Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 10, 1990 TAG: 9005100623
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B8 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: FAIRFAX LENGTH: Medium
But the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith says the problem is clear: Jackson's 9-month-old incentive program discriminates, even though it also is available to Jews.
"Any time you talk about Christianity, people blow it out of proportion; people take it negatively. I don't know why," Jackson said Wednesday.
He started the Christian Members Buyers Plan at Brown Lincoln-Mercury in this Washington, D.C., suburb last August. But the uproar started when a local newspaper reported on the incentive program Wednesday.
Stacks of pink message slips littering Jackson's desk were evidence of the local interest the story generated. One of the messages, sitting next to a worn red Bible, admonished: "Stick to your guns."
Jackson spent most of the day on the phone talking to people about the incentive program and finally told a busy receptionist he'd do no more interviews.
"It's been like this all day," he told two women who came by to express their support for the program.
The program works like this: The dealership sells its pricey Lincoln automobiles for $600 over cost and Mercury cars at $250 over cost to buyers who can prove they're Christians.
For ministers, the price is $400 over factory cost for a Lincoln and $150 over cost for a Mercury. In addition, the dealership donates to the church of the buyer's choice $100 for a Lincoln and $50 for a Mercury.
"That discourages people of different faiths from wanting to patronize an establishment of that nature," complained David C. Friedman of the Anti-Defamation League in Washington.
Jackson said he also offers the discounts to Jews, but Friedman said that "doesn't change things one bit."
"The central point is that the customer should never have in the back of his mind the message that you're going to receive better or worse treatment because of the color of your skin, your sex or your religion," Friedman argued. "Even if he includes people who are Jewish, it doesn't alter the fact that he's giving preferential treatment to some at the expense of others."
Jackson, who said he found the Lord six years ago, recalled that shortly after taking over the dealership last July, he prayed for "a way of giving . . . something from the dealership."
He said he donates one-tenth of his personal income to the Shiloh Baptist Church in Landover, Md., where he is a trustee.
Jackson said the intent never was to discriminate against anyone, any more than do other incentives for military personnel, members of auto associations or employees of certain companies.
"If you're not a member of a buyer's plan, you can still get the same discount; you just have to negotiate," he said.
Ford Motor Co., which builds Lincolns and Mercurys, is staying out of the fray.
"The company knows about it . . . we found out two days ago. But Freddye Jackson is an independent businessman," said John Spelich, a spokesman for Lincoln-Mercury in Detroit.
"Ford Motor Co. has not and would not structure any of its consumer incentive programs in this nature, but we don't address those sort of things in our franchise agreement with our dealers," Spelich said.
Friedman said he's not sure Jackson is "fully aware of the effect of this program."
"What we're saying is that there are better ways to be philanthropic in his community," he said.
Attorney Victor Glasberg of nearby Alexandria said he had filed a Federal Trade Commission complaint against Brown Lincoln-Mercury. FTC spokeswoman Brenda Mack said she could neither confirm nor deny that the agency had received it.
Jackson said the controversy has generated more publicity for his dealership than he could have bought with $1 million. He insists, though, that the Christian Members Buyers Plan wasn't meant as a publicity stunt.
"A lot of people have called and said if they buy a car, they're going to buy it from Brown Lincoln-Mercury," he said. "We've had those calls all day."
by CNB