The two men who were racially profiled at a Philadelphia Starbucks and arrested for “trespassing” have spoken out for the first time since their arrest and…
The two men who were racially profiled at a Philadelphia Starbucks and arrested for “trespassing” have spoken out for the first time since their arrest and said they feared for their lives.
Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, both 23, had no idea they were about to be arrested while they were waiting for a business meeting at the Rittenhouse Square Starbucks, a business Robinson frequented since he was 15.
Nelson had asked to use the restroom and brushed it off when a staff member told him it was for paying customers only. When the men were approached at their table asking if they needed help, they also brushed it off, blissfully unaware of the chaos that was soon to ensue.
A few minutes later, they noticed police walking in their direction and realized they were in trouble.
“We were there for a real reason, a real deal that we were working on,” Robinson explained.
“We put in a lot of time, energy, effort… We were at a moment that could have a positive impact on a whole ladder of people, lives, families. So I was like, ‘No, you’re not stopping that right now.’”
Nelson and Robinson, who’ve been best friends since the fourth grade, were planning to meet with Andrew Yaffe, a local businessman, who entered the Starbucks during the arrest and started recording. The video has since gone viral and sparked national outrage at the coffee giant.
It shows the men being handcuffed and Yaffe demanding an explanation from the officers. The two men did not resist arrest, but instead appeared confused and unsure of what to think or do.
“When you know that you did nothing wrong, how do you really react to it?” Nelson said.
“You can either be ignorant or you can show some type of sophistication and act like you have class. That was the choice we had.”
As the two men were being led out of the store in cuffs, they couldn’t help but think about their family and friends and wonder if they’d make it home alive that night.
“Anytime I’m encountered by cops, I can honestly say it’s a thought that runs through my mind,” Nelson said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”
He added they were not questioned by the police, just told to leave immediately.
Robinson racked his brain, trying to think if he did anything wrong or something to deserve the mistreatment.
“I feel like I fell short,” he said. “I’m trying to think of something I did wrong, to put not just me but my brother, my lifelong friend… in this situation.”
Police Commissioner Richard Ross said the arresting officers “did absolutely nothing wrong,” and that the two men were disrespectful to the officers.
Local Mayor Jim Kenney disagreed and said the event exemplifies “what racial discrimination looks like in 2018.”
The men’s attorney, Stewart Cohen, said his clients were illegally profiled and said the arrest was in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The district attorney ultimately decided to drop charges against the men, after they sat in a jail cell for hours without any idea of what was going on, unaware video of their arrest was quickly gaining traction online.
When they got out, they wondered what to do next.
“You go from being someone who’s just trying to be an entrepreneur, having your own dreams and aspirations, and then this happens,” Nelson said. Protesters gather outside a Starbucks in Philadelphia. AP
“How do you handle it? Do you stand up? Do you fight? Do you sit down and just watch everyone else fight for you? Do you let it slide, like we let everything else slide with injustice?”
Robinson called Yaffe to reschedule and was told the video was going viral. By Monday, after a weekend filled with outrage, protests and an eventual outright boycott, the men were set to meet with the CEO of Starbucks, who slammed the employee’s actions and called the arrests “reprehensible.”
He ordered stores to close for mandatory training to tackle “unconscious bias.”
The two men said they’re looking for long-term results and are in mediation with Starbucks. They want them to implement changes such as a customer bill of rights, new policies regarding customer ejections, racial profiling and racial discrimination, and an independent probe to examine complaints of profiling or discrimination made by customers and employees.
Robinson said the public support has been encouraging and he’s grateful, but anger and boycotts is not the answer.
“We need a different type of action … not words,” he said.
“It’s a time to pay attention and understand what’s really going on. We do want a seat at the table.”
With Post wires
