BP Station in Mississippi Has Windows Shattered by Gunshots

According to WREG TV news in Memphis, Tennessee, an independently-owned BP station located on Highway 51 at Custer Drive in Southaven, Mississippi, had its windows shattered by gunfire on Tuesday night. Employees said nothing was stolen, so they assumed the attack was outrage at the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mr. Alex Saleh, an employee, said he was not aware of any enemies of the store, and he believes that would be the only reason for anyone destroying the windows. He also made the point that although the BP logo is on their sign, BP does not own or operate the gas station.

CBS reports that although there are approximately 12,000 BP stations operating in the United States, only a small percentage are actually owned by BP Oil. Even though most are independently owned and operated, many around the country are suffering vandalism because of the current crisis.

It is easy to understand the frustration of people as we see the oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico. The news is filled with reports of tourism being down in the Coastal region, which is definitely hurting not only the fishing trade, but also those vacation spots usually so popular during the summer. It has been a slow recovery on the Mississippi Gulf Coast from the effects of Hurricane Katrina several years ago, and now the oil crisis is taking its toll on the region.

But on the other hand, to attack innocent people in their business because of our frustration is not the way to deal with the problem. In my opinion, yes, make BP work diligently to stop the free flow of oil and clean up the mess it has caused. Yes, hold BP responsible if it is their negligence that has caused this. Yes, make BP reimburse the people for their loss of livelihood because of their indifference. But let's not get to the point of depriving innocent business owners of their right to earn income because we are angry at BP. That is the same mentality that blows up government buildings and kills innocent people because someone is upset with the government. I say save all that anger and frustration for those who caused the problem, not take it out on some poor guy in the middle. For that matter, maybe we should be brainstorming and trying to figure out a way to fix the problem rather than adding to it.

Of course, that's just my opinion.

Sources:

CBS News
WREG TV