Philadelphia police commissioner says he “failed miserably” in Starbucks arrests messaging

Instead, they walked out in handcuffs shortly after Nelson asked to use the restroom.

After taking a seat to wait for their colleague to arrive for their meeting the manager approached them. They had not yet made a purchase, which prompted the store manager to call police, who then arrested the pair for trespassing.

A meeting with Starbucks leadership to discuss the coffee company’s role in gentrification and perpetuating racism, policies regarding customers and investment in black-owned franchises in African American communities. When the men were approached at their table and asked if they needed help, they also brushed it off, unaware of the chaos that was soon to ensue.

The arrests have been a “stepping stone to really stand up and show your greatness and that you are not judged by the color of your skin”, Nelson said.

“We were there for a real reason, a real deal that we were working on”, Robinson said according to a report from Associated Press. Nelson said they weren’t questioned but were told to leave immediately.

“It’s a real estate meeting”.

“In the moment of stress, we tend to forget our training”, said Mark Atkinson, the chief executive of Mursion, which provides a simulation platform for training workers in skills like interpersonal interactions.

“I understand that rules are rules, but what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong”. “If you’ve been doing it for a lifetime, it becomes part of who you are”.

Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were at a Starbucks in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square location waiting for a business colleague when they were arrested for trespassing. The video of the incident has been viewed more than 10 million times on Twitter. “Just double-locked in handcuffs behind our back and escorted out to the squad vehicle”.

“It’s not just a black people thing, this is a people thing and that’s exactly what we want to see out of this and that’s true change, so put action into place and start using your words”.

The police chief’s statements came almost a week after he stood by the officers who arrested the two black men, stating that “these officers did absolutely nothing wrong“.

In a news conference Thursday, Commissioner Richard Ross Jr. of the Philadelphia Police Department apologized to the two men and said the episode warranted a policy change. In the Starbucks incident, the men were most likely assumed to be risky simply due to their skin color, even though they never did anything aggressive or resisted arrest. It happens when minority customers are treated differently than white customers through a variety of indignities and slights, such as being refused service, falsely accused of shoplifting or reported to security or police over something mundane. In addition, they have called for independent investigations into accusations of racial profiling and racial discrimination from customers and employees. “Creating an environment that is both safe and welcoming for everyone is paramount for every store”. Later, the police were called and the 23-year-olds were asked to leave.

“I want to acknowledge their pain and the pain of so many others, and commit our city to healing it together over the coming days, weeks and months”, he said in a statement. “They were wrong, and for that, I personally apologise to the gentlemen that visited our store”.

The world’s biggest coffee company will close its 8,000 U.S. cafes for the afternoon on May 29 so that its employees can undergo training in racial tolerance. But Starbucks broke a more important rule: By demonizing two people based on their race, it left democracy out of the public space.