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.