[user104658]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Bloody hell

Yeah... The kids that hang around the town center are totally fearless, it's crazy. I once saw a group of them being threatened / attacked by a member of the local "well known rough family" (the sort with a reputation)... And pretty much instantly, 4 of them who couldn't have been more than 14/15 years old were off their bikes and had him pinned to a wall by his neck .

What really worries me is that these generally seem like totally normal / polite / middle class kids, not "rough" ones, they more or less mind their own business and don't cause trouble. But when things kick off in town they don't look concerned or back off... If anything they seem to love it / thrive on it. Which I guess is a worrying indication of how used to it they are.

[Nicky91]

sip sip go

[Alf]

Do you suffer from White guilt?

Youtube video

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Alf

Do you have White guilt?

Youtube video

To be fair it does highlight an issue. I don't think it's "guilt", though, more that Starbucks handled this abysmally by firing the staff member involved so now, if you work in Starbucks, you know fine well that if you're accused of anything they're happy to throw you under the bus to protect the company's image, no matter what actually happened.

Though you also have to throw in the fact that staff in places like this really aren't given any incentive to protect the company's profit line and so giving away a coffee for an easy life rather than bothering to argue about it is pretty standard. I mean, just last week I gave some poor old fella a £5 free bet on the grand national for his "coupon from the paper"... Which I'm pretty sure was for B&Q or Homebase or something. Because I just don't care enough to spend 15 minutes trying to argue about it.

[Brillopad]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

To be fair it does highlight an issue. I don't think it's "guilt", though, more that Starbucks handled this abysmally by firing the staff member involved so now, if you work in Starbucks, you know fine well that if you're accused of anything they're happy to throw you under the bus to protect the company's image, no matter what actually happened.

Though you also have to throw in the fact that staff in places like this really aren't given any incentive to protect the company's profit line and so giving away a coffee for an easy life rather than bothering to argue about it is pretty standard. I mean, just last week I gave some poor old fella a £5 free bet on the grand national for his "coupon from the paper"... Which I'm pretty sure was for B&Q or Homebase or something. Because I just don't care enough to spend 15 minutes trying to argue about it.

Watch this space for liberties being taken - every saddo looking for a freebie will be taking advantage ! Ridiculous.

[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

To be fair it does highlight an issue. I don't think it's "guilt", though, more that Starbucks handled this abysmally by firing the staff member involved so now, if you work in Starbucks, you know fine well that if you're accused of anything they're happy to throw you under the bus to protect the company's image, no matter what actually happened.

Though you also have to throw in the fact that staff in places like this really aren't given any incentive to protect the company's profit line and so giving away a coffee for an easy life rather than bothering to argue about it is pretty standard. I mean, just last week I gave some poor old fella a £5 free bet on the grand national for his "coupon from the paper"... Which I'm pretty sure was for B&Q or Homebase or something. Because I just don't care enough to spend 15 minutes trying to argue about it.

WHAT address is your shop T.S. - I fancy a huge stake Canadian and have got quite a few old B & Q 'Promo' vouchers.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by kirklancaster

WHAT address is your shop T.S. - I fancy a huge stake Canadian and have got quite a few old B & Q 'Promo' vouchers.

It was Grand National, anything goes on Grand National... it's a circus

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

It was Grand National, anything goes on Grand National... it's a circus

well it was appreciated, these free promotions are very confusing and my eyes are not what they were

That said when I went to get my winnings the lady at B&Q was very unhelpful so I wont be going there anytime soon

[Maru]

Starbucks' 'unconscious bias training' isn’t enough, protesters say
https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/gma/pr...opstories.html

Members of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity rallied at a Starbucks in Philadelphia on Sunday after their fraternity brother, Rashon Nelson, was arrested there earlier this month in an incident the city’s mayor called an example of racial profiling.

More than 100 fraternity members and supporters attended the “Rally Against Racial Injustice” on Sunday afternoon, held near the downtown Philadelphia Starbucks where Nelson and his friend, Donte Robinson, were arrested on April 12 after the store’s manager asked them to leave because they hadn’t purchased anything.

Starbucks apologized to the men in a statement last week, saying it was learning more about what it “did wrong” and was willing to take the necessary steps “to fix it,” according to a statement.

The company said it would close all of its U.S. stores and corporate offices on May 29 to train employees against racial bias in the wake of the incident, but city officials at Sunday’s rally said that’s not enough.



“The actions of the Starbucks corporation are totally unacceptable,” Philadelphia Councilman Kenyatta Johnson told protesters Sunday. “We know they said they’re going to move forward and specifically focus on a training that deals with unconscious bias, but that’s a one-day training.

“We want to see how they’re going to change their culture as it relates to racial insensitivity and also diversity and inclusion as it relates to making sure that everyone who comes to a Starbucks store that lives in the city of Philadelphia should feel welcome,” he added.

He said the the men, who were waiting for a third person to arrive for a business meeting, were “in the right place focusing on doing the right things with their lives,” but they were still seen as a threat.

They should not have been subjected to "racial profiling," Johnson said. He thanked the Omega Psi Phi fraternity “for stepping up to the plate and making sure the world sees that African-American men are not are not a threat to society.”

Grand Basileus Antonio Knox, Omega Psi Phi’s national leader, applauded the company for its apology, but he said it's time for Starbucks, and other major companies, to realize discrimination is wrong.

“Now is the time. It’s no longer acceptable to allow and to be comfortable to discriminate against our young men and women,” Knox said. “The strength of this country depends on us being able to work together as one.”

Knox, who said the goal of the event was to mobilize supporters, urged minorities and disadvantaged people to use their voting and economic power to affect change.

“It must be known that we will not invest in companies that will not treat us as they treat everybody else,” Knox said. “Starbucks has an opportunity, and so far it appears that they are going to do the right thing, but it won’t stop with one-day training. They know that.

“But what we’re asking is that Starbucks joins us and allow us to work together to create this change all over because it’s not just that one corporation.”

Nelson and Robinson, both 23, told ABC News' "Good Morning America" last week that the white manager of the Starbucks called the police on them two minutes after they arrived at the store and Nelson was denied the access code for the restroom because he hadn't made a purchase. The men said that when police arrived they were told they had to leave the store. When they refused to leave, they were arrested.

Starbucks apologized for the ordeal and agreed to engage in mediation with Nelson and Robinson, according to their lawyer, Stewart Cohen.

"Starbucks holds itself open as a place for people to meet and to have public conversations; those are words from their website," Cohen told ABC News. "The apologies are fine, but what we need to do is have some action by Starbucks with respect to this situation. There has to be real and meaningful discussions."

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

[Maru]

Kind of ironic, the $1 settlement... can't even afford you—well anything—at Starbucks probably... maybe a cup of water?...

The free tuition is nice... and the entrepreneurial program, actually something I think is key path for young Americans to consider to transform their lives.... so I think that is a positive step for others coming from struggling communities. They don't really teach how to manage money in schools anymore, much less, how to manage other people's money and run a business on your own..

Black men arrested at Philadelphia Starbucks reach agreements

(CNN)Two African-American men whose arrest at a Philadelphia Starbucks sparked protests over racial bias have reached agreements with the coffee store chain and the city, and have pledged to support a $200,000 effort to encourage young entrepreneurs.

The details of the financial agreement that Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson reached this week with Starbucks are confidential, the company said. The parties agreed to work to "develop specific actions and opportunities."

The two men will give input to former US Attorney Eric Holder, who is working with Starbucks on its diversity efforts.

Robinson and Nelson also reached an agreement with the city for $1 each, said city spokesman Mike Dunn.

The men will work with the city and a nonprofit organization to develop criteria, review applications and award the $200,000 grant, Dunn said. The grant will establish "a pilot curriculum for public high school students to develop the skills necessary to pursue their dream of being entrepreneurs," according to Dunn.

The men had initially asked to use the bathroom at the Starbucks on April 12 as they waited for a business meeting, but were told it was for paying customers only. They then occupied a table without making a purchase, which many observers have noted is a common occurrence at the franchise's locations.

Within minutes of them arriving, a manager called police after the men declined to leave the premises because, they said, they were waiting for their acquaintance.

An attorney representing the men at the time said the person they were scheduled to meet with to discuss a real estate project arrived about the time the police did, CNN affiliate KYW reported.

The video of the arrests went viral.

The men were not charged with a crime.

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson apologized for the arrests, calling them "reprehensible."

Starbucks, as part of the agreement, is also giving the men the opportunity to complete their undergraduate degrees for free through a partnership with Arizona State University.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, who is black, apologized to the men, saying he made the decision worse by initially defending his officers' actions.

In a statement Wednesday, Johnson thanked the men for "their willingness to reconcile."

The protests reignited a national conversation over racial profiling. The mammoth coffee chain agreed to close its 8,000 company-owned stores in the United States to educate employees about racial bias on May 29.

"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," Johnson said.

Mayor Jim Kenney said he was pleased to resolve the potential claims against the city.

"This was an incident that evoked a lot of pain in our City, pain that would've resurfaced over and over again in protracted litigation, which presents significant legal risks and high financial and emotional costs for everyone involved," Kenney said in a statement.