Uber Shows Support for Social Justice Following Police Shootings

Those looking for an Uber ride home Friday night at midnight after a short lived night of debauchery, were confronted with a sobering message from the ride hailing company informing users that the app was unavailable for precisely one minute as a show of solidarity with the victims of recent shootings across three cities this week.

The message read:

Our hearts go out to the victims of this week’s terrible gun violence. As a show of solidarity to all affected, you’ll see a peace sign in your app As we move around our cities this weekend, let’s take a moment to think about what we can do to help.

Later on in the night, after the minute had passed, the company shared another message claiming it will be donating a so far undisclosed amount of money to a “number of social justice, anti-violence non-profits in Baton Rouge, Minneapolis, and Dallas.”

This isn’t the first time Uber has changed its UberX icon in the app but it is the first time they have (purposely) shut down the service for an allotted time. Talking to BuzzFeed, an Uber spokesperson says the peace symbol cars will remain on the app through today.

Not everyone was so happy with the interruption. Users took to Twitter to complain that the company was too forceful to push a social justice stance that not all users agree with.

But most people seemed to share in the solidarity of the moment.

The message follows two high profile shootings of black men by the hands of police: Philando Castile in Minneapolis and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge. Protests in Dallas followed and a lone shooter killed five police officers and injured another seven as well as two civilians.

Notably, Uber has said nothing about giving money to police communities.