A Starbucks based in Tempe, Arizona is currently under fire.
On Independence Day, five police officers stated that a barista at the coffeeshop abruptly asked them to exit the premises. Apparently, one of the customers dining at Starbucks alleged that the presence of the officers made them feel unsafe.
Everything You Need to Know
At this time, it’s unclear why the customer at Starbucks “did not feel safe” with the five officers in the coffeeshop. Shortly after the incident transpired, Rob Ferraro, the president of the Tempe police union, shared the following statements in an interview:
“It’s become accepted to not trust or to see police and think that we’re not here to serve you, and again, it goes back to — we take great pride of the level of customer service we provide to citizens. To be looked at as feeling unsafe when you have law enforcement around you is somewhat perplexing to me.”
Ferraro furthermore noted that this treatment of police officers is becoming more regular.
The Backlash
As many people may imagine, the incident which occured on the 4th generated substantial backlash. Therefore, various social media users have adopted the #DumpStarbucks hashtag which trended on Saturday via Twitter. Numerous individuals believe that Starbucks’ decision to ask police officers to leave was wrong.