EXCLUSIVE: A Wichita man found the N-word on his truck. His family says there is more to the story
WICHITA, Kan. (ABNN) — A routine oil change has left a Wichita family asking how the N-word was printed on a windshield sticker — and why, they say, the dealership still has not fully explained who was involved.
In an exclusive interview with The American Black News Network, Larry Martin Jr. and his daughter, Kelsey Martin, revealed new details about the incident that has gone viral on social media.
Larry Martin took his truck to Rusty Eck Ford on July 27 for a standard oil change. It was a dealership he had trusted for years.
Weeks later, Martin said the dealership contacted him and explained that a former employee had printed derogatory or offensive statements on oil-change reminder stickers placed inside several customers’ vehicles.
Larry Martin Jr. stands beside the truck where he discovered a racial slur printed on an oil-change reminder sticker following service at Rusty Eck Ford in Wichita, Kan. (Photo courtesy of Kelsey Martin)
Martin said he had not noticed the message on his truck before receiving the warning.
“I got my truck this past Friday and had been driving, and stopped and thought I’d look up,” Martin told The American Black News Network. “I looked up in my window, I took a double take and couldn’t believe what I saw.”
The N-word had been printed on the small sticker intended to remind Martin when his truck was due for its next oil change.
A racial slur appears on an oil-change reminder sticker inside Larry Martin Jr.’s truck after the vehicle was serviced at Rusty Eck Ford in Wichita, Kan. ABNN partially obscured the slur. (Photo courtesy of Kelsey Martin)
Martin said he felt humiliated and hurt.
His daughter said she initially struggled to believe something like that could have happened at the Wichita dealership.
“I said, ‘Well, Dad, are you sure?’” Kelsey Martin said. “It’s just pure embarrassment, humiliation and just a shock.”
But the family says the questions did not end with the discovery of the slur.
Kelsey Martin told ABNN that the dealership initially identified one employee and said that person had been fired. During a meeting with the family this week, however, she said the dealership’s explanation began to change.
“We had a sit-down at the beginning of the week with the dealership,” she said. “They didn’t even have their story together as far as what took place internally.”
A screenshot shows a message the Martin family says it received from a Rusty Eck Ford representative after Larry Martin Jr.’s truck was serviced. The message says a former employee placed derogatory or offensive language on printed oil-change stickers and that the dealership was taking corrective action. ABNN obscured the telephone numbers. (Screenshot courtesy of Kelsey Martin)
She also said the dealership initially identified one employee and said that person had been fired. She told ABNN that dealership representatives later informed the family that multiple employees were involved.
“I’ve now discovered that there is more than one person involved in this incident,” she said.
Martin also claims the mechanic who serviced her father’s truck had not been interviewed when the family first met with dealership representatives.
ABNN has not independently verified the family’s account of the dealership’s internal investigation.
The family is now calling for transparency, accountability, employee training and policies preventing workers from inserting unauthorized messages into the dealership’s sticker-printing system.
“There need to be policies and procedures implemented within their organization to ensure things like this can’t take place,” Kelsey Martin told ABNN.
She said her father and any other affected customers deserve a complete explanation.
“I just want them to come forth and just be truthful, be honest and provide transparency in this situation,” she said. “My dad deserves that at least. Any other customers that were affected deserve the same thing. It’s about owning what happened in this situation, not covering it up and figuring out internally what they can do to move forward to make their organization and their company better.”
ABNN called Rusty Eck Ford on Wednesday and left a message with a receptionist requesting a response. The dealership had not returned the call by the time this story was published.
In a written statement provided to KWCH-TV, Rusty Eck Ford said it opened an internal investigation and terminated one employee. The company said the investigation remains open after meeting with the Martin family.
Rusty Eck Ford became aware early last week of concerns regarding alleged inappropriate conduct. Rusty Eck Ford does not tolerate racial, hateful, discriminatory, or otherwise inappropriate conduct in the workplace.
Upon learning of these concerns, the company promptly initiated an internal investigation. Based on information developed during the investigation, the company terminated the employment of one individual.
Members of our leadership team met with the family today to listen to their concerns and better understand the issues they raised. The family presented additional questions and information that warrant further review. As a result, our investigation remains ongoing.
Because this matter remains under investigation and involves confidential personnel matters, we are limited in the additional details we can appropriately provide at this time.
We remain committed to conducting a thorough review and taking any further action deemed appropriate based on the findings.
Rusty Eck Ford takes these concerns seriously and remains committed to maintaining a workplace and business environment in which every individual is treated with dignity and respect.
-Rusty Eck Ford
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