The video of the two African Americans arrested at a Starbucks last week drew plenty of backlash and criticism. In the wake of the controversy, the company released a statement on Tuesday confirming the closing of 8,000 stores on May 29 for Racial-Bias Education training.
According to the press release, the training will transpire at all Starbucks company-owned stores. In addition, it will apply to approximately 175,000 U.S partners.
The whole premise of holding this mandatory training is to provide all Starbucks employees with racial-bias education and to prevent discrimination from repeating itself at their store locations moving forward.
Starbucks CEO accepts responsibility for the company's mistake
Starbuck's CEO, Kevin R. Johnson released a statement following the incident. He characterized the situation as a "reprehensible outcome". As reported by the New York Times, Johnson upon learning about what had happened, pledged to investigate and make any necessary changes to their own practices.
The successful coffee franchise released a detailed statement about what management was going to proceed to do.
In the company news release, it explains that Johnson had spent a few days in Philadelphia and listened to the community. It was basically to ascertain the situation and find out what exactly went wrong. He added that closing the stores for this training is an initial step to preventing future occurrences and offers a solution to the problem.
The footage of the two men arrested was viewed more than eight million times. The gentlemen were supposed to meet a friend and walked into a Starbucks location. They sat down without ordering a drink. Afterward, one of the men asked to use the bathroom and was denied because they had not purchased anything.
The manager called the police. The police officers arrived and interrogated the two men.
They were later arrested and escorted from the premises. Subsequently, protests followed once the incident became known to the public following the video going viral.
The Starbucks incident reveals everyday complexities in Rittenhouse Square
The viewing of the video was just the tip of the iceberg. As it turns out, the arrest led to protests both in and around the cafe. A Times report headlined "Starbucks Arrests, Outrageous to Some, Are Everyday Life for Others," confirms that the video not only depicts the disgraceful treatment of these two individuals, but it also shows the frustrating reality of everyday life.
As a result, the employee who called the police is no longer employed by the company, a Starbucks spokesperson alluded.