Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C. • Hacker News Board

Re: Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C.

#21

Post by rhdoenges » Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:39 PM UTC

Aloisius wrote: post #9

speeder wrote: post #7

Rape accusations, true or not, always end destroying the accused, specially because there are low penalties for false accusations, and the media is very fast in plastering the person name and photo everywhere. Also, being a driver is kinda dangerous regarding that, I have some driver friends, and they all have the same rule: They don't pick up lone women, period, it might be raining, hurricane, dust storm, middle of…

Why don't your driver friends just put a small camera in the cab? In the US this is fairly common in cabs, though not at all in towncars. It prevents a whole host of potential problems.

Seems the incident may have been recorded:

> Messages related to the incident on neighborhood email groups state that the incident was caught on security cameras mounted to the victim's home.

source: http://dcist.com/2013/03/uber_driver_charged_with_sexual_ass...

Re: Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C.

#22

Post by jiggy2011 » Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:40 PM UTC

rhdoenges wrote: post #11

speeder wrote: post #7

Rape accusations, true or not, always end destroying the accused, specially because there are low penalties for false accusations, and the media is very fast in plastering the person name and photo everywhere. Also, being a driver is kinda dangerous regarding that, I have some driver friends, and they all have the same rule: They don't pick up lone women, period, it might be raining, hurricane, dust storm, middle of…

It says she paid her fare. What other motive could she have had to make this accusation? Unfortunately, there is little evidence to go on at this point aside from her testimony, so much of this discussion is mere speculation.

Just straightforward blackmail and extortion perhaps?

Re: Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C.

#23

Post by bbwharris » Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:41 PM UTC

rhdoenges wrote: post #15

snprbob86 wrote: post #5

I don't really appreciate the fact that the suspect is named publicly, but the victim is not. It should be either neither, or both, preferably the former. Every time I see an article about rape, there are hints of bias to full on convictions in the court of public opinion. Innocent until proven guilty! Uber probably has GPS data for the Driver's phone. Did he linger at the destination long enough for a rape to occur?…

> After all, she was just kicked out of a bar... What difference does this make?

I'm with you on this. Its almost as if the op is blaming the victim for allowing this to happen.

Just think how you would feel if this was your mother, sister, or daughter. You would not have the same attitude. Women never deserve this, ever. It scars them for life.

Re: Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C.

#24

Post by chc » Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:41 PM UTC

cs702 wrote: post #19

At least one critic of the company warned exactly about this a long while ago: "Laws don’t exist merely to frustrate the business ambitions of coastal hipsters: They also exist to protect the more vulnerable members of society. Back home in London (where such statistics are available), 11 women a month are attacked in unlicensed cabs, and unlicensed drivers are responsible for a horrifying 80 percent of all stranger…

How does licensing ward off rape? I'm pretty sure I can warn that licensed cap drivers rape people and I'll be vindicated too.

Re: Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C.

#25

Post by stcredzero » Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:41 PM UTC

snprbob86 wrote: post #5

I don't really appreciate the fact that the suspect is named publicly, but the victim is not. It should be either neither, or both, preferably the former. Every time I see an article about rape, there are hints of bias to full on convictions in the court of public opinion. Innocent until proven guilty! Uber probably has GPS data for the Driver's phone. Did he linger at the destination long enough for a rape to occur?…

> It should be either neither, or both, preferably the former

Entirely agree. Doesn't it contradict the notion of innocent until proved guilty to subject the suspect to a media circus? It's like getting doxxed just because a bunch of bloggers see a chance to get hits.

Re: Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C.

#26

Post by Aloisius » Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:42 PM UTC

cs702 wrote: post #19

At least one critic of the company warned exactly about this a long while ago: "Laws don’t exist merely to frustrate the business ambitions of coastal hipsters: They also exist to protect the more vulnerable members of society. Back home in London (where such statistics are available), 11 women a month are attacked in unlicensed cabs, and unlicensed drivers are responsible for a horrifying 80 percent of all stranger…

You can't just become an uber driver. They are licensed livery drivers registered with each state. I'm not sure it is any less stringent application than becoming a cab driver.

Re: Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C.

#27

Post by tomp » Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:42 PM UTC

rhdoenges wrote: post #15

snprbob86 wrote: post #5

I don't really appreciate the fact that the suspect is named publicly, but the victim is not. It should be either neither, or both, preferably the former. Every time I see an article about rape, there are hints of bias to full on convictions in the court of public opinion. Innocent until proven guilty! Uber probably has GPS data for the Driver's phone. Did he linger at the destination long enough for a rape to occur?…

> After all, she was just kicked out of a bar... What difference does this make?

It's the word of one person against the word of another. If it were two men and you had to choose whom to believe, you would probably find it more likely that the lier is the one that otherwise causes more problems, and e.g. gets kicked out of bars.

Re: Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C.

#28

Post by bdcravens » Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:42 PM UTC

nsxwolf wrote: post #2

Yikes. Anyone know how a startup protects themselves from liability in this kind of situation?

It seems there's an attitude that startups that are "disrupting" don't play by the same rules as "traditional" businesses. (See the many discussions re Uber and AirBnB as they relate to local regulations) Business can be a very scary place, with risk - even when it has nothing to do with your company, PR association can be a killer. Situations like this are careful reminders that it takes more than a MacBook Air, 5 Hour Energy, and six weeks at an incubator desk to launch a successful business.

Re: Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C.

#29

Post by ataggart » Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:43 PM UTC

cs702 wrote: post #19

At least one critic of the company warned exactly about this a long while ago: "Laws don’t exist merely to frustrate the business ambitions of coastal hipsters: They also exist to protect the more vulnerable members of society. Back home in London (where such statistics are available), 11 women a month are attacked in unlicensed cabs, and unlicensed drivers are responsible for a horrifying 80 percent of all stranger…

It's not clear to me how government licensing would prevent an already illegal rape.

Re: Uber driver charged with raping woman in D.C.

#30

Post by duaneb » Thu, Mar 14, 2013, 7:43 PM UTC

xanadohnt wrote: post #8

Why is Über even mentioned? How about some details on the manufacturer of the seat the driver was sitting on, maybe what barber he usues too? Regardless, this is tragic if true, and my heart goes out.

Uber doesn't really vet their drivers properly, or at least that's what I found with a little Googling. Uber should take responsibility because this person put trust in their service and got raped. Now, it could be that Uber did vet the guy and he came up clean, but they should make that clear.