Gas Station Sued After Refusing to Sell to Black Man

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Buckman Neighborhood in SE Portland is home for Dominique DeWeese and his family. So on July 28, when he needed some gas for yard projects, he walked over to Jay’s Garage on Southeast 7th and Morrison. He had an empty gas can and no idea what would happen next.

“I asked for gas and the gentleman just looked at me and he told me, ‘No,’” said DeWeese. “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.”

DeWeese pulled out his cell phone and started recording. The attendant, who is white, suggested DeWeese, who is Black, try a different gas station.