Starbucks Faces Backlash as Police are Thrown Out of Store

A growing movement has taken over social media against coffee giant Starbucks.

It was over the 4th of July weekend that several police offers were asked to leave a Tempe, Arizona Starbucks by a barista.

Supporters of law enforcement have taken to social media to share their opinions on the incident that occurred and quickly the #DumpStarbucks hashtag began to trend over the weekend.

Reportedly the barista at the Tempe store had treated six police officers that visited the location but then asked them to leave after another customer said he “did not feel safe.”

According to a statement from the Tempe Officers Association, the six officers walked into the Starbucks on July 4th and were approached by a barista who asked them tto move out of the line of sight of a customer. Some accounts have indicated that the police officers were then asked to leave the store.

“This treatment of public safety workers could not be more disheartening. While the barista was polite, making such a request at all was offensive,” the Tempe Police stated. “Unfortunately, such treatment has become all too common in 2019.”

The Association also tweeted that they didn’t appreciate how the officers were handled and added a picture that said “Dump Starbucks” to their post.

Tempe Officers Association’s full tweet from July 5th read, “Don’t appreciate @Starbucks asking our #Tempe cops to leave your establishment on the #4thofjuly2019. Several of those cops are #veterans who fought for this country! #ZeroRespect”

Starbucks executive vice president of U.S. retail, Rosanne Williams wrote a letter to Tempe police chief and police department that read, “On behalf of Starbucks, I want to sincerely apologize to you all for the experience that six of your officers had in our store on July 4.”

“What occurred in our store on July 4 is never the experience your officers or any customer should have, and at Starbucks, we are already taking the necessary steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again in the future.”
The barista in question is still employed with Starbucks according to a source.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) have not been compensated for this article.