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Should Taxi Drivers Be Fined for Aiding Prostitutes?

SodaHead News 2012/06/27 13:00:00
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New York City cabbies will be a lot more reluctant to transport sex workers now that Mayor Michael Bloomberg has signed a new bill that will heavily penalize the act. According to The Frisky, the harsh penalties won't hit until the second offense -- then they hit hard. The second time a NYC taxi driver is convicted of knowingly transporting a prostitute, it's a whopping $10,000 fine.

However, there are some rather obvious catches. Cabbies cannot be expected to make a judgment call based on appearance, so it will probably be difficult for law enforcement to make a case against the drivers. For that reason, critics of the law are concerned that it will force drivers to discriminate against anyone they feel might possibly be a prostitute. Do you think the law is fair?

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  • Mel 2012/06/29 17:29:36
    No
    Mel
    Unless the sex worker has a warrant for arrest and the driver knows this, then no. His/her job os to tarnsport, and that's all.
    reply
  • the_old_coach 2012/06/29 16:55:21
    No
    the_old_coach
    +8
    And for what is worth: Make prostitution legal, regulate it, and tax it.

    I know that's been said before--even by me--and again in this very same thread. MAKE IT SO.
    reply
  • mobilsq the_old... 2012/06/29 17:04:50
    mobilsq
    +2
    Exactly, whores have been around since the beginning of time and nothing will change that.
    reply
  • MarinerFH 2012/06/29 16:06:25
    No
    MarinerFH
    +5
    Make Prostitution legal, regulate it and tax it.

    Anyone who is so called pro-choice should, by default, be pro-prostitution. It's the prostitute's body and it should be her choice what she does with it.
    reply
  • wes 2012/06/29 15:48:50
    No
    wes
    +3
    You have to believe this is an effort to get the hookers to dress nicer..... high class hooker
    reply
  • ADIDAS 2012/06/29 15:45:50
    Yes
    ADIDAS
    +1
    Yes.....if they turn out to be their pimp!
    But if they are not on the job then hell no.
    reply
  • knoodelhed 2012/06/29 15:43:17 (edited)
    No
    knoodelhed
    +2
    Ok so what about bus drivers and subway motormen?
    Blue laws are (practically without exception) bad laws.
    reply
  • the_old... knoodelhed 2012/06/30 14:26:47
    the_old_coach
    Well stated.
    reply
  • Blueskys 2012/06/29 15:39:10
    No
    Blueskys
    +3
    I drove a cab forty years ago. Lots of customers want to know where to find women.
    I thought NYC was packed with prostitutes? Why not let them open retail establishments, so they don't have to use cabs?
    reply
  • kthulhu 2012/06/29 15:10:41
    No
    kthulhu
    +6
    ...prostitutes are people too, and NYC is just discriminating against another subfaction of people. that fine is ridiculous. would they rather have the prostitute get attacked or raped? cabs are meant to transport people quicker and more safely than walking, so the mayor is putting people in possible danger (especially since prostitutes work late nights).
    reply
  • PapaBC 2012/06/29 14:33:21
    No
    PapaBC
    +3
    I do not use them but why a fine?

    My I see you ID to make sure you are not a Hooker? I have the list of names right here provided by HHS and the Oral Office.
    reply
  • JimTheGeek 2012/06/29 14:12:37
    No
    JimTheGeek
    +4
    No cab rides for politicians who are prostitutes for corporate america!
    reply
  • ThinkAboutIt! 2012/06/29 13:40:55
    No
    ThinkAboutIt!
    +5
    Bloomberg is an idiot!
    New Yorkers have to be embarrassed by all the nanny rules he's coming up with.
    reply
  • Dottys22 2012/06/29 12:00:36
    No
    Dottys22
    +7
    So some creeps are following me, I hail a cabbie, he looks at me and thinks I'm a ho. no pickup, I get raped. who do I sue... Bloomberg for aiding the rapists, that's who.
    reply
  • MissNovemberTuesday 2012/06/29 11:42:51 (edited)
    No
    MissNovemberTuesday
    +4
    Are they insane? How do they expect these women and men to get around? And what if they are in a dangerous situation and have to get out, but the only cabbie around has had a violation and refuses to pick them up? Does the mayor want their deaths on his hands? Stupid. The cabbies are just doind theri job and providing a simple service and that should not be illegal!
    reply
  • Lefty 2012/06/29 11:17:49
    No
    Lefty
    +2
    Could be their busiest time of day in getting tips! May even get a freebee once in a while.
    reply
  • C-ZAR™, Emperor of the PHÆT 2012/06/29 10:22:33
    No
    C-ZAR™, Emperor of the PHÆT
    +2
    It shouldn't be a fine for transporting them from point A to B, they have nothing to do with C
    reply
  • debhead 2012/06/29 09:42:22
    No
    debhead
    +5
    It's another case of profiling and will cause the court system to get even more backed up and cost tax payers more money. How is a cab driver supposed to know if their passenger is a hooker unless he's personally propositioned by them.
    reply
  • aneed2know 2012/06/29 09:32:42
    No
    aneed2know
    +6
    why, its the free market, if some one is providing a service that others are willing to pay for, why not let the market dictate the business? Free markets rule Free Market Prostitution
    reply
  • Derbyhat 2012/06/29 09:01:13
    No
    Derbyhat
    +4
    But if they are carrying soft drinks over 16 ounces, call out the riot squad!
    reply
  • john.colonico 2012/06/29 08:43:56
    No
    john.colonico
    +2
    they are workers, mums,people .citizens ,and just to make a buck ,,,,,,,in this high taxed world
    reply
  • David 2012/06/29 08:41:01
    No
    David
    +4
    It's funny how pornstars are legal but prostitutes are not. They're the same thing, except one is extremely successful and the other isn't. And why can't prostitutes get rides?
    reply
  • the_old... David 2012/06/30 14:28:32
    the_old_coach
    That's a very good point!
    reply
  • he in the dark who stands a... 2012/06/29 06:45:44 (edited)
    No
    he in the dark who stands alone
    +2
    i would say yes only in the instance that they know it is a hooker. but if they don't know that the girl/guy is a hooker how can you do that or expect them to make that kind of judgment call with this law cab drivers are going to further descriminate against the people they pick up. and what exactly defines a hooker should the cops pull the cab over. i mean if the cops pull a cab over simply because there is a slutty girl in the back then that is just wrong.
    reply
  • Ashlea 2012/06/29 06:43:29
    No
    Ashlea
    +1
    Seriously?
    reply
  • dragonfliez 2012/06/29 06:25:50
    No
    dragonfliez
    +2
    hookers need a ride too. wtf!
    reply
  • Marcus Clark 2012/06/29 05:41:55
    Yes
    Marcus Clark
    +1
    This is not about giving a ride to someone who happens to be a prostitute. This is about knowingly assisting her in her business. In order to enforce this, law enforcement must prove (TWICE) that the cabbie is knowingly assisting the prostitute via transportation.
    reply
  • Lefty Marcus ... 2012/06/29 11:14:28
    Lefty
    +1
    She's also helping him in his business. One hand washes the other. It's the american way!
    reply
  • Inquisi... Marcus ... 2012/06/30 16:21:55 (edited)
    Inquisitve Kat
    If you drive someone to work, you're not helping them with their business. Same goes for a taxi driver who drives a prostitute to a john. Especially if the cab driver is being paid to do what is expected of a cab driver (transport a customer from point A to point B).
    The law simply puts prostitutes into more danger, since it encourages other ways of getting around, like hitch-hiking.
    reply
  • Marcus ... Inquisi... 2012/07/04 07:04:31
    Marcus Clark
    That is not what is under consideration here. Quite frequently a cab driver and a prostitute are "partners," even to the point of the driver being her "pimp."
    Of course, the "news" articles don't cover this angle. They make it look like law enforcement is harassing cab drivers for simply providing a ride as usual.
    reply
  • Inquisi... Marcus ... 2012/07/04 16:09:01 (edited)
    Inquisitve Kat
    If that's the case, they're already liable to be charged for acting as a pimp, anyway, so why waste time and money creating a new law?
    reply
  • Marcus ... Inquisi... 2012/07/06 02:30:20
    Marcus Clark
    +1
    I tend to agree with that, not just with this law but with many useless laws around the world. The problem is that rather than enforcing the intent of a law, the legal system is wrangled by defense lawyers into excuses and technicalities that get their totally guilty clients off the hook. Therefore in order to convict those who are guilty and keep getting away with it, they come up with laws like this to try to overcome the hurdles and get the convictions.
    reply
  • M'lud Marcus ... 2012/07/03 14:54:59
    M'lud
    The intersection of what a law is about and what a law actually accomplishes is usually tiny and often non-existant. Legal system
    reply
  • Mia Nicole 2012/06/29 05:06:35
    No
    Mia Nicole
    +5
    Why should they be fined?, They are just doing their work.
    reply
  • Airhead 2012/06/29 04:07:56
    No
    Airhead
    +2
    I'd rather her be transported safely by a cabby than put her at more risk than she already is.
    reply
  • shadow76 2012/06/29 03:54:15
    No
    shadow76
    +2
    This guy is out of mind, why are New Yorkers putting up with him?
    reply
  • dragon88 2012/06/29 03:46:16
    No
    dragon88
    +2
    Its hard to live these days. Let the cab drivers and prostitutes move on with their job without getting a penalty.
    reply
  • LYNN MEYER 2012/06/29 03:45:12
    No
    LYNN MEYER
    +2
    All the hooker has to say is she is just a normal passenger. She does not have tell her business. So cabbies would just post a sign that they only provide transportation services .They do not want to hear or know about any of their passengers personal business..
    reply
  • Muver 2012/06/29 03:42:23
    No
    Muver
    +2
    Of all the absurd laws out there, this just might be the most absurd....I don't think the way a woman dresses can be an absolute definition of whether or not that woman Might be a prostitute....who will make that determination, the fashion police??? This could be the most discriminatory law on the books...Is there another law on the books for the "Johns" riding in a cab...how would they decide a man like that just got in a cab, would it be if their zipper was down....Ha, that would encompass lots of me....Mayor Bloomberg, YOU are an idiot,,,,,,and so is whoever thought this stupid law up...and more time wasting
    in the courts.....at the taxpayers expense...what a shock!!!
    reply
  • raine 2012/06/29 03:36:35
    No
    raine
    +2
    Alot of people look like hookers, so they can't get a cab. Not fair, pretty soon women will not be able to get a cab at all.
    reply
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