Black Men Arrested Inside Philadelphia Starbucks Reach Settlement
Philadelphia (CBSNewYork/AP) – Two black men arrested for sitting inside a Philadelphia Starbucks without ordering anything have settled with the city for a symbolic $1 each, along with a promise from officials to set up a $200,000 program for young entrepreneurs.
"We thought long and hard about it and we feel like this is the best way to see that change that we want to see," said Donte Robinson, one of those arrested. "It's not a right-now thing that's good for right now, but I feel like we will see the true change over time."
Later in the day, Starbucks announced it reached a financial settlement with the men. The amount was not disclosed, but the chain said Robinson and Nelson will be given the opportunity to complete their undergraduate degrees through a Starbucks partnership with Arizona State University.
They will be able to earn their bachelor's degrees with their tuition fully covered, Starbucks said.
Also, the two men will be given the opportunity to discuss their experience with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder as part of the company's diversity efforts.
@Starbucks The police were called because these men hadn't ordered anything. They were waiting for a friend to show up, who did as they were taken out in handcuffs for doing nothing. All the other white ppl are wondering why it's never happened to us when we do the same thing. pic.twitter.com/0U4Pzs55Ci
— Melissa DePino (@missydepino) April 12, 2018
Their arrests last month sparked outrage across the country over racial profiling.
Rashon Nelson and Robinson were led away in handcuffs and accused of trespassing after the manager called police, saying the men refused to buy anything or leave. After spending hours in jail, they were released and no charges were filed.
The men said they had been waiting for a business meeting with a third man about a potential real estate opportunity.
"I am pleased to have resolved the potential claims against the city in this productive manner," Mayor Jim Kenney said. "This was an incident that evoked a lot of pain in our city and put us under a national spotlight for unwanted reasons."
The entrepreneur program will be for Philadelphia public high school students.
More: Black Men Arrested Inside Philadelphia Starbucks Break Their Silence
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, who is black, first defended his officers' conduct, but days later issued a televised apology for the way the call was handled.
During the uproar, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson came to Philadelphia to apologize to the men. He also announced that more than 8,000 Starbucks stores in the U.S. would close on the afternoon of May 29 so nearly 175,000 employees can undergo bias training.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)