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Who probably does know that is the CEO
And, we know what he has publicly stated.
That is entirely the point, nobody knows. You can't definitively say it was racist just because the guys involved were black, OTOH nobody knows what was said in the initial conversation either, maybe they did explain and she wasn't inclined to listen. But it seems a poor choice for her to call the cops on potential customers just because they were black men, and IMO it seems likely there was more to it than just that. The CEO hasn't a clue, other than to say that the policy on loitering was ambiguous, his default position is to do damage control and make nice for the media.
You don't sit your a-- in any establishment like this for a longer length of time without buying something. Doesn't matter if you're waiting for someone. If the person you're waiting for isn't there in a reasonable amount of time, have the decency to buy a cup of coffee to rent your space. A paying customer could be sitting there.
With the behemoth amount of homeless people in the Portland area, no Starbucks or any place serving food and drink wants to start letting people loiter.
Excellent post and I agree. I really question whether some people here have actually been to a Starbucks before. As soon as you walk in the door, you eye a nice prime place you want to sit, and if someone is sitting there without a drink, you're going to stare them down after you buy your drink then complain to the employees that there are non-paying customers taking up seats.
It's common courtesy and simple etiquette. The price of admission for sitting at a table, using free WiFi, and taking a dump in the restroom is being a paying customer.
Starbucks has no idea how long you plan to wait. Any hobo can walk in and claim they're waiting for friends while they take a shower in the men's bathroom sink.
Does the fact that these men were going to become customers once their colleague showed up and bought them coffee change anything? Shouldn't it?
In searching for a actual timeline of what happened, this account doesn't indicate that the two men said anything about waiting for a third person before making an order to the Starbucks staff.
Per Commissioner Ross, the men entered, sat down, then tried to use the bathroom. Starbucks employees mentioned the company policy that bathroom use required a purchase, and asked the men to leave. When the men refused, Ross said, that’s when the cops were called.
On arrival, the officers asked the men to leave — per Ross, three times. The men continued to refuse, and so were arrested.
None of us know what the initial exchange was between the two men and the Starbucks staff. All we have is the video of the men getting arrested.
And as to the witnesses, yes, they said that the two men hadn't done anything to deserve the arrest, but it's more that the two men weren't noticed at all before the police arrived and began talking to them.
And if some of the tables in the video looked unoccupied, some of that is because as the police entered and something was going down... there were formerly sitting customers standing now to watch what was happening and to get ready to leave quickly if things got unruly.
So you don’t stand up for your rights? You just let others take advantage of you? So you just listen to whatever cops say regards if it violates your rights as a citizen and human being? Okay, got it. Have fun being illegally searched and discriminated against.
I guess I'm lucky, I don't find myself in food establishments using bathrooms and occupying tables for extended periods of time without buying something.
I'll be sure to make a thread about it should the police ever get called on me for abiding by the expected etiquette of food establishments.
It won't be an interesting thread though, as I'll be complying with the lawful order of the fine policeman asking me to buy something, go home, or be arrested.
So the fact that the police were called for and arrested only the black people while several white people were doing exactly the same thing doesn't give you the impression that there might be a racial tone to the event?
They arrested the black men because they refused to leave when told by the manager to do so. None of the white people refused to leave, so no, the white people were not doing the same thing. Thinking like yours, along with a media that likes to create race problems, is why this country is in a tissy over this non-event.
I guess I'm lucky, I don't find myself in food establishments using bathrooms and occupying tables for extended periods of time without buying something.
Taking race and who is right and wrong about the initial bathroom incident....
The manager should have been able and trained to "make nice" with the customer.
Step aside with him, be apologetic and validating, say wires got crossed, comp a coffee and give him the darn code. Her attitude is not the attitude or behavior I would expect out of a manager running my business, that is for sure. The would-be customer got much more upset when he was invalidated and sent away. The manager got defensive. Its her job to calm the situation.
"Sir, I really didn't mean to offend you. I am truly sorry. I can see how it might have looked poorly, and I take responsibility for that. Tell me what coffee you would like, on the house, and we will make it while you use the restroom. The code is 1234".
And poof, no 8000 stores closed for training.
But this isn't just it. Starbucks has had a lot of bad press lately and isn't doing a good job with getting staff that hold the company's ideals
They arrested the black men because they refused to leave when told by the manager to do so. None of the white people refused to leave, so no, the white people were not doing the same thing. Thinking like yours, along with a media that likes to create race problems, is why this country is in a tissy over this non-event.
Wait...white people don't get belligerent and refuse to leave places or comply with police when treated unfairly.
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