Atlanta community organizer Joe Jones couldn’t believe his ears – yet the proof was in the viral video. Here was a local gas station clerk daring to utter these words: “I don’t give a f**k about the Black neighborhood.”
Joe’s next move sent a powerful message.
That kind of disrespect against the very people keeping the station in business, Jones says, had been going on for years and simply could not be tolerated any longer without consequences.
Thus began a harrowing 66 days of boycotts and protests right outside the very gas station in question. You’ll never believe how the tables turned by day 67.
According to CBS 46, the store’s owner, Rahim Sivji, apologized and fired the clerk. But by then it was too little, too late. The boycott already caused Sivji to lose 70%-80% of his revenue. Under public and financial pressure, he was forced to sell – giving the option for Jones HIMSELF to buy! Now he’s running a crowdfunding campaign to do just that.
The lesson here is clear.
If we exemplify self-respect in the face of oppression through protest, we can change the way business is conducted in our communities.
“This was an effective boycott that led to tangible results,” Jones concludes. “This is the perfect opportunity to take this situation and try to promote a situation of Black ownership.”