Detroit Gas Station Owners Consider Suing City

Retailers, many of them Arab-American, consider legal action over recurring licensing and ticketing issues.

August 14, 2015

DEARBORN, Mich. – The Arab American News reports this week that gas station owners in Detroit are considering taking legal action against the city over ongoing licensing and ticketing issues. The retailers met earlier this week to discuss the possibility of filing a class action lawsuit, in the wake of gas station owners complaining about receiving multiple tickets for the same offense with many believing they are being singled out because an overwhelming majority are owned and operated by Arab-Americans.

About 30 Detroit business owners attended the meeting—held for small business owners regarding new city ordinances, police enforcement, neighborhood policing licensing and fees—and agreed to contribute $500 toward a potential lawsuit.

According to the news source, business owners say they are getting ticketed for not having a business license. Even after paying the ticket, they get ticketed again, while they are waiting for city inspectors to visit their stations and verify everything before the process is complete.

“We believe we have been targeted as a community,” Shaker Aoun, chairman of the Tri-County Business Committee, told The Arab American News. According to Aoun, the situation has become worse for gas station owners since they met with Detroit Police Chief James Craig about the issue.

Last Fall, Chief Craig said that he would place a moratorium on issuing licensing tickets to gas station owners, who say that the excessive ticketing hasn't stopped. Craig has also gone on record stating that he doesn't want the police department to deal with licensing issues, and that the Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department should handle them.

“It is time to take it to the next level. The chief is not going to do anything about it and the city is not going to do anything about it. I think we need to come up with a solution,” Aoun told the publication.

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