Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Home Depot, Uber respond to links to NYC truck attack

A terrorist attack in New York has put two companies in the harsh glare of the crisis spotlight.

Tuesday afternoon a Home Depot rental truck was used to kill eight and injure about a dozen others as the assailant drove down a bike path in lower Manhattan. The suspect, arrested at the scene after being shot, was identified as an Uber driver.

Both Home Depot and Uber are under scrutiny for their screening practices.

The Washington Post reported:

Law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an open investigation, identified the suspect as Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbek immigrant, who had been living in Tampa, Fla.

New York officials immediately labeled the tragedy as terrorism.

NBC news reported:

"This was an act of terror and particularly cowardly act of terror," Mayor Bill de Blasio said later at a briefing. "We know this action was intended to test our spirit."

On social media, inaccuracies gathered steam. In such events, the casualty toll frequently changes; in this case, a reference to the suspect’s “gun” was right, yet wrong.

The police however later described the firearms as fake.

NPR reported:

“The suspect exited the vehicle displaying imitation firearms" and was shot in the stomach by police. Officials later said a paintball gun and a pellet gun were recovered at the scene.

The deadly attack has prompted questions about whether Home Depot was sufficiently diligent in allowing the suspect to rent the truck.

Business Insider reported:

The NYPD spoke with 148 truck rental businesses multiple times over the last year, Deputy Commissioner John Miller said in a press conference early Tuesday evening. According to Miller, the region's vehicle rental industry has a "high level of awareness" of how to identify people who may carry out terrorist attacks.

The report continued:

Currently, you only need to be 21 years of age and have a current U.S. or Canadian driver’s license to rental a truck from Home Depot. Unless you're renting through the "Load 'N Go" program, you do not need to provide proof of car insurance.

Home Depot isn’t the only company under scrutiny. Uber has confirmed that Saipov has been driving with its platform for six months in New Jersey.

CNN wrote:

Uber said Saipov passed a background check in order to drive for the company and has now been banned from its platform. But his case may raise questions about Uber's background checks process.

Records show Saipov received multiple traffic citations in the past.

Both Uber and Home Depot have kept their statements brief, highlighting their cooperation with law enforcement.

CNN continued:

Uber said it's reviewing Saipov's history at the company and hasn't so far identified any rider complaints about his safety as a driver.

"We are horrified by this senseless act of violence," the company said in a statement. "Our hearts are with the victims and their families. We have reached out to law enforcement to provide our full assistance."

Home Depot was even more concise. Fortune magazine reported the chain’s statement:

“This is a Home Depot rental truck,” a spokesperson for the home improvement company confirmed. “We’ll be cooperating with authorities in their investigation.”
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New Yorkers tweeted their support for the city, and some were quick to defend its diversity.

The incident has reignited the debate over immigration reform, and the president is calling for an end to one particular program, tossing a jab at a political opponent in the process.

Outspoken opponents of the travel ban have remained quiet, focusing on the victims and their families.

The tragedy is being felt around the world today as victims have been identified from Argentina and Belgium.

The New York Times wrote:

Five of the people killed were Argentine tourists who traveled to New York for a 30-year high school reunion celebration, said a senior official in Santa Fe Province, where they were from. The Argentine authorities said they were Hernán Mendoza, Diego Angelini, Alejandro Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruchi. Martín Ludovico Marro, a sixth member of the group, was wounded. Belgian officials said one of those killed and three of the injured were from Belgium.

All reports praise the first responders who took down the driver.

Tuesday night, in a showing of solidarity, New Yorkers packed the streets for the city’s annual Halloween revelry.

Reuters reported:

“Tonight we’re at a Halloween parade to say, you didn’t win and you didn’t affect us, and we’re out and we’re celebrating and we’re doing what New Yorkers do and we’re living our lives because we’re not going to allow the terrorists to win. Period,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN.


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