A Texas gas station owner is stepping up to help the community after the family of a 13-year-old claims a former employee refused to let him use the restroom.
The teenager’s grandmother told KPRC 2 that her grandson had no other choice but to go to the bathroom outside the store. But what he didn’t know was that the former employee filmed him, showed it to his classmates, and posted posters of the incident outside the store.
“[He] had to wipe his rear on the grass,” Texas activist Dr. Candice Matthews said. “That is inhumane if you ever want to see it.”
It happened back in April one afternoon at a Fuel Depot in Houston. Police have yet to confirm any details around this case.
Activist Quanell X told Atlanta Black Star the employee has been fired.
“He disrespected and sexually exploited that boy,” Quanell X said.
He told Atlanta Black Star the 13-year-old’s grandmother informed him about what had happened.
In a statement to KPRC 2 on May 1, attorneys for Fuel Depot claimed the middle schooler never came into the store. Attorneys claimed the Houston Police Department reviewed the video.
“He did not ask to use the restroom. He did not speak to any employee. Our restrooms were fully functional on that day. A news crew that came to the store confirmed this themselves,” the statement read.
“What has been reported is not accurate—and this community deserves the truth, not a version of events that has been shaped by incomplete or erroneous information.”
According to Click 2 Houston, Fuel Depots operate as independent gas stations, meaning bathroom access varies significantly by each store. There is no universal mandate forcing these private businesses to provide public restrooms.
Atlanta Black Star asked Quanell X on Tuesday whether the statement was accurate. He said they are referring to in-store security footage, not the footage recorded by the former employee.
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Quanell X said that clarification was not made in the original Fuel Depot statement.
Many people had mixed reactions once the Fuel Depot statement came to light.
“I’m confused. If the kid never spoke with an employee and never asked to use the restroom, then why was an employee “fired and is gone, never to return?” Kathy Wagner Cook wrote on Facebook.
“I had more problems with the clerk sharing the video,” Kenney Houston added.
“Working at a gas station previously in the state of Texas, we are not allowed to deny entry to the restrooms only if under construction or a safety matter,” Marissa Sanchez wrote on Facebook. “On top of that, we aren’t supposed to share any type of visuals or video surveillance unless accompanied by police.”
“Still, you should not have shared the video or pictures,” Chase Kelley, MBA, said.
In response to the statement, Matthews confronted the owner in a video posted on YouTube by the Houston Stringer.
During the meeting, Houston Stringer reported the owner provided Matthews with a plan of action and updated training policies.
Quanell X added that the owner of Fuel Depot is now organizing a youth after-school sporting league.
Atlanta Black Star tried calling the Fuel Depot location on Bellfort Avenue in Houston, but the phone number listed on Google was disconnected.
Atlanta Black Star also reached out to Houston police for more information and to determine whether anyone will face charges.
The former employee has not been identified.
