Last week, two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks after the manager called the police because the men had not made a purchase. A customer filmed a portion of the arrests, which went viral on social media, sparking outrage. The official charge was trespassing, but other customers in the establishment said it was unwarranted because several people came in and out of the store without making a purchase.
Protests sprang up outside of the store in Philadelphia, with activists and protesters calling for the termination of the store manager. The men were released after Starbucks refused to press charges against them. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson responded by releasing a statement condemning the actions taken by the store manager as “reprehensible.” Protesters say that the apology from Johnson isn’t enough as they angrily gathered in mobs outside of the store displaying signs such as, “Coffee is black.”
Starbucks is already a store for overpriced coffee that isn’t even really all that great. I personally have never had any issues going into a Starbucks, but I’ve never gone in without making a purchase. To me, it’s just common courtesy to make a purchase if I’m going to be using a store’s facilities. When individuals go into a store and just take up space, it’s not unheard of that they be asked to purchase something or leave. While I don’t think the police were warranted, I can understand from a business perspective why the manager may have been annoyed.
Philadelphia is hardly a city that screams racist, although many who have had run-ins with the law may say otherwise. Philadelphia is actually a sanctuary city. Still, activists came out of the woodwork to speak about the gentrification in Philadelphia. All over a dispute at Starbucks? This ridiculous display has blown way out of proportion and shows how much time people have on their hands these days.
The issue has become so serious that the mayor of Philadelphia is set to meet with the CEO of Starbucks. Protesters not only gathered outside of the scene of the arrests, but marched to other Starbucks locations to yell and take up space. They say that a plan of action needs to be put in place by Starbucks to assure that black people aren’t hassled again in the same manner. For the time being, I think I’ll continue purchasing coffee if I’m going to sit in someone’s coffee shop.
