People are Calling for a Starbucks Boycott
Politics

People are Calling for a Starbucks Boycott

Protests are being held following the unreasonable arrest of two black men at a Starbucks in Philadelphia.

The men were handcuffed and escorted out of the coffee shop after an employee had dialed 911. NBC reports that Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said that the arrest was carried out due to the fact that the men had not purchased anything, and refused to leave the premises.

Starbucks Corp. CEO Kevin Johnson made a public apology for the incident. "The video shot by customers is very hard to watch and the actions in it are not representative of our Starbucks mission and values," he says. "The basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was wrong."

Johnson also added that Starbucks will "further train [its] partners to better know when police assistance is warranted."

The men were released by the police, as Starbucks was no longer interested in prosecuting them. However, the damage has been done and people are taking action by protesting in front of the Center City Starbucks in Philly.

People on the Internet have also taken to social media using the hashtag #BoycottStarbucks, and are also calling out the company's official accounts.

Images via Getty