Mayor Lee Joins Call To Fire Muni Driver Caught Using Racial Slurs On Camera
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee on Tuesday said the behavior of a Muni driver caught delivering a racist rant on camera will not be tolerated.
Officials with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency have already recommended that the driver caught on camera lose his job.
The video shows the off-duty driver using racial slurs in a confrontation with a woman over a parking spot near the Muni yard at Beach and Powell Monday morning. The woman who was the subject of the tirade took the video.
The driver referred to the woman with a racial epithet. When she replied, "I'm not even black," the driver countered, "You've got a n----- mentality."
The Muni driver continued his verbal assault, even as the woman tried to explain her side of the story.
Then as she tried to walk away, the driver kept on shouting at her.
After the incident, the woman posted the video on Facebook. By Tuesday afternoon, it had been viewed over 79,000 times and shared nearly 1,800 times.
"The actions were reprehensible," SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose told KPIX 5. "We are taking immediate and corrective action in this case. This is behavior that is not representative of our overall workforce."
A copy of an internal SFMTA memo obtained by KPIX 5 stated that they are recommending the bus driver be fired.
Mayor Ed Lee has added his voice to the call for the driver's job.
Lee released a statement on the incident, saying "This ugly behavior will never be tolerated. I applaud the SFMTA for taking swift action after this video came to light and seeking termination for this individual."
