Starbucks arrest of men 'waiting while being black' sparks outrage in Philadelphia

Two African-American men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks last week after a store manager reportedly called police after the men asked to use the bathroom without buying anything. The backlash has been unmoved by the CEO's apologies and a call for unconscious bias training for employees. Amna Nawaz gets reaction from Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson.

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Last week, two African-American
men were arrested

in a downtown
Philadelphia Starbucks.

Amna Nawaz looks at how the Seattle-based
coffee chain is struggling to address

the resulting outcry on
social media and elsewhere.

And that outcry built to a crowd
of protesters at that particular Starbucks

today, unmoved by CEO Kevin Johnson's apologies
and call for unconscious bias training for

employees.

All this after video of last Thursday's incident
went viral.

The clip shows police officers confronting
two black men seated inside the Starbucks

as they wait for a third guest.

The store manager reportedly called police
after the men asked to use the bathroom without

buying anything first.

Minutes of calm conversation follow.

Police officers eventually handcuff both men
and force them to leave.

Starbucks' Kevin Johnson today called the
arrests reprehensible, apologized to the men,

and vowed to make sure this didn't happen
again.

For more on this, I am joined by Philadelphia
City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, who represents

the district in which this Starbucks is located.

Councilman Johnson, thank you for your time,
and welcome.

I want to begin by asking you now, since you
have met with a number of people involved

in this incident, why do you believe that
it ended up in this way?

Well, you know, first and foremost, being

the councilperson of the 2nd Councilmanic
District, which is a very diverse district,

but we also represent the Starbucks in my
district, I want to make sure, as a councilperson,

that no form of racial bias or racial profiling
is accepted.

And so we called a press conference today
to address this issue and to denounce the

recent arrest of the two African-American
young men who were arrested after waiting

while being black in the Starbucks cafe.

And as we move forward, we want to make sure
that Starbucks have come up with a plan to

specifically address the issue of diversity
and inclusion, as well as addressing the issue

of racial awareness when it comes to how their
business operates.

Now, Councilman, you have now
spoken to a number of people involved.

You have seen a lot more than most of us,
who have only seen the video.

Yes.

Do you believe that these men
are the victims of racial bias?

Yes.

You know, everyone knows that Starbucks' brand
is, you can come there, use their Wi-Fi and,

in that environment, you know, have meetings
and take a moment and take care of your day-to-day

business while you're inside their particular
store.

That's always a part of their brand.

In this particular case, you have two African-American
young men.

They're not dressed in suits.

They're in Rittenhouse Square, which is a
high-income area in Center City, Philadelphia.

And the person who actually called the police,
I believe, overreacted, when she had the interaction

with these young men who said they were waiting
for someone to come and meet with them.

And that resulted in her calling the cops,
which resulted in the unnecessary arrest of

the two African-American young men.

And so a lot of people in my district are
in outrage.

A lot of people in my district want answers.

But, most importantly, they want to make sure
we continue to hold Starbucks accountable.

So, let me ask you about that.

Now, the first reaction from Starbucks was
a rather tepid policy.

The backlash grew.

There was then a more robust statement followed
by a video statement from the CEO, Kevin Johnson,

in which he said this:

These two gentlemen
didn't deserve what happened.

And we are accountable.

I am accountable.

Now, going through this, I'm going to do everything
I can to ensure it is fixed and never happens

again, whether that is changes to the policy
and the practice, additional store manager

training, including training around unconscious
bias, and we will address this.

AMNA NAWAZ: Councilman Johnson, are you satisfied
with Starbucks' response?

Not at all.

You know, listen, I have worked with several
major corporations in a variety of different

aspects regarding organizing for wages for
low-income individuals, and I know how this

game works.

We need to see more than just lip service.

We need an action plan that specifically goes
toward racial sensitive training, but also

a campaign to let the people here in the city
of Philadelphia know that anyone is welcome

to come to the Starbucks cafe without being
-- without fearing any type of racial or social

bias perspective when it comes to individuals
hanging out or coming to frequent and patronize

their business.

It's totally unacceptable.

Again, people are in outrage, and we have
to continue to make sure that they aren't

just giving an apology.

We want an action plan to actually address
this issue.

AMNA NAWAZ: You mentioned that the manager
who had originally first called the police

to the scene, she has now reportedly been
removed from the store pending an investigation.

Is that the standard to which you, as councilman,
would hold other businesses in your district,

that they should remove employees who exhibit
any kind of racial bias?

Absolutely.

I would go even further to say if the evidence
shows that they have exhibited some sort of

racial bias, they should be fired, to be frank
with you, because, at the end of the day,

nobody should feel, in the year 2018, any
form of racial discrimination, regardless

of their background, regardless of their lifestyle
and, most importantly, regardless of their

race.

And so this is totally unacceptable.

And Starbucks must be held accountable.

And beyond just issuing an apology, beyond
just removing the young lady, we need to have

an action plan to make sure there's racial
sensitivity training for the employees.

We need to also make sure the people of Philadelphia
know, from an racial awareness campaign from

Starbucks, that anyone can come to Starbucks
and feel welcome, without feeling that they

will be kicked out based upon their race,
creed or color.

Philadelphia City Councilman Kenyatta
Johnson, thanks for your time.

Thanks for having me here today.