In Tempe, Arizona, a group of police officers were reportedly asked to leave a Starbucks on July 4th after a customer complained about their presence, stating they “did not feel safe.” The incident has sparked outrage and a debate about the treatment of law enforcement in public spaces.
According to the Tempe Officers Association, five officers were at the Starbucks location, getting coffee before their shift, when a barista approached them. The barista allegedly requested that the officers either move out of the complaining customer’s line of sight or leave the premises altogether. The association shared details of the incident in a series of Twitter messages.
Rob Ferraro, president of the police union, expressed his concern to FOX 10, stating that this type of treatment towards police officers seems to be increasingly common. He highlighted the dedication of officers to providing excellent customer service to citizens and voiced his perplexity at the notion that their presence would make someone feel unsafe. “It’s become accepted to not trust or to see police and think that we’re not here to serve you…we take great pride of the level of customer service we provide to citizens, and to be looked at as feeling unsafe when you have law enforcement around you is somewhat perplexing to me,” Ferraro said.
The Tempe Officers Association conveyed their disappointment via Twitter, stating, “This treatment of public safety workers could not be more disheartening. While the barista was polite, making such a request at all was offensive. Unfortunately, such treatment has become all too common in 2019.” The union clarified that they did not fault the Starbucks corporate office and expressed a desire to collaborate with the company to address the issue.
Prior to the main statement, the union also tweeted a parody of the Starbucks logo, replacing the words with “Dump Starbucks” and depicting a hand dumping coffee. The tweet included the message: “Don’t appreciate @Starbucks asking our #Tempe cops to leave your establishment on the #4thofjuly2019. Several of those cops are #veterans who fought for this country! #ZeroRespect”
https://twitter.com/ToaAz/status/1147222815844950016
In response to the incident, a Starbucks spokesman told the Arizona Central that the company was actively gathering information to understand what transpired. “We have a deep respect for the Tempe Police and their service to the community,” said spokesman Reggie Borges. “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.”
Neither the customer who voiced the complaint nor the barista involved have been publicly identified. Starbucks has not commented on whether the employee will face any disciplinary action as a result of the incident.
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The situation raises questions about public perception of law enforcement and the responsibilities of businesses to create welcoming environments for all customers. The Tempe Officers Association hopes to engage in constructive dialogue with Starbucks to prevent similar incidents in the future. This event highlights the ongoing tensions and challenges faced by law enforcement officers in their daily interactions with the public. The incident also underscores the importance of community relations and fostering mutual respect between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The need for police leaders to address these issues proactively is also apparent.