CHICAGO -- Civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson and his Rainbow PUSH Coalition led a protest Saturday at a Chicago BP station against high gasoline prices, reported ABC-TV.
Jackson accused oil companies of greed by charging unfairly high prices, and making huge profits. He said those prices have a devastating impact on the economy. We're going to keep marching until they put a cap on the prices. And a windfall profits tax to re-invest in America. The basic middle-class worker cannot take this hit. Wages are not rising as fast as fuel prices are [image-nocss] rising. It's putting many small business out of business. And so we want legislation to cap it, he said.
He also accused BP of racial insensitivity, saying none of the firm's 800 distributors are African American or Hispanic.
The company responded with this statement to ABC: 20% of independent BP and Arco gas station operators come from minority groups, and two members of the BP board of directors are African Americans.
Protests were launched Thursday at BP/Arco stations in Atlanta, according to a press statement released by Jackson. It said that additional protests would occur in cities across the nation on Saturday, June 24.
Joining the Rainbow PUSH Coalition were the National Action Network and other religious, civil rights and community groups.
Jackson and Rainbow/PUSH also announced their support for a lawsuit filed against BP by DAG Petroleum, an African American-owned gasoline retailer. We support DAG president and CEO Joe Mamo's claim that BP discriminated against him when he bid on lucrative supplier/distributorship contracts in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas, Jackson said. BPs treatment against Mamo and DAG further shows a pattern of discrimination by BP.
He added, If BP discriminates and won't invest in us, we will divest in BP. There is virtually no minority participation at BP. We are going to engage in direct action until the price of gas and energy comes down, and people and businesses of color are included. We will stand up for consumers and businesses being hurt by these oil companies and their profit machine.
The protest is focusing on BP because BP has the largest share of the African American market; yet its pattern of discrimination amounts to a virtual lock out of African American businesses and consumers. They want our business but don't want to do business with us, added Rev. Amos Brown of Third Baptist Church.
We are also concerned about the impact of Big Oil on our political system. We need a strategy and commitment to develop alternative, sustainable sources of energy, added Jackson.
The Rainbow PUSH Coalition will also join with Moveonpac.org, for picketing at gas stations around the nation on June 28, it said.
Click here to visit the CSP Discussion Board and read a column by Jackson on gasoline prices.
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