Photo by Sarah Anne Hughes.

Hundreds of cab drivers gathered at One Judiciary Square today for the monthly meeting of the D.C. Taxicab Commission to express their frustration and anger with the new modernization regulations.

The morning began with a rally of the newly formed Teamster-Taxi association that featured the usual chants of “No justice, no peace” and “We are united. We are strong. We are right, but they are wrong.” The hundreds of drivers then began to enter One Judiciary, a process that involves showing an ID and going through a metal detector. The procession delayed the meeting by about 30 minutes.

“I’d like to thank the 5,000 cab drivers” who had their dome lights installed by the November 1 deadline, Commissioner Paul Cohn said as the meeting began.

From the beginning, there was a building animosity in the room. DCTC Chairman Ron Linton admonished Ferline Buie, president of Teamsters Local 922, for bringing just one copy of testimony, as opposed to a copy for every member of the Commission.

Buie said drivers having to file their testimony ahead of time “flies in the face of democracy.”

“We’re here today to tell you … that we’re fed up with not having our voices heard,” Buie said, adding that drivers need more representation on the DCTC. There were loud cheers and applause from the drivers assembled after her speech, which Linton also admonished.

“This is not a show,” he said.

The first driver approached to testify, but did not have copies of his testimony. Linton said witnesses were required to provide copies of their testimony, which left the driver unable to speak. This elicited “boos” from the crowd. Cohn explained that written testimony was required because some drivers have “difficulty with our language.”

“It’s very difficult for us to understand,” he said.

“That’s insulting,” a driver near this editor said.

Outside a door on a sidewalk next to the building, members of the Association loudly chanted “No justice, no peace!” making it difficult to hear many of the drivers’ testimony.

This included one driver’s testimony against Uber. Again, drivers applauded when he was finished. Again, Linton used his gavel.

Another driver testified against the five-year age limit and phasing out of older cars, which Linton said was decided on after many public comments. There was testimony against the cost of the uniform color scheme for cars, which Linton explained didn’t have to be done until the cab needed a paint job.

After a 14-year cab veteran finished his testimony but asked to continue speaking, Linton asked to respond to his testimony.

“Let him finish!” some yelled. “Respect!”

“If there’s another outburst, I’ll adjourn the meeting,” Linton said. “Do it!” drivers yelled back. Outside people yelled “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Linton has got to go.”

When the testifying driver continued to press Linton about the 25-cent surcharge, which goes to the DCTC for overseeing the modernization changes, Linton responded, “We’re not going to debate this. This is not a debating society.”

The driver continued to press back. While chanting going on outside made it extremely difficult to hear, Linton told the driver “You sat on your hands” then later said “If you had followed the instructions,” referring to waiting until the last minute to comply with regulations.

Stanley Tapscott, a commissioner and driver who spoke at the formation of the Teamster-Taxi Association, said he understood that drivers were given a month to purchase dome lights through the company. “I personally called the company in California on three different occasions and they could not take an order,” he continued. “They said the companies had bought them all up and they did not have enough.” Applause broke out.

Testimony continued. Driver Jessie Black asked for the 25 cent surcharge to go toward helping drivers pay for the regulations, as opposed to going to the DCTC. Another driver called the credit card readers substandard, saying they left drivers unable to compete with Uber and other services.

Nathan Price, a veteran driver, approached the podium to speak. He did not have prepared testimony, but explained, “I speak clear and well enough English to convey my thoughts.” He was allowed by the Commission to continue, Cohn said, because he had spoken before the DCTC before.

“The Commission has created an oligarchy,” which has forced drivers to go to certain places to obtain credit card readers and dome lights, Price said.

At the end of the meeting, Linton shared a letter that was sent to each member of the D.C. Council last Friday. The letter was from a “frequent” rider of cabs, who had many problems – the seat belt was broken, the driver was speeding, the Face Card was hidden, the cab smelled of smoke and it was cold inside the cab. This elicited boos.

“You don’t want to listen to what the citizens who ride your cabs say?” Linton asked before adjourning the meeting.

At that point, the drivers rose from their seats and began yelling. “Uber lobbyist!” some yelled. “You are Hitler!” one screamed.

Drivers were asked by security to exit through a side door. “It’s 2013. Use the front door,” Block responded, telling drivers to use the front exit. Others approached the dais, where some commissioners were still seated, to ask questions in a very intense manner.

One driver began yelling at Commission General Counsel Jacques Lerner about how uberX is not regulated the same way taxis are and was almost removed from the room. (“Sir, you need to leave or you’re going to jail,” a security officer said.) Lerner allowed the driver to stay, saying the D.C. Council made the decision about Uber. The driver was not appeased. Another driver approached Linton to show him something on his phone and ask him about the choice of payment service providers.

“We certified them,” Linton said, “you made the choice.” The driver responded that all of them “are the worst.” This back-and-forth continued for some time before Linton told the man he was not letting him responded properly. Linton then ended the exchange and the rest of the drivers were escorted from the room.

Update: Here’s a statement from Linton about today’s meeting: “There were about 200 individuals that attended the General Commission meeting today and given that there are 8,500 registered drivers in the District I’m not sure how representative this group is of the industry; however they were able to let off some stream and express their frustration regarding the pressure of all the changes undertaken in the public vehicle for hire industry. I believe that attitudes will be different as the changes are absorbed and circumstances improve.”