A recorded video went viral on Monday April 16, 2018 when two black men were arrested for "trespassing" on a Starbucks. No, it wasn't while the store was closed, no, they weren't robbing or stealing, no, they weren't doing anything shady. The nonsense is the fact that they were arrested for literally following all the rules and sitting in a Starbucks. The two men sat down in a café and were waiting for their friend to join them when the manager called the police who arrested them as said friend arrived. Others stood up to police and questioned them for their irrational, racist behavior towards the two men but were not answered as they were taken away into police cruisers. What was this for? "Trespassing" the police officers so eloquently called it-trespassing onto a public place opened to the public.
It's interesting how this seems to be a similar situation to sit-ins of the 60's. Cases of African Americans being discriminated against or even thrown out of cafes or restaurants continued time and time again-not for a justified crime but simply for their existence. Situations like this disgust me since these people would never have been touched if another race or ethnicity-they were automatically assumed to be apart of some sinister plot for something so harmless and ordinary. Luckily, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson wishes to speak with these two men about the incident after his recorded apology sent and dedicated to the two men discriminated against. Police and service policies such as these need to be checked to ensure a more democratic and just system for all people-not just the majority.
http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/16/news/companies/starbucks-ceo-apology/index.html
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