Valley man plans civil rights go well with in opposition to McDonald’s | Information, Sports activities, Jobs
Herb Washington
YOUNGSTOWN – The Mahoning Valley, Herb Washington businessman claims McDonald’s Corp. try to pass on its black-owned businesses to white owners.
So Washington says it is taking the corporate giant to court on a civil rights lawsuit.
Washington said in a statement released to the media it speaks out against unfair treatment of black shopkeepers.
“One of the greatest success stories in the country in terms of doing business with African Americans is the shedding of its hard work … and McDonald’s is offending the violation by turning its businesses over to white owners.”
An email was sent to McDonald’s Corporate Media Relations on Friday asking for comment.
Washington’s legal suit has not yet been filed. He could not be reached by email for comment on Friday.
Washington is described in the publication as a true American success story: it made headlines as a sprinter champion at Michigan State University, helped win a World Series for the Oakland A’s, and is in the record books as one of the largest black-owned McDonald’s franchises in the United States.
But as part of his efforts to drive black franchisees out of its system, Washington said McDonald’s targeted and pressured him to sell one store at a time to white franchisees. On Tuesday, Washington said he would file a civil rights lawsuit to hold McDonald’s accountable for its racial discrimination and retaliation against him as a black franchisee.
A live, bidirectional, video press conference on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. will announce a lawsuit Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway has filed on behalf of Washington in the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
In its prime, Washington operated 27 McDonald’s restaurants in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio during its 40 years. Although other lawsuits have been filed by McDonald’s black franchise owners, “Herb Washington is a national icon both in the McDonald’s world and in the wider universe of American black business success stories,” the release notes read.
Speakers include Washington; Joseph C. Peiffer, Managing Partner, Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway; and Kevin P. Conway, Partner at Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway.
Rev. Jesse Jackson is invited, as is Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
A streaming version of the news event will be available later that day at www.peifferwolf.com.
“If one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the US can get away with silencing someone with the track record and success of Herb Washington, which black business leader can feel safe talking about the abuse of African Americans in the business world? ”The release states.
“What’s particularly worrying here is that McDonald’s stores that were built by black owners in challenging areas are being removed by those black owners and turned over to white owners … all as part of a cynical exercise in manipulating the restaurant chain’s profitability numbers the false semblance of parity among black and white franchise owners. “
Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway has offices in Cleveland, Youngstown, St. Louis, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin and New Orleans.
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