Black business mogul at center of controversy

Full Article

Black business mogul at center of controversy

By Michaela L. Duckett – October 10, 2011

Font Size:

Share:

Good morning Qcity! Rise and grind. It’s Monday and time to get back to business.

It’s going to be a pleasantly cool day in Charlotte and you may need your umbrella. The weatherman says the morning will be mostly cloudy with a possible light shower late this afternoon and a high around 69°. Tonight, expect temperatures in the low 60’s and a steady, soaking rain overnight.

Here’s what’s brewing in the news:

More money, more problems

Eyob “Joe” Mamo, 44, and his mini-empire of gas stations on the East Coast are at the center of a growing controversy over the price of gas.

Mamo is the founder and CEO of privately held Capitol Petroleum Group, which controls 42 percent of Washington, D.C.’s gas stations. Now, some are questioning if Mamo’s business practices are driving up the cost of gas, particularly in the D.C. area where a gallon can cost more than $4.

At least one member of D.C.’s city council says Mamo’s operation is a near monopoly and is calling for antitrust legislation to break it up.

"I broke through a racial barrier by becoming a fuel distributor for Texaco, Exxon and Shell,” Mamo said in an interview with The Root. “There are fewer than 10 black distributors nationwide.”

Mamo's website says that 2010 revenues were projected to be $778 million. That figure places Capitol Petroleum in the top 10 of the nation's largest black-owned businesses.

Mamo is calling the proposed legislation to weaken his company “unconstitutional.”
***

Take me to your leader

What would the Black Panther movement have been without Huey Newton? What would the Civil Rights movement have been without Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks? Can a revolutionary movement survive without a leader?

Those who have jumped on the ‘Occupy’ bandwagon must think so.

“We are a leaderless movement,” explains Luis Rodriguez, a volunteer with Occupy Charlotte. “There’s not one person because one person could easily be targeted. That’s how many movements in the past have failed. If you look at popular movements in the past, the leaders have been killed. The leaders have been jailed. The leaders have been discredited, but if everybody is a leader, then they’d have to pay us all off. And if they do, then we win.”

As the Occupy Wall Street Movement enters its fourth week, many Americans are still scratching their heads trying to figure out what the movement is all about. There is no clear agenda. Some are marching to protest the war. Others are concerned about the environment. Some are just “mad as hell” because they can’t find work.
***

Too many chiefs?

Run an organization with no leader or clear agenda, and naturally, a little confusion is sure to arise. This weekend one of the protestors told reporters Occupy Charlotte would be protesting tonight's City Council meeting, but according to a statement on the organization's website that is not true.

“Our movements decisions are only created by consensus. Individuals have passions and agenda’s of their own. However, any one person shall have NO POWER to make a decision that involves the direction or position of our movement," the statement reads.

"We will not be attaching our movement to a City Council meeting on Monday as a consensus was not reached regarding this issue.”
***

Civil Rights icon given the cold shoulder

Georgia Congressman John Lewis was not allowed to speak at an “Occupy Atlanta” protest after a man identified as “Joe” lead the objection stating the movement is "not about one individual."

Others disagreed stating that Lewis had just as much right as others to participate in the call for change. Rep. Lewis is known as a key foot soldier of the civil rights movement.

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama awarded Lewis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the country's highest civilian honor.

In the clip below, one woman expresses discontent with how Lewis was treated during the demonstration. She calls the group “an organized mob” and says she wants no part of it.

Watch and discuss:

QUESTION: What are your thoughts about the "Occupy" movement? Do you think it will have a lasting impact?

Got news to share with Qcity readers? Email us at editor@qcitymetro.com.
Sign up for our weekly email newsletter below