DDD was born because, as Licensed London Taxi drivers, we became aware of a Freedom of Information statistic which showed just how prevalent rape and sexual assaults were in minicabs.
At first, we doubted the math; surely it could not be so disturbingly high.
It was inconceivable that the rate of attacks for just one year in London alone was 154 reported.
The realisation of what was news to us, was not news to Transport for London(TfL) or Uber, was devastating.
TfL and Uber were prepared to allow this outrage to continue, as long as they could keep the truth from getting out.
The more we delved into the facts, the more it was apparent that TfL and Uber facilitated these heinous crimes, by relaxing regulation and disregarding safety.
Theo Usherwood showed us that obtaining a license to drive a minicab had become as easy as buying a second hand car.
Getting the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and other rape crisis groups involved, proved futile. They seemed enthusiastic, until they realised it might affect their funding
We were determined to get the message out into the public domain.
In this we have succeeded. If you live in Southampton, Sunderland or Strathclyde, you know that riding in an Uber is a very dangerous business.
TfL and Uber are equally to blame - they facilitated each other in cutting corners to save pennies.
The collateral damage caused by deregulation and blatant flouting of the law, is the number of unsuspecting victims growing by fifty percent per year.
Now the public are informed. Now they can make their own minds up. Now it is up to the individual if they wish to gamble with their lives for cheap.
There is nothing more DDD can do to help them. They can no longer plead ignorance.
In the early days of DDD, Val Shawcross questioned our motives; pointing her nose towards protectionism. But that says more about Val Shawcross, than it does about us.
Uber scares people. Uber's money and influence keeps justice at bay and the media in line.
Greyball is a big deal. Its potential is mind boggling. No one wants to get too involved in outing Greyball, in case they get a visit from the men in grey suits and taken for a long walk off a short pier.
Our aim was true and our focus was clear. Get the message out.
We now have the current Prime Minister, Theresa May breaking legal protocol during an ongoing case, and siding with Uber. Siding with a company that refused to assist the police in preventing a rapist from committing a further assault.
Siding with a company which pays next to no tax.
Siding with a company that produced Greyball, amongst other systems; that can hide anything and everything from the police and authorities, including Uber assaults and terrorist activities, and can monitor everything we do, including the police and authorities.
Siding with a company who, during their five year license, refused to let the Regulator see how the Uber app works.
This is no longer news; this is out there in the public eye.
When the Prime Minister is prompted by Uber investors, to plead for Uber's reprieve on national television, I think we can safely say that everyone knows about Uber and their noxious activities now.
The Conservative Party has thrown off its diaphanous veil of respectability and come out all guns blazing, to fight on Uber's behalf.
As puppet politicians played down rape statistics and sharp practices, Uber was busy illegally rigging an opinion poll set up by themselves, via their toxic software.
They cannot help themselves; just like the scorpion, it is who they are.
The honesty of Caroline Pidgeon was refreshing in this day and age of Machiavellian politics. She was never pro or anti Taxi - she was fair-minded and true to her word.
The support we received from Wes Streeting and David Kurten was also extremely uplifting.
DDD can look back to some great demos. Winning every single time.
We pulled a disastrous nose-diving UCG protest from the jaws of defeat, marching from Broadcasting House, down St Martins to cheers and applause from a dejected group gathered in Trafalgar Square about to give up the ghost.
We closed St Pancras Station for a week, forcing Camden Council to change the structure of their dangerous and unworkable set-down area.
We demoed Bank Junction for a week. The police had no idea what we would do next. They even sectioned us - a lot of good that did them. We had the police turn up to an empty Bank, while we gathered at Parliament Square. We had the police closing off roads and roundabouts, searching for us, trying to second guess us, whilst we sat in the warmth having dinner - we even sent them a photo of us eating fish and chips, while they speed around London with helicopters in the air, in search of our next gathering point.
We demoed Parliament Square on the morning after Brexit, for maximum media effect.
We turned up outside Tobacco Dock for the Evening Standard Awards. Advertisers do not like being associated with rape and corruption - that bog-roll stopped promoting Uber for a while after that - due most likely to pressure from commercial customers - and odds on favourites Uber failed to win their award. Uber are not up for an award this year, even though their immoral lobbyist, who works for one of Uber's biggest investors, is editor of the freebie rag.
We saved the LTDA's bacon, when Steve McNamara called a protest outside the Evening Standard, for George Osborne's first day as editor, and no one turned up; until a few hundred DDD marched along Kensington Gore to Derry Street, complete with placards and banners. McNamara called Woodfield Road for reinforcements, about six LTDA members turned up.
We were pleased to assist the ever proactive LCDC with their Dodgy Doctors protest outside 240 Blackfriars Road.
And we were honoured to be part of the GMB/LCDC Brighton experiment, which showed how cross-border hiring and instant hail worked to the detriment of everyone except the profiteers.
We stormed the BBC, demoed Conservative Party HQ, the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, Windsor and Palestra Houses, closed the City and huge chunks of London.
We marched many a merry protest and drove a few drive-ins too.
The police were very accommodating and understanding, it must be said.
We had a hugely successful 'Christmas Warning' poster campaign. There are still a few thousand about London, educating the public.
We never took a penny from any organisation, remaining independent and self sufficient.
Our whole raison d'etre was to get the message out and inform the public. And we did just that. Now every man and his dog know.
DDD congratulates everyone who stood shoulder to shoulder with us. By attending our demos you became DDD members.
We planned our protests with every conceivable outcome; we rode our luck and were successful in each and every one of them.
We got Orgs, Unions and representatives to various negotiating tables - how they did once we got them there, was beyond our control.
Closing a mainline station or a huge hub of a junction for a week had never done before, and will never be done again.
We have absolute respect and gratitude to the ten percent of London's proactive finest.
We offer nothing more than our complete and utter disdain to the ninety percent apathetic sleepwalkers who excuse themselves from involvement with asinine excuses, and spurious motives.
We have always stated we would rather fight alongside ten who cared, than a thousand who would rather be somewhere else.
Cameron, Osborne, Javid and May are responsible for far too many vulnerable people being maimed or attacked, all because their mates have vested interests in a Ponzi scheme that makes Enron look like a 'Three-card Monte'.
How cheaply those Tory yellow dogs hold our lives, hey?
With Daniels retiring, Chapman and Blake jumping ship before this year's end, I think we can safely say TfL are doing some overdue Spring-cleaning.
As with all unscrupulous businesses when they get found out, they put a few new faces up to hide the corruption and incompetence that will continue behind a refurbished facade. It is exactly what Uber have done too.
We did our best and we achieved all we set out to do.
Those who came along for the ride know the truth, what we did, why we did it, and how it was achieved.
We came across quite a bit of resentment from different Orgs and egos along the way. So now when Uber gets its license, and it will, ask your Org or Union "What are you going to do about it?"
Undefeated and unbowed we now step from the arena.
Footnote:
The band of brothers who are Dads Defending Daughters, remain one family.
We stay together as one; ready for anything.
from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2hBMncT
via
IFTTT
