hello everyone, thank you everyone for watching
Howard Schultz confronted by woman who shared viral Philadelphia Starbucks arrest video at Free Libr
The woman who first shared the video of last year confronted the companys former executive chairman Howard Schultz at an event Wednesday night in Philadelphia and he acknowledged the manager of the store might not have called authorities if the two men had been white.
Melissa DePino, who posted the video of Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson being handcuffed and led out of the store at 18th and Spruce Streets by police after they declined to purchase anything, attended Schultzs stop on his book tour at the Free Library.
During the Q A, DePino interjected after Schultz, a potential candidate for president, said the manager contacted police after she felt a threat." DePino, identifying herself and her connection to the video, said Schultz was not outlining the event correctly, according to
You are not describing the incident accurately and the way you are describing it is perpetuating the problem," she said. "And I know you want to be part of the solution and I hope you will be, but when you say there were words between the two of them, and she felt threatened, that didnt happen. I saw it with my own two eyes. I was there.
andgt; andgt;OPINION:
Schultz, who acknowledged he was not there and told DePino that he had great respect for what [she] saw, went on to comment on his handling of the situation before he addressed it publicly, giving insight into a private conversation he had with the manager.
I was advised before a not to say something that I knew was not true. And what was true was I spent time with the manager one on one and I just asked her a simple question, and I asked her if those two young men were white, would she have called the police? And to her credit, she said, probably not. So once I heard that, I knew that what occurred was a form of racial profiling.
Schultz was at the Free Librarys Vine Street location to discuss his book, From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America, with Bill Kristol, founder and former editor of The Weekly Standard. Schultz said he was advised to not make those comments about possible racial profiling on national TV immediately after the incident, out of fear it would damage the company and brand. He said he felt a moral obligation to say the truth, however.
I may not have been there, but I can tell you on a personal level, on a very emotional level, I was deeply, deeply concerned about what happened and weve done everything possible to try and learn from it and get better.
DePino said in an interview Thursday that she wrote a question on a card to be submitted during the Q A session, but felt compelled to stand up and say something because she and Michelle Saahene, the woman whose voice is heard in the video saying, They didnt do anything, started an organization called , which urges white people to be allies to black people. In the case of Wednesday nights presentation, Schultz, who is white, was speaking to a predominantly white audience, DePino said.
I couldnt just talk the talk, I had to walk the walk," DePino said. It was a complete misrepresentation of what happened and it also perpetuated this racist narrative that [Nelson and Robinson] had done something to make her feel threatened.
He dared to retell the story here in Philly, saying that there was an exchange between the manager and the two men and she felt threatened so she called 911. NOT TRUE.
Saahene wasnt at the library event, but said Schultz recounting of his conversation with the manager made her rethink Starbucks entire response.
They said she wouldnt have called the cops if these men were white," Saahene said. "Yet in the same conversation, he said she felt threatened. How do you not connect the dots? She didnt feel threatened based on any type of logical or rational explanation. It was their color.
DePino said while Schultz was throwing around catch phrases such as implicit bias, "he clearly doesnt understand what that is.
There was a level of ignorance and that is irresponsible for a person in his position. He clearly didnt do his own training, she added, referring to the implicit bias training that Starbucks provided to about 180,000 employees nationwide after the April 12 arrests.
Last April, the manager of the Center City store contacted police after Nelson but was denied access because he wasnt a customer. Nelson and Robinson, who said they were at the store for a meeting, declined to make a purchase or leave, according to the 911 call .
At least six police officers arrived at the Starbucks, and led the two out in handcuffs. The police incident report, , said the two men cursed at the store manager and refused to leave even though officers asked multiple times.
DePino shared a video of the incident on Twitter, which sparked a national outrage, public apologies, and at Starbucks stores across the nation.
The city later announced that it had with the two men, agreeing to pay them dollar 1 and to set up a dollar 200,000 program for young entrepreneurs. Separately, Starbucks announced that its agreement with the men included a financial settlement for an undisclosed sum as well as continued listening and dialogue between parties and specific action and opportunity.
Schultz as Starbucks executive chairman last summer, and is believed to be planning .
The possible presidential hopefuls appearance at the Free Library wasnt the first time his remarks on the incident at the Philadelphia store have raised eyebrows this week. On Tuesday, Schultz fielded questions from the audience at in Houston, telling a woman who asked whether he thought the coffee chains nationwide racial bias training was effective
As somebody who grew up in a very diverse background as a young boy in the projects, I didnt see color as a young boy and I honestly dont see color now, said Schultz, who is from Brooklyn. He called the arrest at the Center City store something that we learned a great deal from."
The question was asked by Orgena Keener, a black woman and owner of Kaffeine Coffee, an independent Houston coffee shop, who that she felt satisfied by Shultzs answer.
He might not see color but I dont think that goes for all of his employees, . Heres the deal. We all see color, we just dont judge. It might not go to the second level of judging and stereotyping but we all do see color, its kind of hard not to. Its just how you take it after that.
On social media, Schultzs response drew swift criticism, as users suggested his comments on not seeing color equated to faced by black Americans. Others compared his comments to racist remarks parodied and The Office.
That is the worst answer to any race question. What he is essentially saying is that black people are invisible to him and he dismisses all the concerns, experiences, and real world issues of racism that plagues us. And that is the problem
I dont see color is quite possibly the worst answer that ANYONE can give on race.
Research suggests colorblindness does not truly exist, and that the refusal to take public note of race allows discriminatory practices to continue.
At an appearance earlier this month in Chicago, Schultz the Philadelphia Starbucks arrests.
I was absolutely apoplectic that something like that could happen in a Starbucks store, , adding that he worried this is going to stay with us and stain the company forever.
Staff writer Oona Goodin Smith contributed to this report.
Get the news you need to start your day
Get the news you need to start your day
2019, Philadelphia Media Network Digital , LLC /
2019, Philadelphia Media Network Digital , LLC /
Đăng ký:
Đăng Nhận xét (Atom)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét