the Mayor's enemies by touting safety violations is the perfect political strategy. |
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