The two black men who were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia were just waiting for a business meeting, and now, a week after their arrests, the men are still wondering how that escalated into a police encounter that had them “fearing for their lives,” reports The Guardian. Donte Robinson told the Associated Press that he thought about his loved ones while being led out of the store by police, while Rashon Nelson said he wondered if he would make it home alive.
“Anytime I’m encountered by cops, I can honestly say it’s a thought that runs through my mind,” Nelson said, according to The Guardian. “You never know what’s going to happen.”
A white customer filmed the arrests, and the video went viral, sparking outrage and cries of racism around the country. Before the incident, the two were approached at their table and were asked if they needed help. The 23-year-olds declined, saying they were waiting for a business meeting. A few minutes later, the police walked into the shop. In the video, you can see that the men do not resist arrest.
Since their arrests, the men have met with the CEO of Starbucks and are pushing for meaningful change in order to make sure something like this doesn’t happen to anyone else. Police this week released a recording of the call the Starbucks employee made that led to the arrest. You can hear a woman saying the men refused to “make a purchase or leave,” The Guardian reports. In response to the arrests, Starbucks has promised to shut all 8,000 stores across the U.S. on May 29 to train employees about unconscious bias.
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