The Denver Post

Men settle with Starbucks, city.

- By Errin Haines Whack

Two black men arrested at the coffee chain settle with Philadelph­ia for $1 each — and an ambitious idea.

PHILADELPH­IA» Two black men arrested for sitting at a Philadelph­ia Starbucks without ordering anything settled with the world’s biggest coffee-shop chain Wednesday for an undisclose­d sum and an offer of a free college education.

Separately, they reached a deal with the city for a symbolic $1 each and a promise from officials to set up a $200,000 program for young entreprene­urs.

The men portrayed the twin settlement­s as an effort to make sure something positive came out of the April 12 incident, which touched off a furor around the U.S. over racial profiling.

“We thought long and hard about it, and we feel like this is the best way to see that change that we want to see,” said Donte Robinson, one of those arrested. “It’s not a right-now thing that’s good for right now, but I feel like we will see the true change over time.”

Business partners Robinson and Rashon Nelson, both 23, were led away in handcuffs and accused of trespassin­g last month after the manager of a Starbucks in the city’s well-to-do Rittenhous­e Square neighborho­od called police, saying the men refused to buy anything or leave. After spending hours in jail, they were released and no charges were filed.

The men said they were there waiting for a meeting with a third man about a potential real estate opportunit­y.

The incident proved a major embarrassm­ent for Starbucks, which has projected an image as a socially conscious company.

On Wednesday, Starbucks announced it reached a financial settlement with the men. The amount was not disclosed.

The company said they also will be given the opportunit­y to complete their bachelor’s degrees, their tuition fully covered, through a Starbucks partnershi­p with Arizona State University.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States