It was a surprising position for such a liberal company to take.
Previously, this is the company that promoted bringing refugees in the country, enacting gun control, and who’s founder openly endorsed Hillary Clinton.
We’re talking about Starbucks of course.
This month, however, the company explicitly stated that employees would not be allowed to don Black Lives Matter apparel because of its “political” nature.
Here’s the details from Buzzfeed on Starbuck’s ban:
As protesters took to the streets in hundreds of cities across the United States and the globe to support Black Lives Matter and decry police brutality, Starbucks, like many major American companies, rushed to publicly proclaim its support for the movement and pledged to do more to combat racial injustice.
On June 1, the coffee retailer vowed on Twitter to “stand in solidarity with our Black partners, customers and communities.” A few days later, it tweeted, and then pinned, a more in-depth commitment to supporting Black Lives Matter and confronting bias and racism and to “being a part of change.”
Being part of that change does not extend, however, to allowing the company’s baristas and other employees to wear T-shirts, pins, or any other accessory that mentions Black Lives Matter.
In fact, the company explicitly stated that Black Lives Matter attire was prohibited from the lists of things employees can wear due to its dress code policy, which also includes any type of political, religious, or personal accessories or clothing. However, as many employees noted to BuzzFeed News, Starbucks not only exempts buttons and attire celebrating LGBTQ rights and marriage equality, but hands them out.
According to an internal bulletin obtained by BuzzFeed News, store managers had been contacting senior leadership on behalf of employees who wanted to wear BLM-related attire as protests continued to sweep major cities and small towns across the country.
In response, management, according to the memo from last week, argued that wearing clothing and accessories highlighting Black Lives Matter could be misunderstood and potentially incite violence. The bulletin pointed employees to a video, which has now been removed, in which its VP of inclusion and diversity explained that “agitators who misconstrue the fundamental principles” of the movement and could use them to “amplify divisiveness.”
Don’t hold your breath though.
After the left through a tamper-tantrum over Starbucks policy, the company did a complete 180.
Now, they’ll actually be producing Black Lives Matter T-shirts!
Check it out:
It’s sad to see that such a radical movement has a stranglehold on America’s businesses.
If they don’t tow the line, they’ll feel the wrath.
In fact, Fox News reports a sandwich shop in California was forced to close after the owner refused to support Black Lives Matter:
A sandwich shop in Davis, Calif., has closed after the franchise owner made a statement likening the Black Lives Matter organization — an anti-racism advocacy group — to the Ku Klux Klan.
Mickey Mann, the franchise owner of a Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop, had his store shut down by corporate after an email he sent to his staff was re-shared to social media.
As seen on Twitter, Mann's aggressive email begins by warning his staff that the turmoil in the store “will not be resolved to your liking.” Wendy Weitzel of the Davis Enterprise reported that Mann wrote the email after an employee wore a Black Lives Matter pin to work, bringing politics into the store.
The letter then goes on to emphasize that the owner does not support Black Lives Matter — which he both underlines and highlights in red.
“I never have and I never will. You do not have arguments that can change my mind,” the man writes.
Later in the letter, he claims his staff is trying to “force and are continuing to try to force your beliefs on me” before stating “the BLM is the flip side of the KKK.”
“Their tactics are out of the Mafia play book. They are no better that [sic] some of the worst oppressive regimes in the world,” the man continued without explanation.
The lengthy letter went on to accuse more of his staff of bullying him and “attempted oppression” with support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The owner accused his employees of “libel, slander and threats” and said the Police Department had been alerted of the events. According to Weitzel, Mann called police, claiming he was concerned his business would be vandalized by protestors.
To close out the email, Mann stated he had “no fear of fake Yelp reviews designed to bend me to your will. I have no fear of any or all of your quitting. We started the store with zero employees, so if necessary, we will rebuild from zero again.” He did not state whether he was concerned about his store being closed.
To end the email, Mann put it to his employees that there will be “no pins, no [tip] jars, no discussion of BLM in my store,” and those who “stay on you will need to show appreciation and gratitude for my capitulation that you achieved.”
Meanwhile, watch Tucker Carlson’s segment explaining how Black Lives Matter has now basically become a political party:
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!