Philadelphia Starbucks: Blacks Urging Boycott Rejected CEO Apology

Black folks rejected Starbucks’ apology over the racist arrest of two Black men Thursday at a Philadelphia store and continued their call for a boycott of the coffee chain.

Mobile phone video showing at least six Philadelphia police officers arresting two seated Black men has gone viral. They were reportedly waiting for a man, identified as Andrew Yaffe, to discuss a business deal. A Starbucks employee called the officers because the two Black men were doing what scores of people do at Starbucks—using the coffee shop as a meeting place without making a purchase. Yaffee arrived as the officers put the men, who were not being disruptive or confrontational, in handcuffs for trespassing.

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson apologized to the men on Saturday, calling the arrest “a disheartening situation in one of our Philadelphia-area stores this past Thursday, that led to a reprehensible outcome.”

But for many, that apology came up short:

https://twitter.com/MayaAaliya/status/985270142954364928

https://twitter.com/davis_whynot/status/985283123670929410

Philadelphia’s Mayor Jim Kenney also dismissed Starbucks’ apology, underscoring that calling the police in that situation “appears to exemplify what racial discrimination looks like in 2018.”

Kenney hit the nail on the head with this statement: “For many, Starbucks is not just a place to buy a cup of coffee, but a place to meet up with friends or family members, or to get some work done. Like all retail establishments in our city, Starbucks should be a place where everyone is treated the same, no matter the color of their skin.”

Indeed, even Starbucks acknowledged that people use its coffee shops as a “community hub,” according to the Washington Post. It has become a place where people drop in for the free WiFi or to meet friends without ordering anything.

That, however, apparently doesn’t apply to Black people:

The Latest:

• Join the LoveErica.com Community: Music, Ministry and Motivation
• The History of Black Friday and Cyber Monday Explained
• Sybil Wilkes Breaks Down What We Need to Know: November 24, 2025
• Black Music Collective’s Torae on Hip Hop, Loss, Artists’ Rights
• New Docuseries ‘The Sneaker Boom’ Explores How Up & Coming NBA Stars Got Their Signature Sneaker Lines Popular
• Trump Expressed Support For Hanging White Politicians: We Can Only Imagine How He Feels About Black Ones
• U.S. Coast Guard Clarifies Swastikas & Nooses “Potentially Offensive” Policy
• Judge Dismisses Charges Against Chicago Woman Shot By Border Patrol
• Judge Orders Trump To Remove National Guard From Washington, D.C.
• Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She’s Resigning From Congress In January
• Fans Stunned After Donald Glover Reveals Stroke and Heart Condition

SEE ALSO:

Devonte Hart’s Biological Mother Speaks Out On The Death Of Her Children

Ben Carson Tells A Black Woman To Escape Poverty She Needs To Get Married

Calls For Starbucks Boycott After The Company’s Weak Apology For A Racist Arrest was originally published on newsone.com