Commissioner Richard Ross, who is black, said police received a 911 call from the Starbucks employees saying the men were trespassing. He said officers were told that the men had walked in, sat down, and then asked to use the restroom but did not buy anything. The employee denied their request, citing company policy.
Ross said officers "politely" asked the men to leave multiple times before the arrests. The men were released a short time later when Starbucks declined to prosecute, he said.
As an African American male, I am very aware of implicit bias," Ross said. "We are committed to fair and unbiased policing."
But he said the men "did absolutely nothing wrong."
Johnson, in his statement, said he hopes to personally apologize to the men who were arrested. He said the chain will "train our partners to better know when police assistance is warranted."
Ross said he doesnt patronize Starbucks but recalled an incident a couple years ago when a uniformed sergeant walked into a Starbucks, asked to use the bathroom and was denied.
"So they are at least consistent in their policy," he said. If a business calls and they say Someone is here that I no longer wish to be in my business,' they (officers) now have a legal obligation to carry out their duties, he said.
