Originally posted on anti-aggressionleague.com
Source: The Free Thought Project
In May of last year, Miami Dade County issued a memorandum that requires all drivers of the transportation network to have the ability to speak English, a violation of the first amendment that prohibits governments from abridging freedom of speech
, which includes dictating what language their constituents can use to communicate in personal and business matters (with the exception of legal documents). Fast forward to today and this draconian law has come to fruition as it is now being used to fine Uber driver Carmen Echevarria $250 for not being proficient in English. To be sure, Carmen Echevarria speaks and understands some english, but sometimes she needs a translation for words and phrases she doesn't understand. This apparently enraged one Uber customer enough that it prompted the customer to call the police on Carmen after she asked another passenger to translate what the customer had said. As a result, an officer from the Miami Dade County Department of Transportation ticketed Carmen and told her she needed to speak English to be an Uber driver. Prior to this incident, Carmen had no problems getting customers where they need to go since their payment, route, and destination information are entered before customers are even picked up.