Starbucks agrees compensation with black men arrested while they waited for a friend

Two black men who were arrested as they waited for a friend in a Philadelphia Starbucks last month have reached settlements with the coffee chain and the city. The arrest of Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson on 12 April was captured on video and widely shared online, sparking protests in Pennsylvania over accusations of racial profiling. Mr Robinson and Mr Nelson have now dropped their legal action against the city, agreeing to a symbolic $1 each in compensation and the commitment of $200,000 (£150,000) from officials to fund an entrepreneurship program for public school students. The men, both 23, also reached a confidential financial settlement with Starbucks, who also offered them the opportunity to complete their undergraduate degrees at Arizona State University with full tuition coverage. “We all recognise the importance of communication about differences and solutions, and that we will be measured by our action not words,” they said in a joint statement. Mr Robinson added: “It's not a right-now thing … but I feel like we will see the true change over time.” Starbucks issued an apology for the incident which saw a store manager call the police when the pair sat down before making an order as they waited for a friend to arrive.   The company responded by closing more than 8,000 of its US stores for an afternoon of racial bias training, with Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson also apologising personally to the two men. Demonstrators protest over the arrests of Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson Credit: AP “I want to thank Donte and Rashon for their willingness to reconcile,” said Mr Johnson. “I welcome the opportunity to begin a relationship with them to share learnings and experiences. “Starbucks will continue to take actions that stem from this incident to repair and reaffirm our values and vision for the kind of company we want to be.”   Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson appear on Good Morning America Credit: ABC / Getty  Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said the incident had “evoked a lot of pain” and put the city under a “national spotlight for unwanted reasons”. “I am pleased to have resolved the potential claims against the city in this productive manner,” he added.

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May 03, 2018 at 04:24PM