Philly looking into other incidents at same Starbucks where two black men were arrested
The nature of the reported incidents at the Center City Starbucks is not yet known.
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The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations is looking into reports of other incidents at the same Center City Starbucks where the arrests of two black men last week have sparked national outrage and put the Seattle coffee chain in damage-control mode.
Meanwhile, a Starbucks spokeswoman confirmed to the Washington Post that the company's CEO, Kevin Johnson, met privately with the two men on Monday and personally apologized. Neither man has been identified.
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In a summary of the city's response to the incident, Mayor Kenney's office said the human relations commission would "review the firm's policies, guidelines and procedures, including whether Starbucks has written policies, whether the policies are enforced uniformly, and how much discretion is left to individual employees."
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The statement said the commission was looking into "additional reports that have come to their attention about this specific location." It did not provide any details about the reports or the nature of those incidents.
The Starbucks at 18th and Spruce Streets has been the scene of daily protests since a video of the arrests went viral over the weekend. The store's manager called police while the men sat waiting for a third man without ordering anything. The pair were handcuffed and led out by police when they declined to leave.
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The fallout has brought Johnson and Starbucks COO Rosalind Brewer to Philadelphia for damage control. On Monday, Johnson apologized on national television and met with city officials. He said the company would institute unconscious-bias training for managers.
Kenney and Police Commissioner Richard Ross have said the officers who made the arrest did nothing wrong, indicating the responsibility rests mainly with Starbucks.
Still, the city said the police department is "reviewing protocols related to how officers respond to such circumstances."