Starbucks, Police And Mayor Respond To Controversial Arrest Of 2 Black Men In Philly
April 15, 2018 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Comments Off
Starbucks issued an apology on Twitter after Starbucks employees called the police on two black men who were allegedly trespassing in a Philadelphia store.
hide caption
toggle caption
Starbucks issued an apology on Twitter after Starbucks employees called the police on two black men who were allegedly trespassing in a Philadelphia store.
A video that’s now amassed almost 7 million views on Twitter depicts police officers handcuffing two black men in a Philadelphia Starbucks.
Onlookers in the background are incredulous.
“What did they do?” one man asks.
“They didn’t do anything,” a woman responds. “I saw the entire thing.”
In a video statement streamed on Facebook Live from the Philadelphia Police Department’s page, Commissioner Richard Ross confirmed that on Thursday afternoon at 4:40 p.m., Philadelphia police received a 911 call from the Starbucks at 18th and Spruce Streets alleging disturbance and trespassing.
When police arrived, two Starbucks employees told them two men had asked to use the restroom but were told they couldn’t because they hadn’t purchased anything. The men allegedly refused to leave after being asked by Starbucks employees. Ross also said the two men refused to leave after being asked three times by police officers.
So, Ross says, officers arrested the men. The attorney for the two men, Lauren Wimmer, told the Philadelphia Inquirer she received word that the two were being released from custody at 12:30 a.m. Friday, nearly eight hours after the initial 911 call. Ross confirmed that the officers released the men from custody after they discovered Starbucks was not planning to prosecute them.
In his statement, Ross said he believed the officers “did absolutely nothing wrong.” He continued:
“[The police officers] followed policy, they did what they were supposed to do, they were professional in all their dealings with these gentlemen and instead, they got the opposite back. I will say that as an African American man, I am very aware of implicit bias. We are committed to fair and unbiased policing and anything less than that will not be tolerated in this department.”
Ross said all commanders in his department receive implicit bias training, and all new recruits are sent to both the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. “We want them to know about the atrocities that were, in fact, committed by policing around the world,” he says.
A police spokesman told the Inquirer that the Philadelphia Police Department’s internal affairs unit is looking into the incident.
In a statement released Saturday, Philadelphia’s mayor Jim Kenney criticized Starbucks for its role in the arrests:
“I am heartbroken to see Philadelphia in the headlines for an incident that — at least based on what we know at this point — appears to exemplify what racial discrimination looks like in 2018. For many, Starbucks is not just a place to buy a cup of coffee, but a place to meet up with friends or family members, or to get some work done. Like all retail establishments in our city, Starbucks should be a place where everyone is treated the same, no matter the color of their skin.”
The mayor’s statement says Starbucks’ apology, which the company issued on its Twitter account earlier Saturday, was not enough. Kenney also says he has asked the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations to look into whether additional implicit bias training should be required of Starbucks employees, and his office has reached out to Starbucks directly to discuss the matter.
Mayor Kenney’s statement referenced ongoing discussions about criminal justice, policing and incarceration in Philadelphia:
“Commissioner Ross and his team have promised a review of their policies moving forward with regards to response to complaints like this. I believe a thorough review is fully warranted given the unfortunate outcome of this event, particularly at a time when our criminal justice reform efforts are focused on avoiding needless incarcerations.”
The reforms Kenney alludes to have a lot to do with the city’s new progressive District Attorney Lawrence Krasner. WHYY’s Bobby Allyn recently reported on the change Krasner is pushing for in Philadelphia:
Krasner is a former civil rights lawyer who rode into office on a platform of radically revamping the city’s district attorney’s office by opposing the death penalty, stepping away from cash bail and seeking shorter prison sentences for offenders.
Share and Enjoy
Hundreds rally at Maine Capitol in support of gun rights
April 15, 2018 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Comments Off
The latest on gun rights rallies planned at state capitols across the U.S. (all times EDT):
6:15 p.m.
Organizers of a gun rights rally in Augusta, Maine, say about 800 people showed up to protest what they fear are attempts to limit Second Amendment rights.
Dave Gulya helped lead Saturday’s rally, which he says made the point that “we are law abiding.”
He says they also rallied in support of people who go to work or schools in gun-free zones.
Rallies were held in state capitols across the U.S. on Saturday to push back against efforts to pass stricter gun control laws that were launched nationwide after a Florida high school shooting that left 17 dead in February.
———
5:45 p.m.
Gun-rights advocates bearing a variety of firearms are rallying in front of the Wyoming Supreme Court building in Cheyenne.
Among those attending the rally Saturday was Republican gubernatorial candidate Taylor Haynes, who said he was carrying a gun under his leather duster. Haynes told the crowd the U.S. Constitution couldn’t be enforced without its Second Amendment, which he called the most important.
Westley Williams, of Cheyenne, said he’s worried the Second Amendment is slowly being chipped away. Williams was carrying an AR-15 rifle.
An Associated Press reporter counted about 100 people at the event.
Rallies were held in state capitols across the U.S. to push back against efforts to pass stricter gun control laws that were launched nationwide after a Florida high school shooting that left 17 dead in February.
———
4:15 p.m.
Hundreds of people have gathered in front of Delaware’s statehouse to support the right to keep and bear firearms.
Some of those who attended Saturday’s rally on Dover’s legislative mall openly carried rifles and handguns. Others carried American flags and flags reading “Don’t Tread on Me.”
An Associated Press reporter at the rally estimated more than 400 people were participating.
The gathering was one of several organized in state capitals around the country Saturday to reinforce gun rights. The rallies are in response to increased efforts to enact more firearms restrictions after a shooting at a Florida high school in February that left 17 dead.
Daniyel Baron helped organize the Delaware rally. The former Marine said he fears the current gun-restriction efforts are a precursor to eventual prohibition of all gun ownership.
———
4 p.m.
Gun rights supporters gathered at the state Capitol in Atlanta for one of dozens of rallies planned at statehouses across the U.S.
According to The Associated Press’ count, more than 135 attended the rally Saturday, and more were arriving. Most of them were armed and some held signs as they listened to speeches. A few people wearing “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts made videos, but didn’t interact with the ralliers.
The rallies come less than three weeks after hundreds of thousands marched in Washington, New York and elsewhere to demand tougher gun laws after the February school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17.
A group called the National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans says organizers have permits for gatherings in 45 states. They encouraged supporters to bring unloaded rifles in states where it’s legal.
———
2:28 p.m.
About 40 gun rights supporters have gathered at the state Capitol in Atlanta for one of dozens of rallies planned at statehouses across the U.S.
Saturday’s rallies come less than three weeks after hundreds of thousands marched in Washington, New York and elsewhere to demand tougher gun laws after the February school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17.
In Atlanta, a few people wearing “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts showed up at the rally and made videos, but didn’t interact with the ralliers.
A group called the National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans is spreading word of the rallies on social media. Organizers say they have permits for gatherings in 45 states. They are encouraging supporters to bring unloaded rifles, but only in states where it’s legal.
———
11:26 a.m.
Gun rights supporters are expected to rally at state capitols across the U.S. to counter a recent wave of student-led protests against gun violence.
Saturday’s rallies come less than three weeks after hundreds of thousands marched in Washington, New York and other U.S. cities to demand tougher gun laws after the February school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17.
Organizers are encouraging gun rights supporters to bring unloaded rifles to the rallies.
A group called the National Constitutional Coalition of Patriotic Americans is spreading word of the gatherings on social media. Coalition co-founder David Clayton says organizers have permits for rallies Saturday in 45 states. He stressed that people should only bring guns in states where it’s legal.