Lawyer For Black Businessmen Arrested At Starbucks Says This Would Never Happen To White Women
The attorney for the two Black men who were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks for sitting and waiting for a friend says the coffee company (and all companies) needs to be held accountable for discriminatory practices.
"Two young black men, who were simply waiting to be joined by a friend, were blatantly discriminated against based on their race. Not only is this inexcusable, it's illegal," attorney Lauren Wimmer said in a statement.
Wimmer is representing the two unidentified Black men who were seen in a viral video being taken away in handcuffs by at least six Philadelphia Police Department officers. In the clip, Andrew Yaffe, a real estate developer who was meeting the men, questioned the police.
“Why would they be asked to leave?” Yaffe asked on a video. “Does anybody else think this is ridiculous?”
The two unidentified men were held for nearly nine hours before being released, Wimmer told the Washington Post. No charges were filed, authorities said.
After the arrest made headlines, Wimmer spoke with NBC Nightly News about the double standard her clients faced.
"I would love to hear the 911 call on this case," Wimmer told NBC Nightly News on Sunday.
"You know the 911 call you're never going to hear, 'There's two white women sitting here. One of them asked to used the bathroom and she didn't order anything, come quick!'" she told NBC.
As a result of the arrests, protests erupted outside of the Philadelphia Starbucks on Monday. Eventually the rain drew the demonstrators inside, where they participated in a stand-in.