Last Thursday (April 12), Starbucks came under fire after video surfaced of two black men being handcuffed and walked out of a Philadelphia location of the coffee chain. The two men were arrested after an employee called the police to report them for trespassing, though other customers in the shop told police they had been waiting inside the location to meet with a friend.
Starbucks has since apologized for the arrests, and the two men have been released. However, that hasn't slowed further protests at the location and an online #BoycottStarbucks movement that T.I. has now counted himself a part of.
Yesterday (April 15), the rapper shared the message on Instagram, writing, "I ain't spending no more of my bread wit em... urge y'all not to either." He also spoke with a TMZ cameraman about the incident, saying "we should reserve our right to stop spending our money in places that don't respect us equally."
"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," he continued. "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."
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson has called the arrests "reprehensible." Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney has also ordered a city commission to review Starbucks' policies "including the extent of, or need for, implicit bias training for its employees."
Starbucks has since apologized for the arrests, and the two men have been released. However, that hasn't slowed further protests at the location and an online #BoycottStarbucks movement that T.I. has now counted himself a part of.
Yesterday (April 15), the rapper shared the message on Instagram, writing, "I ain't spending no more of my bread wit em... urge y'all not to either." He also spoke with a TMZ cameraman about the incident, saying "we should reserve our right to stop spending our money in places that don't respect us equally."
"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," he continued. "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."
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson has called the arrests "reprehensible." Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney has also ordered a city commission to review Starbucks' policies "including the extent of, or need for, implicit bias training for its employees."
