An Uber Eats delivery driver from Venezuela is calling for justice after he claims he was berated and assaulted by a D.C. coffee shop owner.
On Monday morning, delivery driver Gregorio José Amundarain Lávate said the encounter began when he went to Canna Coffee on Florida Avenue in Northwest D.C. to pick up an order.
“He told me that the order was ready. When I went to go look for the order, he told me I need to learn English. And I told him I don’t speak English. That’s when he became upset,” said Amundarain Lávate through a translator.
The driver, who is a native of Venezuela, said he began recording the interaction to have as proof and the video has since gone viral on social media.
“Here I am working, trying to provide for my family that’s in Venezuela, and change my life here for the better, little by little,” he said.
In the video, the cafe’s owner Greg Harris can be seen yelling at the driver, saying, “If you’re getting money in America, learn English,” and “Learn English, this ain’t your … country.”
“He was practically humiliating me just because I didn’t know the language,” Amundarain Lávate said.
WTOP attempted to interview Harris but he declined our request.
Harris posted a picture of the WTOP reporter who requested the interview on his Instagram account with the caption, “Wanna know what happened? Gotta pay for an exclusive.” WTOP does not pay for interviews.
D.C. police said it is investigating what happened as a possible hate crime and a case of simple assault. The owner has not been arrested or charged.
In a statement to WTOP, Uber said action has been taken against the business because of what occurred: “We are absolutely disgusted by this behavior. Uber is proud to help people from many backgrounds find work in their communities, and hate has no place on our platform. We have removed this business from the app and are working to get in touch with the courier to check on his well-being.”
The business also advertises it provides delivery through Grubhub.
In an emailed statement, Grubhub said: “We are aware of the incident with another delivery service at Canna Coffee. Delivery partners should always be treated with respect, and we’re doing a full investigation with this merchant before taking any further action.”
WTOP’s Juan Herrera, Ciara Wells and José Umaña contributed to this report.
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