Dominique DeWeese is suing a Portland, Oregon gas station after the attendant refused to give him gas because he profiled him as a Black Lives Matter protestor.
I asked for gas and the gentleman just looked at me and he told me, ‘No.’ He asked if I was a Black Lives protester, rioter, kinda smirked, and said, ‘I’m not giving you any gas.’ He wouldn’t give me any gas based on the color of my skin and him thinking I was going to do some rioting or something.
The conversation between Mr. DeWeese and the attendant went like this:
Dominique – “You’re not explaining why you’re refusing to sell me gasoline.”
Attendant – “You don’t watch the news?”
Dominique – “No, I don’t watch the news.”
Attendant – “Well, there are dumpster fires. They get a can of gasoline and they start the fire.”
Dominique – “So are you picking and choosing who to sell gasoline to?”
Attendant – “Thats right!”
Dominique – “Dude, I live up the block, I’m putting gasoline in my lawnmower and I have moles. I’m putting gasoline in the mole holes on my property.”
Attendant – “I’m just doing my part to keep down the fires in town.”
The attendant told Dominique he would sell him gas if he puts it directly in a car or lawnmower, but not in a gas can.
The incident took place on July 28 at Jay’s Garage on Southeast 7th and Marrison.
Dominique filed a $350,000 racial discrimination lawsuit against the establishment.
As he should!
The owner of Jay’s Garage, Miles Dewhitt, said the attendant was fired the same day after seeing the video on social media.
What happened is against company policy. We serve everyone. I feel bad it happened to the guy. It’s not the way we are.
Dominique expressed his frustration with the whole situation.
Terrible, terrible! I live in the Buckman neighborhood I walk with my daughters every day. For me to have to explain to them why things like this happen is very difficult. It never feels good. It happens so frequently that we almost become used to it like it’s normalized, It’s not OK.
Watch the video from KGW8 below:
Dominique was very smart to film the interaction and it was clearly an act of racial profiling and discrimination, hopefully, he has a good lawyer that can win his case.
Source: Black Enterprise
