#DumpStarbucks Gains Steam After AZ Store Kicks Out Police Officers

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 29: A sign hangs in the window of a Starbucks store on May 29, 2018 in C
Scott Olson/Getty
Warner Todd Huston

The hashtag #DumpStarbucks has gained steam on social media after a Tempe, Arizona, location kicked a group of police officers out of the store last week.

As Breitbart News reported, the Tempe Officers Association tweeted out its dismay on July 5 after the coffee house told the officers to leave because another customer said they “didn’t feel safe” with the officers in the store.

“Don’t appreciate @Starbucks asking our #Tempe cops to leave your establishment on the #4thofjuly2019. Several of those cops are #veterans who fought for this country! #ZeroRespect,” the organization tweeted

After many national news outlets picked up the story, the #DumpStarbucks hashtag began trending as thousands of people began expressing their support of the folks in the Thin Blue Line.

“Many agreed, with Grammy-winning vocalist Kaya Jones tweeting under the hashtag: ‘If you feel unsafe around cops you’re a criminal,'” the Daily Mail wrote.

Another Twitter user wrote, “Thank You, Police Officers, For Keeping America Safe.”

Others agreed that Starbucks has a problem:

However, some alleged there have been two recent, high profile cases of questionable actions by Tempe police officers.

In one case from January, a Tempe officer shot and killed 14-year-old Antonio Arce who was running away from officers when shot. The boy was later found to have a BB gun on his body. And in another case, an officer held an entire family at gunpoint when their little daughter walked out of a store with a doll that was not paid for.

That in mind, some sided with the unnamed customer who felt “unsafe” around police officers:

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.

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