Crown Central petroleum which owns gas stations
       throughout the South is a symbol of oppression and
       recalls the dark days before the emergence of the
       civil rights movement.

A major civil rights lawsuit has been filed against Crown Central Petroleum. The lawsuit charges that Crown Central Petroleum, operating Crown gas stations and Fast Fare and Zippy Mart convenience stores throughout the South, routinely discriminated against African-Americans and women in hiring and promotions at its oil refineries, and that its supervisors distributed racist and sexist handbills.

Some of the handbills that workers say were distributed by Crown supervisors include:

• An application for "Jesse Jackson Staff Positions" asks: "length of last jail term" and "number of convenience stores robbed."
• An employment application, targeted at African- Americans, asks: "How many words do you jive in a minute," and "Place of birth: charity hospital, free pubic hospital, cotton patch, back alley, or zoo?"
• A printed announcement states: "Sexual harassment in this area will not be reported; however, it will be graded."

Crown workers also charge that Crown supervisors:

• Paid women and African-Americans a salary below the minimum for particular pay grades and placed them in lower pay grades than their Caucasian male counterparts with similar experience and qualifications.
• Denied female employees a separate restroom facility.
• Expected female employees to give the Crown CEO a kiss upon receiving service awards.
• Passed over women and African Americans for promotions by concealing information about job openings; misrepresenting the qualifications needed for promotions; using different qualification tests than those given to Caucasian males; and preventing them from acquiring skills and experience.
• Told female employees that they were "dumb," "would never learn," "lack initiative," and "if you want a job done, get a man to do it."
• Subjected an African-American male employee, a highly- decorated Marine veteran and former White House guard, to ridicule and humiliation through racist jokes, handbills and comments.
• Denied opportunities for promotion to another African- American Vietnam veteran, a former Air Force captain, who went to work at Crown's Pasadena refinery in 1979 - believing he had excellent opportunities for advancement. Despite holding an MBA degree, he never saw a promotional opportunity posted in 17 years and was passed over for promotions by less-qualified Caucasian candidates.

Crown has also been sued for health and property damages by the mostly Latino neighbors who live in the shadow of Crown's largest refinery. Some of the health effects which are being linked to Crown's pollution and environmental racism include cancer, convulsions, bronchitis, and increased illness in children and the elderly.

Finally, Crown forcibly removed 252 union workers from its Pasadena refinery in February, 1996 after they refused to accept the company's demands to eliminate 40 percent of the work force, contract out skilled jobs, and gut contract provisions protecting older workers. After Crown replaced the skilled unionized workers with lower-paid, lessskilled contract workers, pollution from the refinery increased almost three-fold.

You can help end these disgusting and uncivilized practices by Crown Central Petroleum. Please don't buy Crown gasoline and don't shop at Zippy Mart and Fast Fare convenience stores.