Starbucks will be closing over 8,000 of its U.S. stores for a part-day racial bias training on May 29.
The arrest of two black men who were quietly waiting to meet a friend in a Philadelphia Starbucks on April 12 has created outcry showing that racial profiling is still prominent in America, alleged by some individuals across the media.
Many are infuriated with Starbucks, the police responsible for the arrest and the manager responsible for the arrest of Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson.
The manager of the Starbucks in Philadelphia said the men were loitering without making a purchase, and after refusing to leave, the situation escalated. Nelson and Robinson were waiting for a third friend, who showed up during the arrest.
Madeline Six, a local Starbucks manager, said there are always people who come into the store to sit without buying anything, and it’s her job to be friendly, welcoming and to maintain good customer service.
“That is definitely not what Starbucks stands for,” Six, who said she felt the situation was very wrong and mishandled, said.
The men were accused of trespassing. Lieutenant Gwen Smith of the Laramie Police Department said that if a person does not heed an officer’s verbal trespass warning, it becomes an arrestable offense. Racial or non-racial, Smith said it’s not the job of the police to decide whether someone is being discriminated against but simply to enforce the law.
“The law enforcement’s perspective is that we’re called when someone’s been told to leave, they don’t leave, and then we have to take action because they’re violating the law,” Smith said.
Smith said the police were only involved when called upon by the manager. They had a duty to respond to the call and were only doing their job.
No charges were filed against Nelson or Robinson and both men agreed to a settlement on Wednesday for $1 each and the promise from Starbucks officials to set up a $200,000 program for young entrepreneurs.
According to a Fox 5 news article, Robinson said, “We thought long and hard about it and we feel like this is the best way to see that change that we want to see. It’s not a right-now thing that’s good for right now, but I feel like we will see the true change over time.”
It is undecided if the Laramie Starbucks will close on May 29.
