Protesters gathered at a Philadelphia Starbucks on Sunday and planned to regroup again on Monday morning after two black men were arrested there last week when they allegedly refused to leave.
Demonstrators carried megaphones and signs that said phrases like, “Too Little Too Latte,” and confronted the employees behind the register, according to NBC Philadelphia.
The original incident occurred on Thursday, when a Starbucks employee called 911 because two black men were sitting inside the café. Soon after they arrived, police handcuffed the men and escorted them out of the shop.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, who is black, said the men hadn't purchased anything and refused to leave, which led to the arrest.
A video of the arrest and ensuing confusion went viral on Twitter.
Michelle Saahene witnessed the entire event, as she’d been at the Starbucks for nearly an hour. She told NBC News on Sunday that, as a black woman, she was slightly nervous when the police officers entered the coffee shop, but she was then as shocked as the two men when they were approached by the members of law enforcement.
After the two men were refused the bathroom, they just sat at a table silently and played with their phones as they waited for a friend, Saahene told NBC News.
"The cops were asking them to leave because they weren’t purchasing anything," Saahene said. "[The two men] said they were confused. This is a Starbucks. Since when are people asked to leave a Starbucks who are just sitting there?"
Protests follow outrage after two black men arrested at Philly Starbucks
Demonstrators carried megaphones and signs that said phrases like, “Too Little Too Latte,” and confronted the employees behind the register, according to NBC Philadelphia.
The original incident occurred on Thursday, when a Starbucks employee called 911 because two black men were sitting inside the café. Soon after they arrived, police handcuffed the men and escorted them out of the shop.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, who is black, said the men hadn't purchased anything and refused to leave, which led to the arrest.
A video of the arrest and ensuing confusion went viral on Twitter.
Michelle Saahene witnessed the entire event, as she’d been at the Starbucks for nearly an hour. She told NBC News on Sunday that, as a black woman, she was slightly nervous when the police officers entered the coffee shop, but she was then as shocked as the two men when they were approached by the members of law enforcement.
After the two men were refused the bathroom, they just sat at a table silently and played with their phones as they waited for a friend, Saahene told NBC News.
"The cops were asking them to leave because they weren’t purchasing anything," Saahene said. "[The two men] said they were confused. This is a Starbucks. Since when are people asked to leave a Starbucks who are just sitting there?"
Protests follow outrage after two black men arrested at Philly Starbucks
