Marathon Florida Gas Station Reportedly Refuses Fuel To Black Hurricane Irma Victims [Update]

Update: Thursday, Sept. 14 at 3:20 p.m. EDT — The station accused of not selling fuel to black Hurricane Irma victims hasn’t reopened since the storm hit, Marathon told International Business Times via phone interview Thursday.

It's a franchise, which means it’s independently owned. Marathon doesn't know who gave Stacy the misinformation or why it happened, but they’re trying to figure it out. “They’re genuinely upset about it,” Chuck Rice, the spokesperson at Marathon Petroleum Corporation, told IBT. “They don’t know who she talked to.”

The location in question apparently created a Twitter account Thursday to reach out to Stacy since that’s the forum she chose to speak out on. “The handle on that Twitter account is the name of the actual company that owns that station and operates it,” Rice said. “They handle the day-to-day operations of that station. I’m not sure they had a Twitter account before today, and I think the best way they thought to reach back was that way.”

“I don’t know who you were speaking with, but I can assure you that they have no relationship to that station or our company,” the station tweeted Thursday. “We do not support intolerance in any way shape and form. Our dealers know this and what they stand to lose.

“Our continued thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by Hurricane Irma,” the statement continued. “We have been working night and day to ensure delivery of fuel to those stations with power in your community.”

Original story:

Marathon gas station refused to sell fuel to black victims of Hurricane Irma, a Twitter user named Gwen Stacy claimed Wednesday. Stacy was trying to get help for her father who lives in Naples, Florida, and needed fuel for his generator. She called the gas station to see if they had fuel. When she asked if she would be able to fill up gas cans, the attendant supposedly told her it would be fine as long as she wasn’t black.

“So, my dad lives in Naples, FL. He's struggling to get fuel for generators. I called a nearby Marathon to see if they had any. I called five times before my call went through. I asked if they had gas. Yes, he said. I asked if I could fill up any gas cans. (This was one of my dad's worries. He had been told that gas stations wouldn't allow it.) ‘As long as you're not black,’ he said to me,” she tweeted. “Way to go, idiots.”

Stacy solicited the help of others. “#Resistance please help me to enhance my bandwidth on this one,” she wrote. “#BlackLivesMatter.”

At the top of her page, Stacy pinned the thread of her story. “Please read this thread. Please take the time to understand how #WhiteSupremacists exist in everyday life. #BlackLivesMatter,” she tweeted.

The social media user does not have a picture of herself on her Twitter page, but describes herself as a “smart ass.” “OIF veteran. Smart ass. I call the DMV home, and I'm trying my damnedest to make a difference in this crazy world,” her description says.

Marathon gas station did not immediately respond to International Business Times’ request for comment. Instead, they responded with an automated responses, promising to get in contact within one business day. “Thank you for contacting Marathon Petroleum Company Customer Relations. Someone will be in contact with you within the next business day,” the robotic reply said.

Hurricane Irma was initially a Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds, it was one of the most powerful storms on record to hit the Atlantic. At least 38 people died from the storm, the ravaged buildings and left millions without power.

In Florida alone, 2.7 million people were without power — a potentially deadly situation since the state experienced temperatures above 90 degrees for several days. The humidity made it feel like it was in the mid-90s, CNN reported Thursday.

Because of the power outage, eight people died in a nursing home. As a result, Florida Gov. Rick Scott implored medics to check on health care facilities, though the governor put the blame on the workers at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills.

“The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills is responsible for the safety of their patients. Department of Health officials have been in contact with Larkin Community Hospital Behavioral Health Services management and the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills over the past three days. Hospital administrators were advised to call 911 if they had any reason to believe that the health or safety of patients was at risk,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

President Donald Trump tweeted he was headed to the state. “Am leaving now for Florida to see our GREAT first responders and to thank the U.S. Coast Guard, FEMA etc. A real disaster, much work to do!” the POTUS wrote Thursday. “The devastation left by Hurricane Irma was far greater, at least in certain locations, than anyone thought - but amazing people working hard!” he said two days earlier.

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