Starbucks will close 28,000 stores in the United States for “racial bias training” next month. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson met with two black men and apologized after they were arrested for trespassing inside a Philadelphia Starbucks store last week.
Starbucks “mutually parted ways” with the manager, named only as Holly, who called 911 to report the two men refused to leave the 18th and Spruce Street location on Thursday.
Another patron uploaded cell phone video of the men being arrested, saying the two men were racially profiled.
After 5 days of protests and sit-ins at his stores, Johnson announced Tuesday that all Starbucks locations in the U.S. will close on May 29 for nearly 175,000 employees.
“Closing our stores for racial bias training is just one step in a journey that requires dedication from every level of our company and partnerships in our local communities,” he said.
Holly blamed company policy that gave her the discretion to enforce the no loitering policy up to and including calling the police. She said she doesn’t tell the customers when she’s calling the police.
Johnson arrived in Philadelphia on Monday to meet with the two men and apologize to them personally.
Photos by Carl Court / Getty Images, Mark Makela / Getty Images
