In New York, a taxi driver took his own life earlier this month, becoming the eighth driver-for-hire in the city to die by suicide over the past year. Fifty-eight-year-old Roy Kim of Queens acquired his New York City taxi medallion just last year and was reportedly struggling with a debt of over half a million dollars. New York Taxi Workers Alliance Executive Director Bhairavi Desai said, “Owner-drivers have suffered a deep and vicious slide from the middle class into crushing poverty, in a just a few short years. … Banks and lenders need to work with the city and philanthropy to write off 20 percent of outstanding debts, lower interest rates, and restructure contracts.”