Soon, everything will be public knowledge, except what governments do.
Last Tuesday, May 29, Starbucks executive chairman Howard Schultz published “An Open Letter to Starbucks Customers” in The Wall Street Journal (it may have been in other publications as well).
Recently, a Starbucks manager in Philadelphia called the police a few minutes after two black men arrived at a store and sat waiting for a friend. They had not yet purchased anything when the police were called. After police arrived they arrested the two men. The situation was reprehensible and does not represent our company’s mission and enduring values.
The employee or employees responsible for calling the police may have acted out of racial prejudice. Or the black men may have done something not mentioned in the letter and calling the police averted a troublesome or potentially dangerous situation. Black people walk into Starbucks all over the country without incident. It’s difficult to believe the police were called simply because two black men walked in and sat down. But if they were, why not just reprimand and instruct, or fire, those responsible, apologize, offer lifetime free coffee to the two gentlemen, and be done with it?
