Social media video shows arrests of black men at Philadelphia Starbucks

Video posted to social media shows police officers arresting two black men as they sat in a Starbucks coffee shop in Philadelphia. The arrests prompted some to accuse the company of racial discrimination.

The Guardian YouTube network:

[en-es]

Thank you to the people "not" of color stepping in and speaking up...

[bigalfantasy]

I think the real crime is how much Starbucks charges for their products.

[samhowell]

Who’s here after Starbucks reversed back to the “paying customers only” policy?

[enoeno]

Even the customer was stunned ... "Officer what did they do?..."

[alexgaston]

I try to look for the positive in everything, and all I know is that these guys are about to get a huge payday.

[Tompalompa]

Imagine believing they got arrested for nothing...

[rogerjames]

I have to give credit to the witnesses who stood up for these two gentlemen by questioning this obvious profiling from the Starbuck employee. It must of been a shock to that employee that not every white person shares her views and attitude.

[AMMbeatz]

Stupid policy, everyone should be able to sit down in there and take up table for actual customers, and use free wi-fi all day. There is nothing wrong with that.

[sqwyer]

You see how the white people in the video were asking for the reasons for arrest? That is how you use white privilege correctly.

They acknowledged that there was a possibility for racial discrimination going on, and decided to stand up for the black men.

We need more people like this in America.

[lorianderson-musgrave]

Why were they arrested? Why did the barista call the police?

[ELP]

Starbucks always had a "you can't sit with us" vibe

[AnimatingStudios]

The person recording this should be arrested for vertical recording

[JesseB-plpg]

I'm gonna go to a store, not buy anything, refuse to leave and sue for and undisclosed amount of money.

[davidpetrusewicz]

2 years ago I remember going to a Starbucks need to used the bathroom. they said I had to buy something to used the bathroom. So I bought gum at that point. I was a paying customer. They gave me the bathroom key. No problem. I did ask them after I came out of the bathroom did I really have buy something to used the bathroom. They said yes and if I didn't and try to used it with out buying something they would call the police. But since I bought the gum it was ok.

[PacalB]

Oh ffs ... they were asked to purchase something or leave, they refused. Clearly after ignoring the staffs requests the staff felt intimidated, thus called the cops. Why does this nonsense always have to be turned into “it’s a anti-black thing”. That’s pretty pathetic really.

[mazroidp]

What they did was went into Starbucks sat down and ordered nothing, The police officers had advised the gentlemen to order or they will have to leave and they gentlemen refused. I dont know what Starbucks company guidelines are when it comes to people just sitting in their stores but if they were asked to leave the Gentlemen should of just avoided the aggravation and just left.

[travis-tracey]

I go to Starbucks all the time and wait for friends before ordering. Nothing ever happens, and while you can defend that they should of ordered something instead of waiting around. Starbucks is a place that has developed into a hangout where people just go, use wifi, talk business and meet up before actually getting something. I'm not gonna get something before my friend gets there, I want to wait so I can enjoy my drink as a group. These guys shouldn't of been seen as a threat. Just because he had braids, and sweatpants and or they were black. People are ridiculous.

[larenzohayes]

The Dignity That These Two Men Displayed...under these circumstances...

[jennyhix]

I can't tell you how many times (as a white woman, early 30s) that I have gone into a Starbucks alone, either waiting for friends or just reading or working on my laptop. Sometimes I order, sometimes I didn't. No one EVER questioned me, told me I could not use the restroom, or called the POLICE because of my mere presence there. If you're telling me this has nothing to do with the color of their skin, just merely Starbucks' customer policies - you are just absolutely delusional. Wake up to reality. This is our America - the one where white and/or other privileged members of society never have to worry about getting arrested for sitting in a Starbucks and not disturbing anyone. News flash: racism is rampant in our country, it's just that people (whites and privileged) ignore it or want to pretend like it has all gone away and we are progressive as a nation now. Wrong. We are soooo far behind our European counterparts, and our neighbors to the North. Wake up, people. You're living a delusion.

[thebctalk]

Questions does anyone know if there is more footage? I’m having trouble finding Starbucks recordings or police body cam video. Only seeing the arrest video which is seemingly damming, but as we all know having more context is always better to fully evaluate a situation. Anyone?