A few weeks ago I commented on the incident in Philadelphia where two African-American men were handcuffed in a Starbucks after they were asked to leave by the store manager and the police since they were not paying customers. Immediately, this was assumed to be a "racial incident", but my question was, "what is the policy at Starbucks?" Many retail places have a policy that is posted that restrooms are for customers only, but not a single article or column I could find explained the policy at Starbucks. Can you walk into a Starbucks and sit down with a book or laptop without buying anything?
A UPI story out today said this, "Previously, company's guidelines were vague on how to treat lingering non-paying guests. The Philadelphia store where the two men were arrested had signs informing people the bathrooms and cafe were for paying customers only. Store guidelines for employees were to ask nonpaying guests to leave.The manager who called the police in Philadelphia no longer works at the store."
As of today, Starbucks has changed their company policy and anyone and everyone can go into a Starbucks and use their bathroom AND sit down in their cafe without buying anything.
How many articles or columns will you see that will now go back and explain the incident in Philadelphia the way it really happened. Most likely, one of the men arrested asked to use the restroom and the manager explained it is only for paying customers(as posted) and asked the two men to leave. When they did not, the manager called the police and the police asked them to leave and they did not leave until they were handcuffed and led out of the store.
It's an unfortunate incident, but not a "racial incident." I don't expect to see any articles or columns explaining this, but maybe there will be one?
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