People are asking many questions in the wake of two black men being arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia last week. (A manager called police after the men, who did not order any food or coffee, said they were waiting to meet a friend.) One of those questions should be: How does this happen at such a progressive business and in such a liberal city?
I live near that Starbucks and walk my dog around the neighborhood every day, and I’ve only ever seen one sign supporting Donald Trump compared to the dozens of signs for Black Lives Matter and Hillary Clinton. The people who frequent this Starbucks are the same people who call Trump’s wall on the Mexico border racist. The store’s customers questioned the police and protested that the men who were being led out in handcuffs had done nothing wrong, according to a video of the incident that went viral.
Liberals love to complain that businesses like Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby that are run by openly conservative proprieters have terrible values—consider that the New Yorker even recently accused Chick-fil-A of “creepy infiltration” with its new Manhattan restaurant. And they praise Starbucks for its support of Planned Parenthood, its climate change strategy, it’s ethical sourcing. Its website even brags that the company is “elevating civic engagement through service and promoting voter registration.”
To be sure, Chick-fil-A can’t always live up to the values it espouses, either. While professing to close on Sundays so that its employees “can rest and worship if they choose,” the company has been known to call workers in on that day. In December, for example, the company served sandwiches to passengers stranded at the Atlanta airport during an extended power outage, And in Orlando, workers also prepared food for first responders and volunteers in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
People haven’t been very happy with Starbucks’ initial response to the arrests, even though CEO Kevin Johnson has apologized. I can see them protesting outside my window every day and #BoycottStarbucks is already starting. Maybe while Starbucks is reviewing its policies, the company can borrow Chick-fil-A’s motto to “treat every person with honor, dignity and respect.”
