Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is now backing up a financial rescue for those who were lured into predatory loans.
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Yellow cab driver and father of four, Mohamadou Aliyu, works 12-14 hour days six days a week. Those days have now become a hardship.
"I can't pay my mortgage," Aliyu says.
That is because the medallion that was once worth a million dollars, allowed him to live the American dream. Now he owes $700,000
"The dream started becoming a nightmare," he said.
This week, without outlining specific details, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is now calling for a bailout to help drivers who took out high-fee and interest loans on taxi medallions that allow them to own and operate their cabs.
"Loans of a million dollars were given to drivers who were only making $30,000." She said.
"From 2004-2012, the City of New York made $850 million from the sales of these medallions - the city counted its money, lenders and brokers made theirs," said Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
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This happened all while the cab drivers suffered, and even more with the arrival of ride-sharing services of Lyft and Uber.
Some drivers, mostly immigrants, even resorted to suicide. Last year, there were nine deaths.
"They are a direct consequence of neglect of a vulnerable community," said Ocasio-Cortez.
A community Aliyu is a part of, and needs the help to continue to work hard toward that American dream.
" Some have told me to run away from this but I believe so much in this I can't walk away from it," he said.
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