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Six police officers were booted by a barista from a Tempe, Arizona Starbucks on July 4th. Why? Their presence was “triggering”. I can see it now. They’re shaking in their Birkenstocks. I said “shot” in my title.
From Starbucks representative, Reggie Borges:
We have a deep respect for the Tempe Police and their service to the community. We’ve reached out to the Tempe Police Department and Tempe Officers Association to better understand what happened and apologize. We want everyone in our stores to feel welcomed and the incident described is not indicative of what we want any of our customers to feel in our stores.”
This is not the first time the presence of law enforcement was met with less-than friendly reception. In 2013, a gun-fearing server at Buffalo Wild Wings in Manassas, Virginia refused to serve officers. Police officers have been turned away at this coffee shop in Oakland, In Alabama, several employees at a Little Caesar’s Pizza shop also refused the serve law enforcement officers. The list goes on.
So the next time I am in a high crime area the criminals can be asked to leave?
— Jean (@Labinspector) July 6, 2019
The officers at this Tempe Starbucks establishment made a purchase. But, their presence made someone uncomfortable. I remember sometime a while back when Starbucks introduced their “no purchase” policy. Meaning if you are a homeless drug-addict somewhere in Seattle or (choose your city), you were more than welcome to camp out in their establishments for undetermined amounts of time. They emphasized the “no drug use” policy but seriously, what drug addict actually abides by the rules when they need a fix? A strung out, volatile individual is non-threatening to a soccer mom of four meeting her PTA friends for a latte but God forbid a cop comes in carrying a firearm!
The “threatening” presence of law enforcement has been a growing theme and an underlying tone in the crusade of the social justice agenda. They don’t want police presence around because guns make these people feel uncomfortable. Meantime, law enforcement is asked to stay in the background and not be present on the streets because the appearance of armed police officers on the streets gives individuals the illusion that the area is “unsafe”. The police back off, are basically demoralized and told they cannot do their jobs and in come the criminals. We see this in large cities quite a bit. Violent crime, homelessness and drug use is on the rise in our cities and suburbs because city council members and local government officials have tied the hands of our law enforcement officers. They cannot properly do their jobs anymore. Hell, they can’t even mind their own business and get a cup of coffee in a local establishment without being looked at cross-eyed.
Starbucks corporate has since apologized on behalf of the barista who asked the officers to leave the shop:
On behalf of Starbucks, I want to sincerely apologize to you all for the experience that six of your officers had in our store on July 4. When those officers entered the store and a customer raised a concern over their presence, they should have been welcomed and treated with dignity and the utmost respect by our partners (employees). Instead they were made to feel unwelcome and disrespected, which is completely unacceptable.”
At Starbucks, we have deep appreciation for your department and the officers who serve the Tempe community. Our partners rely on your service and welcome your presence, which keeps our stores and the community a safe and welcoming place.”-Rosann Williams, Executive VP Retail, Starbucks
No word on whether the barista will receive disciplinary action for booting the officers out. Also, no word on who complained and why the police officers made him or her uncomfortable. Personally, I think the presence of a few of our finest law enforcement officers would be a sign of a safe place to have a coffee for a few moments but that’s just me. Apparently, someone drinking a venti soy latte thought differently.
Photo Credit: FlickR/Creative Commons/Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)/Cropped
GWB says: a soccer mom of four meeting her PTA friends for a latte
Nope. Guarantee it was some intersectionalist a**hole flexing xer muscle. “Heh, watch this, Becky. I bet I can get those pig cops kicked out.”
They cannot properly do their jobs anymore.
They can’t properly do OUR jobs anymore. Remember that the authority of the police flows from OUR authority as citizens in this republic. WE make the laws. WE hire them to enforce them. WE have the authority to enforce them (but not the time or inclination).
By extension, when the police are told “Nah, stand down,” WE are telling them that – at least 50%+1 of us. (And, if you think you’re the majority in an area like this, then ask yourself, “Who is falling down on the job and not voting?”) WE need to start doing our jobs and doing our part in our own communities and neighborhoods.
/rant
Have to admit, if I were a cop and told that my presence was disturbing to someone, I’d go to my car, unplug my laptop, and start scanning everyone as they left the store, looking for warrants.
After all, that’s the only truly valid reason a cop could make someone uncomfortable: he might recognize you and arrest you. So, put a little pressure on the establishment, and whoever was d*ck enough to whine.
(In reality, you’d just be standing there with your laptop, staring at it inscrutably. If someone asked, you’d tell them you’re using facial recognition software to look for the wanted fugitive that must be inside. Let their imaginations do the rest.)
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