Houston Middle Schooler Says Gas Station Denied Bathroom, Then Shared Video of Teen Relieving Himself Outside
A Houston gas station is facing backlash for allegedly sharing surveillance footage of a middle school student relieving himself outside after being told the restroom was out of service.
Black News 
Police in Houston, Texas, are investigating after a middle school student who says a gas station owner denied him access to a restroom and later shared video of him relieving himself outside.
A police report was filed after the boy’s grandmother contacted authorities about what the family called a humiliating incident at a Fuel Depot on Bellfort Avenue, Click 2 Houston reports. The child’s family became concerned after learning of his refusal to return to school after classmates began teasing him over a circulating video, which appears to show him relieving himself outside after being told the restroom inside was out of service.
“He had to wipe his rear on the grass, on the grass. Embarrassed, humiliated,” activist Candace Matthews said in a clip shared online. Quanell X joined Matthews outside the gas station to protest.
The family says images from the surveillance footage were later printed and posted on the store’s door, and that a clerk showed the video to students, who then recorded and shared it. They say the video quickly spread among students at Attucks Middle School and Alcott Elementary, fueling ongoing bullying that has reportedly led to the child struggling emotionally and no longer wanting to attend school.
“I feel bad and to see my grandson say it every day like that, I feel real bad. I started crying when I seen that video and looked at him in his eyes,” the boy’s grandmother said.
On April 29, Quanell X and Matthews went to the gas station, demanding answers from the owner and questioning why anyone would do this—especially to a young boy.
“Appalling. Shocking. Disgraceful. This man should be indicted,” Quanell X said. “He sexually exploited one of our children, made fun of him, and set the kid up to be exploited.”
The case remains under investigation and is now being reviewed by the Houston Police Department’s Crimes Against Children unit, according to the boy’s family. Authorities have not released additional details, noting that cases involving minors are typically handled with heightened privacy.
