Starbucks gets racial bias training, city clears Kensington heroin camps | Morning Newsletter
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Happy Wednesday, Philly. It seems that coffee addiction did not send the city into chaos yesterday once Starbucks closed its stores early so employees could receive racial-bias training. Which is great news, because according to some local employees, the training prompted much-needed and fruitful discussions following the high-profile arrests of two black men at a Philly location last month. Perhaps similar discussions could be had in Philly's many wonderfully weird neighborhood Facebook groups. As my colleague Anna Orso reports, while they sometimes devolve into trash talk, good moderators keep them from going totally off the rails. Feels like a public service to me.
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— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)
» READ MORE: Starbucks’ CEO: We want to confront our biases ‘and disrupt them’
Starbucks closed its stores yesterday afternoon so that employees could participate in racial-bias training and it appears Philly survived without its coffee fix for a few hours.
The materials the nearly 175,000 employees across the country received sparked conversations not only about better customer service, but also about their personal experiences with race. A few Starbucks employees who joined training in Center City seemed pleased with it during a break in the action.
Earlier in the day, black coffee shop owners in Philly kicked off important conversations on race and retail with a roundtable discussion.
» READ MORE: As Philly clears its heroin camps, a new housing program could be a key
By the end of this month, the city has said, two of the heroin encampments that have sprung up in Kensington will be cleared.
But what happens next — where the vulnerable residents living on the streets will go — is a question many in the neighborhood have asked.
Housing-first programs that allow people with opioid addiction to find shelter before they get sober could be the answer. One program is already seeing success only one year in.
» READ MORE: What it’s like to manage a Philly neighborhood Facebook group
If you've ever joined a local Facebook group like West Willy or South Silly (sensing a theme?) you know how absolutely wacky they can get.
To keep each post from devolving into political fisticuffs or offensive territory, your friendly neighborhood moderator is hard at work, for free.
But it doesn't always work. Like one Fishtown-based group that went to war over pizza recommendations.
What you need to know today
At least 4,645 people died as a result of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year, according to a new Harvard study. The official government death toll stands at 64.
Thanks to a three-year contract extension, Sixers coach Brett Brown will be with the team through the 2021-22 season. But that wasn't the only big Sixers news Tuesday night: a report has surfaced that alleges general manager Bryan Colangelo has been using fake Twitter accounts to spar with critics and even criticize former players.
The woman seen being punched by police officers on a Wildwood beach in a video that went viral this weekend say she did not spit on the officers as Mayor Ernie Troiano has alleged. Critics are questioning why the officers were unable to de-escalate the situation once provoked, if the allegations are true.
Last season, Eagle Malcolm Jenkins stopped protesting on the field. But in a discussion with reporter Les Bowen Tuesday he made it clear that, thanks to the NFL's new national anthem policy, he might change his mind.
This winter, basketball player Nasihah Thompson-King was barred from a city game for wearing her hijab. A new rule will make sure that never happens again.
Could the area around Amtrak's North Philadelphia station be on the up and up? A proposal to bring homes to the site may need more public money, first.
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
Same, @amyjani, same.
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That’s Interesting
A Fishtown-based company is making a splash in the sex-toy industry and it's all thanks to their emoji-themed vibrators.
Joel Embiid keeps showing up to play street ball (and absolutely own everyone, obviously) at a public basketball court in Philly. Trust me, you're going to want to see the videos.
It may be unofficially summer, but it's officially music festival season thanks to Hoagie Nation and this weekend's Roots Picnic. Columnist Elizabeth Wellington has some suggestions for what to wear (and what not to).
It's also rosé season, in case your social media feeds hadn't already told you. Pull up this guide to the best rosés at every price point for your next at-home happy hour.
Mark your calendars: Philly Beer Week returns this Friday for 10 days of specials, tap takeovers, and… drunk spelling bees? Restaurant critic Craig LaBan has the scoop on the week's best events.
Complimenting someone on weight loss may sound like a kind thing to do, but there are plenty of reasons not to comment on another's body — take it from a nutritionist.
Opinions
After a once-in-1,000-years flood hit Ellicott City, Md. for the second time in two years, columnist Will Bunch asks when elected officials will step up to manage climate change.
The U.S. has a shortage of tech workers, and Philadelphia should help by educating and empowering more women in STEM careers, write Drexel University president John Fry and TechGirlz founder Tracey Welson-Rossman.
What we’re reading
It's not just Starbucks: as WHYY reports, black shoppers face discrimination regularly in Philadelphia. Keep an eye out for more similar personal accounts from WHYY this week.
Let Dave Scarpello, the founder of the Manayunk Beer Runners, be your morning inspiration. He was told he'd never walk again and then he started a running club, reports Philadelphia Magazine.
Bloomberg's exploration of ties between a Bernie Sanders activist turned pro-Trump campaigner, Breitbart, and the Trump campaign itself during an effort to keep black voters from the polls asks an important question: was it all legal?
To many a resident's chagrin, bees love cities. Next City says that the little yellow guys can teach us a lot about how to build urban ecosystems that humans will love, too.
The full story of Anna Delvey, a fraudster who led an international life of luxury on bad checks and friends' generosity, as told by New York Magazine, would frankly make a good sequel to Catch Me If You Can.
Your Daily Dose of | Shoes
Fernando Rojo isn't walking in graduation this summer, because the soon-to-be Penn grad has a time-consuming side hustle: launching a shoe business that helps Latin American artisans climb out of poverty.