Starbucks has found itself in hot water after the arrest of two black men in one of its Philadelphia stores. Social-justice warriors (SJWs) are levying accusations of racism against what is generally considered a left-wing haven. After all, Starbucks has been all too happy to advance left-wing agendas, which included launching a “Race Together” campaign in which baristas were instructed to talk to customers about race. Of course, Starbucks’ also pledged to hire 10,000 refugees over the next few years. But on April 12, a Starbucks employee may have committed a fatal error that could undo all of the company’s good SJW efforts.
Starbucks corporate policy prohibits loitering, so when two men, who happened to be black, entered Starbucks on that fateful Thursday and asked to use the bathroom, the manager-on-duty explained that the bathroom was available only to paying customers. The men then sat down without ordering anything, prompting the manager to ask them to leave.
According to witness Melissa DePino, the men continued to sit and questioned why they were being asked to leave. When it became clear that the men would not leave, the police were called.
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Philadelphia police chief Richard Ross, who also happens to be black, states that the officers who went to the scene asked the men on three different occasions to leave the location, and the men continued to refuse. It was at that point that the men were arrested, but Starbucks did not file any charges. Conveniently, a video captured the scene, but only from the moment in which the arrest began — it does not capture any of the moments leading up to the arrest.
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson has since apologized for the incident, which he has called “reprehensible,” and even met with the two men after stating that he’d like to “have a dialogue with them so that I can ensure that we have opportunity to really understand the situation and show some compassion and empathy for the experience they went through.”
What’s more, the company has announced that it will be closing all of its stores on May 29 so that its employees can attend a training seminar on racial bias. The training will be developed from experts, including former attorney general Eric Holder. Non-company workers who service cafes in other locations such as grocery stores and airports will be provided training materials.
“I’ve spent the last few days in Philadelphia with my leadership team listening to the community, learning what we did wrong and the steps we need to take to fix it,” Johnson said in a statement,“ adding, “While this is not limited to Starbucks, we’re committed to being a part of the solution. Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities.”
Still, critics are in an uproar, launching boycotts against the company and encouraging others to do the same.
So while Johnson may be speaking the SJW’s language and walking the walk, it may be too little, too late. Critics are now on a quest to try to prove that Starbucks is a closet-racist company.
The Daily Wire reports that in Torrance, California, a “conveniently timed video” shows that a Starbucks facility has a double-standard for white men:
In that video, a black man videos a white man coming out of the restroom, and the white man explains that he was allowed to use the restroom before buying anything. The black man then demands an explanation from the manager of the coffeehouse, who appears to be an Asian female. She begins to explain, but isn’t allowed to by the man filming; she then demands that he leave the store. We have no idea what preceded the tape. We don’t know if the man filming came in and demanded to use the bathroom while saying affirmatively that he wouldn’t buy anything; we don’t know if he harassed the manager; we don’t know anything. But that hasn’t stopped everyone from assuming that the manager must be a brutal racist intent on making black patrons pee in their pants.
Additionally, critics are displeased with the anti-bias training being developed for employees because Starbucks has partnered with the Anti-Defamation League to create the materials, the National Review reports. Women’s March co-chair Tamika Mallory, who is tied to Louis Farrakhan, a notorious anti-Semite, has raised issue with this partnership because the ADL is a Jewish advocacy group.
“So you are aware, Starbucks was on a decent track until they enlisted the Anti-Defamation League to build their anti-bias training. The ADL is CONSTANTLY attacking black and brown people,” Mallory wrote in a statement posted to Twitter Tuesday evening. “This is a sign that they are tone deaf and not committed to addressing the concerns of black folks. Be clear what’s happening here!”
Never mind that Starbucks has also partnered with the NAACP and a number of other advocacy groups to develop the training.
Starbucks may be the newest fallen angel among the Left, proving once more that you can never be left enough for the Left.
Image: Screenshots from Starbucks.com advertisements
