. . . so the store was not out of line in asking the men to leave if they weren't ordering anything (they said they were waiting for a friend). Starbucks has said they never intended for the men to be arrested. One of the men asked to use the restroom, but Starbucks (like many establishments) has a policy of only allowing paying customers to use their restrooms. Starbucks then asked the men to leave, and they refused.

Look, this may or may not have been racially motivated, and I certainly agree these men should not have been arrested. But I would expect, at any eating establishment and especially one with limited seating, to be asked to move along if I were sitting at a table and not ordering anything. It isn't the store's job to provide a comfortable place for these guys to wait on their friend.

This Washington Post article provides some of the details: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/04/14/starbucks-apologizes-after-employee-calls-police-on-black-men-waiting-at-a-table/?utm_term=.09d60cbabc77

make certain points about the incident that acknowledges Starbucks' right to do what they did that the story is deeper and some choose not to see it. There is no question the incident is racist. I am not a race baiter. I am a 7day a week Starbuck users who spend thousands of dollars there a year. I have never been treated but friendly and kindly. Personnel decides if they will treat all their patrons or visitors equally. It is clear this store had several standards based on hue. That was verifiable at the time of the arrests.

People, if we are to change America and extricate the evil of which this nation was founded, we must first start by not attempting to find justification for prejudice and selective racism.