Men arrested at Starbucks say they feared for their lives
Demonstrators occupy the Starbucks that has become the center of protests Monday, April 16, 2018, in Philadelphia. Starbucks wants to add training for store managers on “unconscious bias,” CEO Kevin Johnson said Monday, as activists held more protests at a Philadelphia store where two black men were arrested after employees said they were trespassing. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)
FILE- This March 24, 2018, file photo shows a sign in a Starbucks located in downtown Pittsburgh. Starbucks said Tuesday, April 17, that it will close more than 8,000 U.S. stores for several hours next month to conduct racial-bias training to its nearly 175,000 workers. The announcement comes after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks store, sparking protests and calls for a boycott on social media. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Jennifer Bennetch with her son Yusuf Williams-Bey protest outside the Starbucks on 18th & Spruce Streets in Philadelphia, Monday, April 16, 2018. Two African-American men were arrested a week earlier in a video incident that went viral. (Jose F. Moreno/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson, center, walks towards a meeting with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and other officials Monday April 16, 2018, at Philadelphia City Hall. Starbucks wants to add training for store managers on “unconscious bias,” Johnson said Monday, as activists held more protests at a Philadelphia store where two black men were arrested when employees said they were trespassing. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two black men arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks said they were just waiting for a business meeting — and a week later still wonder how that could escalate into a police encounter that left them fearing for their lives.
Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson tell The Associated Press in their first interview since video of their April 12 arrests went viral. The arrests, recorded on a white customer’s cellphone video, galvanized people around the country who saw the exchange as modern-day racism.
The men have met with the CEO of Starbucks and are pushing for meaningful change so what happened to them does not happen to anyone else.
Police this week released a recording of the call from the Starbucks employee that led to the arrest. In it, a woman is heard saying the men refused to “make a purchase or leave.”
Starbucks has promised to train employees about unconscious bias.
