1 of 1 Image from 2018 shows protesters protesting at Starbucks where two black men were arrested in Philadelphia Photo: Portal/Mark Makela Image from 2018 shows protesters protesting at Starbucks where two black men were arrested in Philadelphia were arrested Photo: Portal/Mark Makela
The Starbucks chain was ordered Monday (12) to pay $25.6 million (R$123 million) to Shannon Phillips, a former store manager, for being fired for her whiteness, according to the US Department of Justice .
The story begins in April 2018 in a Starbucks store in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Two black men were waiting for a third person in a chain of stores. One of the two asked to go to the bathroom even though he hadn’t eaten. The employees did not allow this and after some time asked the two men to leave the cafeteria. The two refused to leave, after which an employee called the police.
Watch video of the 2018 incident below.
Starbucks has been accused of racism after black people were arrested at a Philadelphia store
Officers handcuffed the two black men and led them out of the cafeteria. This was videotaped and the footage was widely shared. After protests, Starbucks conducted training for its employees.
Shannon Phillips was a regional manager at Starbucks and was fired. The black head of the unit where the incident occurred kept his job.
The manager edits the network
In 2019, Phillips sued Starbucks, alleging that her race was a reason for her firing.
In court, their representatives said the Starbucks board sought a “scapegoat” to fire and show the company was taking action following the case of the two men arrested in Philadelphia.
On Monday, a US federal court jury agreed with the arguments of their attorneys. According to the ruling, Starbucks violated civil liberties and a state law prohibiting racial discrimination (a law that generally protects people from minority groups) in the sued state of New Jersey.
Starbucks has not yet commented on the case.