The American media wrote that the woman, who was a regional manager, was fired after an incident in 2018. In one of the coffee shops that she was in charge of, two black men in their 20s were discriminated against. The men had a business appointment at a Starbucks location in Philadelphia and were waiting for the third man to call. He writes for CBS News.
handcuffs
One of them wanted to go to the toilet, but couldn’t because he hadn’t asked for anything yet. Then a Starbucks employee asked both men if they could help them with anything. The men explained that they were waiting for a third person, after which the police were called. They were taken away in handcuffs.
The incident, which was filmed and quickly circulated, sparked a lot of anger. Protests ensued and Starbucks closed all stores for a day to allow employees to undergo anti-discrimination training.
Shannon Phillips, who was a regional manager and had several issues under his belt, was fired. But the manager of the branch where the accident occurred, a black man, was allowed to stay. The woman filed a lawsuit in which her attorney argued that the company sought a “scapegoat” to show it was serious about the matter.
Not a strong leader
Starbucks responded by saying that the company needed a strong leader at the time, and that Phillips was “confused and not sufficiently aware of the situation.”
The jury concluded that the woman was right. She will receive $600,000 in compensation for lost profits, and $25 million in compensation because Starbucks violated her human rights due to racial discrimination.
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