When Chinedu declined to come to Hearn's home, the resident says she ordered another Lyft, which appeared to be nearby on the app. This driver also cancelled the pick-up, Hearn says; a third Lyft driver finally accepted the request and drove her friend to her destination. "It wasn't my most stellar night with Lyft," says Hearn, who's lived in Ward 8 for about a year and a half.

"Capitol Hill can get anything and everything to its doorstep," she says in a follow-up phone interview. "I'm not discounting the problems Ward 8 has in terms of violence and the series of shootings that occurred over the summer, and the drug incidents that happen daily. That's definitely something our councilmembers should be planning to address. But denying services is not the legal way of handling it."

Update 4:05 p.m.: Lyft spokesperson Alexandra LaManna provided the following statement on behalf of the company: "Lyft does not tolerate any form of discrimination and is committed to maintaining an inclusive and welcoming community. Pending a further investigation, the driver’s access to the Lyft platform has been suspended."