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| Wi Not Stop Discrimination at Wi Not Stop at 9053 Wellington Rd, Manassas VA Manassas, Virginia |
| 7th of Dec, 2011 by User172271 |
| To Whom This Concerns at WUSA: My son is a student athlete and International Baccalaureate (IB) student at Stonewall High School (SJHS) in Manassas, VA. He is a good, trouble-free student who has positive relationships with students and staff at SJHS. Simply put, he’s a good kid. For almost four years he has purchased items and fuel from the “Wi Not Stop†convenience store on the corner of Wellington Road near SJHS (9053 Wellington Rd., Manassas). Until yesterday (7 December 2011), his routine visits at the Wi Not Stop have been uneventful; however, that is no longer the case. On his way to school yesterday, my son stopped at the Wi Not Stop to get his morning two beverages. When he got to the cash register, the cashier informed him that he could not purchase the items because they no longer served any students from SJHS. Incidentally, this was the first time my son wore his brand new senior sweatshirt with the SJHS logo on it. Which is obviously how the cashier was able to determine that my son is a student at SJHS. Being the debatable young man that my son happens to be, he tried to reason with the cashier but to no avail. The cashier stood firm only explaining that the SJHS students cause too much trouble in the store and they use curse words. My son says he tried to tell them that he had been purchasing items from the Wi Not Stop for almost four years, that he is an IB and senior student athlete, and that he had never caused and would never cause any problems in their store. Then another employee joined in and restated to my son, “Are you still here?†as he was still trying to work things out. The employees of the Wi Not Stop then threatened to call the police on my son just because he was trying to reason with them and ultimately purchase the beverages; however, after several minutes, my son replaced the items and left the store. He ended up being late for his first period class but he was excused by the SJHS Principle and IB Program Coordinator when he explained the situation to them. Unfortunately, although they excused my son for his tardiness, the SJHS Principle, Mr. Nichols, and IB Program Manager, Ms. Ellis, informed my son that there was nothing more they could do about the situation at Wi Not Stop. Though Mr. Nichols did say that he would not longer purchase his fuel from the station. He simply advised my son that his parents would have to report the matter. So, that is what I am doing with this message. I believe the Wi Not Stop manager / owner and employees are being highly discriminatory. I draw this conclusion based on the following. First, SJHS is located in an area of Prince William County, Manassas in particular, that is quite diverse. In the immediately surrounding area, there are many under-privileged and lower income families as well as Blacks and Hispanics. What makes this school so unique and diverse is that the school zone also includes privileged and higher-income families as well as many Whites. I find these community attributes to be quite positive and I chose SJHS because of its diversity and the IB program. I did so despite the fact that, since our arrival to this area, I’ve heard so many stereotypes about SJHS. I soon found out that all of the high schools in Prince William County have their own set of pros and cons. So I stayed with SJHS as the best choice for my son. Unfortunately, the stereotypes about SJHS and the surrounding community prevail. I believe Wi Not Stop has adopted the stereotypes. I believe their intolerance is clearly shown when the Wi Not Stop employees stated that they no longer serve students from SJHS because of their behavior. Really? You mean they truly believe that ALL of the SJHS students are unruly??? How can such an irrational judgment influence a decision that impacts the entire student body, and community for that matter? Second, how can they tell SJHS students from the rest of the young folks who come into their store? I would say that the average young person does not routinely wear SJHS logos on their daily clothes. This is highly discriminatory in that there is absolutely no way anyone can draw that kind of conclusion based on observation alone. Third, if a person is publicly conducting themselves in a respectful and rational manner, how does such behavior translate into denial of basic consumer rights in this capitalistic society, in the 21st century no less? I don’t condone bad behavior but stereotyping and discrimination is not the way to handle a set of unruly children that may be causing a ruckus in a store. Whatever happened to posting signs? Whatever happened to calling the police? Whatever happened to refusing service on unruly individuals? I could go on and on but let me end by saying that I am a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who has been all over the world. I have never experienced such intolerance! Boycott Wi Not Stop in Manassas, VA!! |
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