Gas station employees in Springfield Township faced the wrath of social media after a Facebook post accused them of refusing service to a soldier in uniform.
‘Jason had to report to the army reserves yesterday, on his way home he stopped to get gas, a drink and some jerky,? according to the post, Aug. 28. ‘When he went into the gas station and got to the counter an Arabic man looked at Jason, then his uniform and told him, ‘we don’t serve gas here.??
The post gained quick attention, and created a ‘knee jerk? type of action, as one person called it.
Responses ranged from disbelief to remarks against the business and owners, calling for boycotts to showing up with guns and ‘burning the place down to the ground.?
Police responded to the station when staff called to inform authorities that a group of protesters gathered outside the store.
On Facebook, rumors swirled about the protesters with posts saying the group carried American flags and guns. However, deputies found no guns and said the incident was peaceful.
Nick Ghalib, manager of the Mobil on Holly Road, said the day the incident supposedly occurred was very busy. He did not particularly remember a man in uniform coming in to the station.
Ghalib and his coworkers said they believe the whole thing is just a misunderstanding because they had run out of two types of gasoline. Documents showed some station tanks were down to 375 gallons, which is the point at which they are required to stop selling it, he said.
Ghalib, for whom English is a second language, said he thinks perhaps a language barrier may be to blame also.
By the time the station staff could explain the situation, the firestorm was already in full swing. After finding out about the post, another gas station employee wrote her own post on Facebook attempting to explain the station had run out of gas.
‘We wave the American flag everyday. We let recruiters sit at our tables and recruit anytime need be,? she said. ‘We have served hundreds and hundreds of troops.?
Ghalib said he would never treat a customer that way, and he has many regular customers who come in in uniform.
Since the post was first circulated, some were skeptical of the story, but were insistent it was the truth.
The Clarkston News posted the story on Facebook, and many were quick to give an opinion such as some thinking people are too quick to believe and re-share everything they read online.
Others questioned if the woman who made the post even existed after her Facebook was deleted shortly after creating the post. A message asking for confirmation was not returned.
‘Scary times we are in, too many people are quick to anger/offend, judge without getting all of the facts,? said Trina Vincke Church on Facebook. ‘Social media can be a blessing or a curse.?
Sharla Davis remembered seeing the post, and recalled how she encountered a somewhat similar situation with social media. A family member forgot to post his handicap-parking placard when parking in a handicap spot, and it was posted online.
‘It was crazy, a mistake with the placard on the seat,? she said.
Others believe the situation really happened.
After being in the United States for 20 years, no language barrier should exist, and the station’s response to the incident was merely to save the business, said one poster.
‘There are lots of people that live here that are American citizens that sadly are anti-American. I’m sure he is backtracking now to make sure his business doesn’t go under,? she said.
Another woman disagreed.
‘Have you heard how we Americans, living in U.S. since birth, speak? Many do not speak correctly or clearly. You are assuming he is back tracking to save his business. You are implying he may be anti-American,? she said.
Todd Johnson said in an interview he had a similar issue occur at a gas station in Waterford the same week the post was created.
Johnson, who was not in military uniform but was driving a military-type vehicle, said he had an argument with an attendant, after which the attendant shouted anti-American remarks claiming he hated veterans, he said.
Johnson, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and hearing loss, said he remained shaken up over the incident, and as soon as it happened, he went and renewed his membership at his local VFW Hall.
According to the website Snopes, similar rumors involving men in service uniform being denied gas by foreigners have spread since the Vietnam War.
Although it is hard to prove such incident really occurred, many people said one of the morals of this story is to not automatically believe everything you hear or see.
Ghalib said one woman came into the station, and admitted she was among the people who shared the post, and expressed deep regret at reposting without knowing the whole story.
Authorities said no crime has been committed, unless perhaps the Facebook page was fake. If found, the woman could face a slander lawsuit.
The Arab-American Civil Rights League was contacted regarding the incident, but due to early deadline did not respond in time.