The two black men whose arrest at a Philadelphia Starbucks last month set off a wave of protests against the coffee giant for discrimination have reached a settlement with the city, the mayor’s office said Wednesday.
They will each be paid $1. In addition, Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson, both 23, will release the city and employees of all claims in exchange for the creation of a $200,000 fund that, through the help of a nonprofit organization, will assist young entrepreneurs in Philadelphia.
Robinson and Nelson will also serve on a committee to establish and award the grants, which will focus on starting a pilot curriculum for public high school students to attain the skills to become business owners.
The mayor’s office said Nelson, Robinson and their attorneys will not receive any payment from the grant funds. The money will come from the budget of the city’s Finance Department.
The settlement was reportedly rooted in a mutual desire to create something positive out of the April 12 event, which set off national outrage and anti-racism protests across Philadelphia.
Officers handcuffed and detained Nelson and Robinson, both 23, after a Starbucks manager in the city’s upscale Rittenhouse Square neighborhood complained to police that they had refused to make a purchase or leave.
The men’s arrests were shared widely on social media, and they said they had been waiting for another man at the coffee shop for a business meeting about a real estate opportunity. Nelson and Robinson said they had only been in the Starbucks for two minutes when the manager called 911.Officers handcuffed and detained Nelson and Robinson, both 23, after a Starbucks manager in the city’s upscale Rittenhouse Square neighborhood complained to police that they had refused to make a purchase or leave.
Starbucks is still planning to close more than 8,000 of its store locations on May 29 so employees can receive racial bias education.
The following is a Press Release by the Starbucks Coffee Company May 2, 2018
PHILADELPHIA; (MAY 2, 2018) — After constructive conversations, Donte Robinson, Rashon Nelson and Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ:SBUX) reached an agreement earlier this week.
The agreement between the parties stemming from the events in Philadelphia on April 12 will include a financial settlement as well as continued listening and dialogue between the parties and specific action and opportunity.
“I want to thank Donte and Rashon for their willingness to reconcile,” said Kevin Johnson, ceo Starbucks. “I welcome the opportunity to begin a relationship with them to share learnings and experiences. And Starbucks will continue to take actions that stem from this incident to repair and reaffirm our values and vision for the kind of company we want to be.”
Further details will be provided in a mutually agreed public statement.
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