Starbucks manager no longer employed at store after controversial arrest of 2 black men
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KTRK) -- The Starbucks manager at the center of the controversial arrest video of two black men is no longer an employee at that location, according to ABC News.
About two dozen chanting protesters have entered a Philadelphia Starbucks where two black men were arrested after store employees called 911 to say they were trespassing.
The protesters moved to the front counter shortly after 7 a.m. Monday and chanted "Starbucks coffee is anti-black."
Over the weekend, demonstrators called for the firing of the employee who contacted police, who arrested the men on Thursday.
Among the demonstrators was Melissa DePino who captured the video of the arrest being passed around on social media.
"There's nothing more to the story than what you see in the video," said DePino. "And when people say 'there must be more to the story' that's part of the problem in my view."
Officials have said police officers were told the men had asked to use the store's restroom but were denied because they hadn't bought anything and they refused to leave.
Police haven't released the names of the men who were arrested and later released after the district attorney's office said there was lack of evidence that a crime had been committed.
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson did a live interview on "Good Morning America" on Monday and called the arrests a "reprehensible outcome."
"I'll say the circumstances surrounding the incident and the outcome in our store on Thursday were reprehensible. They were wrong. And for that, I personally apologize to the two gentlemen that visited our store. Now, certainly, you know, it's my responsibility to understand what happened and what led to that and ensure that we fix it," Johnson said.
GMA's Robin Roberts asked about any disciplinary action taken against the employee.
"While I know it's easy for me to say and point blame to one person in this incident, you know, my responsibility is to look not only to that individual but look more broadly at the circumstances that set that up. Just to ensure that this never happens again, so those reviews are conducted as we speak and I've been very focused on understanding what guidelines and what training ever let this," Johnson replied.
After the GMA interview, ABC News learned that the manager is no longer an employee of the store in what the company says was a "mutual" decision.
Meanwhile, the two men have yet to speak publicly about the incident, but Johnson said he wants to have a face-to-face with them to apologize.
"I reached out and we made contact with the representative of the two gentlemen. And I'm hopeful that while I'm here in Philadelphia, I'll have a chance to meet with them face-to-face. First, I'd like to apologize to them in person and I'd like to have a dialogue with them so that I can ensure that we have the opportunity to really understand the situation and show some compassion and empathy for the experience they went through. And finally, you know, we're working to solve this. I'd like to invite them to join me in finding a constructive way to solve this issue," Johnson said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
