WATCH | Outrage after two black men arrested in a Starbucks - for doing nothing
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. Starbucks has apologised after two black men were arrested in one of their Philadelphia coffee shops - for doing nothing.
Cellphone footage of Thursday’s incident show the two men sitting quietly at a table and talking for several minutes to police officers. They are then put in handcuffs and marched out.
The other patrons are heard objecting that the men were doing nothing wrong and appeared to be targeted merely for their race.
Melissa DePino tweeted one of the videos and add, "the police were called because these men hadn’t ordered anything."
@Starbucks The police were called because these men hadn’t ordered anything. They were waiting for a friend to show up, who did as they were taken out in handcuffs for doing nothing. All the other white ppl are wondering why it’s never happened to us when we do the same thing. pic.twitter.com/0U4Pzs55Ci
— Melissa DePino (@missydepino) April 12, 2018
The incident caused a public outcry, with many taking to Twitter to slam Starbucks and the police's handling of the matter:
The Philly Starbucks was a case of blatant racism. No ifs, ands or buts about it.
— Jamie D. (@JammedBus) April 15, 2018
Never in my Starbucks journey have I ever witnessed this.
Attack me & the others who agree with me on all you want. It needs to change. NOW.#BoycottStarbucks
I'm done. I'm absolutely done with watching while Black people are criminalized, arrested, shot at, and executed because white folks cannot police their imagination.
— Andray (@AndrayDomise) April 14, 2018
There is no earthly reason two men simply waiting on a friend at @Starbucks should have ended up in handcuffs.
The police are just as complicit as the racist Starbucks employee who assumed black men in their store represented a threat of some kind. #BoycottStarbucks
— Jeeniya (@jeeniya90) April 15, 2018
These men were held for 9 HOURS... 9 & for what? Arrested for nothing! That kind of life disruption calls for actual action #Starbucks
— Tina Isaacs (@Lifespillage) April 15, 2018
Some people think there is no such thing as racial profiling. That it is made-up or an exaggeration. It’s not. This type of thing still happens in America. People get arrested for doing nothing...but being black or being Hispanic.@Starbucks, you got some explaining to do. https://t.co/f1yo8akksW
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) April 14, 2018
Lauren Wimmer, the attorney for the two men, told The Washington Post that her clients told a Starbucks employee that they were waiting for Andrew Yaffe, the white man seen in the video arguing with the police. Shortly after that, the employee called the police, Wimmer said.
Starbucks has since issued a statement apologising for the incident:
We apologize to the two individuals and our customers for what took place at our Philadelphia store on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/suUsytXHks
— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) April 14, 2018
Philadelphia Police Department' Commissioner Richard Ross meanwhile took to Facebook to defend the actions of the officers. "“These officers did absolutely nothing wrong. They followed policy; they did what they were supposed to do," he said.
Ross said police arrested the men after they refused three requests to leave.
Commissioner Richard Ross gives a statement on the incident that occurred 4-12-18 at the Starbucks at 18th and Spruce Streets
Posted by Philadelphia Police Department on Saturday, 14 April 2018
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