A Lyft driver in Pennsylvania said he refused to drive a “racist” bar-owner and her boyfriend — and now a video showing the interaction has amassed millions of views.
James Bode, a ride-share driver for Lyft, had just arrived to pick up a woman named “Jackie” on the evening of May 13 when something she said made him do a double take.
“Wow, you’re like a white guy,” the woman can be heard saying in the dashcam video timestamped at 10:27 p.m..
“Excuse me,” Bode asked.
“You’re like, a normal guy?” she replied as she got settled into the back of the car. “You speak English?”
Bode looked incredulous.
“Sorry,” she laughed, patting Bode on the shoulder.
“No, you can get out of the car,” Bode told her.
This interaction and what followed has sparked thousands of comments and over 9 million views as of May 16 after being reposted to Twitter.
Police confirmed to McClatchy News that the woman pictured in the video owns the bar. The companion in the video is her boyfriend, Leigh Valley Live reported.
Since the video’s posting, Fossil’s Last Stand has been inundated with negative reviews by Yelp posters. The platform removed the ability to post reviews due to “increased public attention.”
“While racism has no place on Yelp and we unequivocally reject racism or discrimination in any form, all reviews on Yelp must reflect an actual first-hand consumer experience,” Yelp said in a statement on the bar’s page.