A Marathon gas station on the southwest side of Martinsville has fired the employee who allegedly refused service to two separate people of Asian descent last week in coronavirus-related discrimination.
According to Martinsville Police Chief Kurt Spivey, the former employee allegedly refused to serve a 29-year-old woman last Tuesday.
“Last week our dispatch center was contacted, and someone wanted to report that his girlfriend of Asian descent had been asked to leave the gas station in question,” Spivey says. “And it was clearly due to racial discrimination. She was asked to leave, and it was directly related to the COVID-19 virus.”
He says the police department was called again yesterday – but this time by the gas station’s owners, who wanted the police to remove media members from their property.
“By the time we arrived, the media was filming from across the street – local news outlets,” Spivey says. “And this time, we discussed that they [the media members] were talking about a second unrelated incident where an Asian male had walked into the same gas station and was once again refused service due to his ethnicity.”
That man, who Spivey described as a doctor, did not contact Martinsville PD.
A Marathon clerk who wouldn’t give his full name said the second incident was a miscommunication about a sign on the door that asked people not to come in if they are feeling sick or ill.
“He thought that guy was coughing,” the clerk said.
Spivey says the police department spoke with the store owners, who were “very apologetic and remorseful for what happened” and apologized to the two.
“As the city of Martinsville, we just simply don't condone or support that type behavior,” Spivey says. “At this point, it's more of a civil matter than it is criminal matter. But like I said, this type behavior is not supported or condoned by our agency in any way.”
For the latest news and resources about COVID-19, bookmark our Coronavirus In Indiana page here.
