Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson is hoping to meet with the two Black men whose wrongful arrests at a Philadelphia location over the weekend has sparked outrage across the country, and it looks like the meeting is going to happen.
As news of the disgraceful incident continued to spread, Johnson appeared on Good Morning America on Monday morning to reiterate the sentiments expressed in his official statement on the situation, in which he offered his “deepest apologies” to the two men on behalf of the company.
In addition to promising to take action in an effort to prevent any similar occurrences in the future, Johnson expressed that he’d like to meet with the two men to apologize face to face. According to CNN, a Starbucks representative has since confirmed that the men have agreed to meet with Johnson, although the timing for when the discussion will happen has yet to be revealed.
“My responsibility is to look not only at that individual but to look more broadly at the circumstances that set that up, to ensure that this never happens again,” Johnson said during the GMA appearance.
The racially-motivated incident drew national attention over the weekend, after a video clip surfaced that showed the two Black men being arrested by police and escorted out of the Starbucks went viral. The woman who provided the footage said the men were “not doing anything,” other than waiting to meet a friend inside the store when a manager called the police to have them removed for “trespassing.”
Starbucks spokesperson, Jamie Riley, confirmed to that the manager who made the call to police no longer works at the location where the incident occurred, although she would not comment on whether or not the manager is employed at another location. No charges were filed against the two men.