Fierce backlash against the coffee chain followed after a video of the two men being arrested on April 12, despite being defended by other customers, went viral. Witnesses said the two men hadn’t ordered anything while they were waiting for a friend, but the manager asked them to leave and called the police. Their names have not been released, and no charges were filed.
Melissa DePino@missydepino@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.
Nearly 175,000 employees will take part in the anti–racial bias trainings when the stores close, according to a statement from Starbucks, which will be focused on “preventing discrimination in our stores.” The curriculum, developed with several partners, including the NAACP and a former US attorney general, will also become part of the training for new hires, the company said, and will be made available to other companies.
“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,” CEO Kevin Johnson said.
He and Starbucks founder Howard Schulz have met with the two men who were arrested and other Philadelphia community members over the past few days.
“We will learn from our mistakes and reaffirm our commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment for every customer,” Schulz said in a statement.
Article Appeared @https://www.buzzfeed.com/blakemontgomery/starbucks-will-close-stores-for-training?utm_term=.qx1QQV9YR#.ur9335GkJ