Human Rights

Black Men Arrested At Starbucks Agree To Meet With CEO

The news came after CEO Kevin Johnson appeared on "Good Morning America" to talk about the controversial arrests.

Black Men Arrested At Starbucks Agree To Meet With CEO
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Starbucks says the two men who were arrested at one of its Philadelphia locations earlier this month have agreed to meet with its CEO. 

This news came after the CEO himself, Kevin Johnson, appeared on "Good Morning America" Monday to talk about the controversial arrests. 

"I personally apologize to the two gentlemen that visited our store. ... There are some scenarios where the police should be called — if there's threats or a disturbance, those might be appropriate times. In this case, none of that occurred. It was completely inappropriate to engage the police," Johnson said.

Let's back up a bit. The manager of the Philadelphia Starbucks reportedly called 911 on April 12 because two black men were sitting inside the store and not ordering anything. Police officers arrested the two men for trespassing. The men say they'd been waiting for someone.

The arrests sparked protests, with some accusing both the police and the coffee chain of racism. 

Philadelphia prosecutors are not pressing charges against the two men. It's unclear exactly when they'll meet with Johnson for that "face-to-face" apology.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN