Longtime residents of a Georgia town say this gas station has a distinction that sets it apart from many: it is the first Black-owned one in Clayton County.
“You’re gonna be global. I said, ‘News is gonna be comin’,” said Chevy, who is a friend of local Citgo owners Colisha Hicks and her fiancé, Fatz, to 11 Alive Thursday, Aug. 3 “I just told them, ‘You’re not ready for what’s about to happen.”
The station, located in Jonesboro, where 65 percent of residents are Black, went viral late last month when a Facebook user named Torrey Tomlinson posted about his friend’s gas station.
“This is what ‘Buy Back the Block’ means, you guys,” Tomlinson says in the July 29 clip. “And [Fatz] needs your support.”
Tomlinson said a woman called the police after believing Fatz must be holding an Indian owner hostage behind the counter. He also said there are people who want Fatz to cease owning the store.
“But it’s not gon’ happen,” Tomlinson says, adding Fatz intends to give back to the community with his profits
“We should have something to contribute to our people and let our people know that we can do the same thing that everybody else does,” Fatz tells 11 Alive.
Hicks said the community has been giving congratulatory messages to her and her fiancé and the same support has poured out online. The co-owners hope to inspire youths to work hard instead of turning to the streets to get by.
