'Café Maddy Cab' pays for ride-sharing services to ensure safety of Asian Americans

A Brooklyn woman has launched an initiative to help Asian Americans travel to their destinations safely in the wake of attacks against their community.

News 12 Staff

Apr 25, 2021, 11:14 PM

Updated 1,261 days ago

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A Brooklyn woman has launched an initiative to help Asian Americans travel to their destinations safely in the wake of attacks against their community.
"It's really terrifying. Every time I see it, I can't help but think that, ‘that could've been me,’" says Madeline Park, the founder of Café Maddy Cab.
The series of attacks prompted Park to start the Café Maddy Cab initiative.
"Café Maddy Cab is a program where we started to reimburse rides for the Asian community in New York City," Park explains.
She says it's an effort to help Asian Americans feel safer getting to and from their destinations by paying for their Uber or Lyft rides.
Park says she got the idea after being scared while riding the subway.
"Seeing all the news and headlines, I was feeling very fearful in the subway one day, and then I said, 'You know what? I may be able to reimburse some cab rides with some of my own money for people who can't afford it,'" Park recalls.
She got started by creating an Instagram page and donated $2,000 of her own money. That money quickly growing to more than $100,000 in just two days.
Park started the initiative just weeks ago. While she's happy to help her community, she says her goal is for the service to no longer be necessary as she hopes to see a stop in anti-Asian hate.
"We want to be able to close out as soon as possible, but also be able to continue as long as we can, as long as we're needed," Park says.
Right now, Park says funds are depleting and she's hoping to get even more donations so she can continue to help her community.