T.I. Calls for Starbucks Boycott After Controversial Arrests of Two Black Men Take Place at Philadelphia Location
T.I. always uses his platform to speak on important topics and bring awareness to issues affecting the Black community, and his new target appears to be Starbucks. After a controversial arrest of two Black men occurred at the brand's Philadelphia location, Tip is calling for a Starbucks boycott.
While speaking with TMZ at LAX yesterday (April 15), the "Do My Thing" rapper was asked by the cameraman if people should boycott Starbucks based on the recent treatment of the men who were arrested. While Tip agrees with the boycott, he further explains that the best way to prove a point to the company about equality is to hurt them financially.
"Well, I mean I think that we should just...we should reserve our right to stop spending our money in places that don't respect us equally." he states. "I think until they have made some progressive steps to let us know how they plan on rectifying the situation, I don't see no other answer. I think that if there's one thing America is showing us, there's only two ways that you can get their attention. The loss of life and the loss of finances. It's just too much being left undone when it comes to us being treated equally and fairly in this country."
If you recall, the two men at the Philadelphia location were arrested for trespassing, but they simply explained that they were waiting for a friend to come so that they could place their orders. In the footage of their arrests, other customers can be heard explaining that they did nothing wrong.
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson recently went on Good Morning America to address the controversy, calling the arrest reprehensible. He also said that managers will have training on how to spot "unconscious bias."
Check out the video of T.I. calling for a boycott of Starbucks below.
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