Los Angeles, CA— Picketing at an ARCO/BP station in Los Angeles, the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and Rainbow PUSH Coalition turned up the heat on British Petroleum (BP). Cars, trucks and buses honked their horns to express their support of Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s campaign to drive down the price of gas and energy.

Pickets were launched yesterday at BP/Arco stations in Atlanta. Additional pickets in cities across the nation will occur tomorrow, Saturday, June 24, as part of the Rainbow/PUSH national campaign against BP.

Joining the Rainbow PUSH Coalition were the National Action Network and other religious, civil rights and community groups.

“We will challenge BP until price of gas and energy come down,” said Rev. Jesse Jackson, who announced the campaign during the organization’s 35th Annual Conference in Chicago earlier this month. “While Big Oil reaps these enormous windfall profits, consumers, especially the poor, cannot afford the price of gas, expected to rise beyond $4.00-a-gallon by Labor Day. Working families, businesses and entire industries - like the airlines - are going bankrupt. We need a cap on the price of oil and gas."

Rev. Jackson and Rainbow/PUSH also announced their support for the lawsuit filed against BP by DAG Petroleum, an African American owned gas station company. “We support DAG and Joe Mamo and their claims that BP discriminated against him when he bid on lucrative supplier/distributorship contracts in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas. BP has 800 distributorships, but not a single African American distributor in the nation. “BP’s treatment against Joe Mamo and DAG further shows a pattern of discrimination by BP,” said Rev. Jackson.

Jackson added, “If BP discriminates and won’t invest in us, we will divest in BP. There is virtually no minority participation at BP. We are going to engage in direct action until the price of gas and energy comes down, and people and businesses of color are included. We will stand up for consumers and businesses being hurt by these oil companies and their profit machine.”

The oil industry made nearly $100 billion in profits in 2005. BP made windfall profits of $5.3 billion in the first quarter of this year. It has about 800 gas distributors but ZERO African Americans. It does $16 billion in procurement but less than one-third or one percent with African American businesses. It has few African American senior executives.

Why target BP? "BP has the largest share of the African American market, yet its pattern of discrimination amounts to a virtual lock out of African American businesses and consumers. They want our business but don't want to do business with us,” added Rev. Amos Brown of Third Baptist Church.

“BP is guilty of numerous health, safety and environmental violations. It tried to blame an explosion at the BP Texas City refinery that killed 15 people and injured 170 others, but OSHA found that BP willfully violated 300 of its own safety rules. OSHA issued a record $21.3 million fine against the company,” said Rev. Zach Carey of True Vine Church in Oakland.

“That’s the tip of the iceberg,” said Jackson. Consider BP record of consistent, and deadly, environmental, health and safety violations:

A September 2004 explosion that killed two workers at its Texas City plant:

In March 2006, OHSA found BP guilty of safety violations at the BP refinery in Toledo, Ohio, and proposed a fine of $2.4 million.

BP’s suffered a pipeline leak on Alaska’s North Slope, spilling 200,000 gallons of crude, and faces a grand jury investigation in this case.

The EPA is investigating possible air pollution violations at BP’s Texas City refinery – BP may be allowing the carcinogen, benzene, to evaporate from its wastewater plant and causing a major pollution problem.

BP’s record is so bad that it is replacing its current American President, Ross Pillari, with Robert Malone.

“Justice must be served, and consumers and workers must be protected,” added Jackson, noting that a grand jury is considering criminal charges against BP. “Don’t be gassed by, or buy gas at BP. It’s bad for your health,” concluded Rev. Jackson.

"We are also concerned about the impact of Big Oil on our political system. We need a strategy and commitment to develop alternative, sustainable sources of energy,” commented Rev. Jackson. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition will also join with Moveonpac.org, for picketing at gas stations around the nation on June 28.