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Charlotte attorney: Men have to prove they were discriminated by Starbucks

By DaShawn Brown, wsoctv.com and Tina Terry, wsoctv.com
By DaShawn Brown, wsoctv.com and Tina Terry, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Last weekend, two black men were handcuffed inside a Starbucks in Philadelphia after they were asked to leave while they were waiting for a friend.

LaMarkus Cook said he was asked to leave an uptown Charlotte Starbucks in 2016.

Cook, who has hired an attorney, told Channel 9 that Starbucks needs to change its policy.

“I feel insulted, offended, disrespected,” Cook said.

Charlotte attorney James Ferguson said the incidents are very revealing.

"We’re just not where we need to be in terms of race relations, particularly with public accommodations,” he said.

Ferguson said the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits businesses from discriminating based on race, but in both of these cases the customers will have to prove they were discriminated against because of their race.

"It depends on facts, the people, who have to decide this,” Ferguson said. “Juries and judges have to decide on these cases.”

Cook streamed most of the encounter on Facebook Live, and told Channel 9 that the incident that happened in Philadelphia was similar to what happened to him in Charlotte.

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“What conflict is it?  Why are you asking me to leave Starbucks?,” Cook said on Facebook.

Cook said he recorded the video at Starbucks on North Tryon Street on Nov. 13, 2016.

He said a security officer approached him and told him to leave.

In the video, someone who identified himself as a shift manager said, “There wasn't any sort of conflict. I just didn’t see that you had made a purchase.”

A few days ago, Starbucks said it’s closing all of its stores for part of the day on May 29 to host training sessions for its staff on racial bias and to prevent discrimination.

Employees have to know the law and employees have to be trained in what the law means.

He said businesses could also benefit from writing out their rules about trespassing and loitering, and posting them so that there is no confusion.

Jennifer Davis, who hosts a similar training called Cultural Proficiency Education, said one of her clients was the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

“I'm not there to tell people how to think and feel. I'm there to help people think, feel and share,” Davis said.

Davis said Starbucks’ training should start with staff members, but it can't end there.

“But also engaging employees with community members. I'd like to see Starbucks sponsor community conversations and bridging gaps between different cultures,” Davis said.

Cook said he complained to Starbucks when his incident happened, but he didn't press the issue and follow up repeatedly.

Channel 9 is still waiting to hear back from Starbucks officials about their customer policy.

On Thursday, Philadelphia's police commissioner apologized for last weekend's incident.

The two black men who wound up being arrested said they had arrived early for a business meeting at the location and decided to wait.

An employee dialed 911 nearly two minutes later after they didn’t order anything.

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