A Muslim man visited a Starbucks in Philadelphia where a barista wrote “ISIS” on his cup.
What We Know:
- 40-year-old Niquel Johnson ordered three drinks at the Germantown Avenue Starbucks establishment. According to APP, Johnson was wearing traditional Middle Eastern attire at the time. Johnson gave the barista the name “Aziz” which is his Muslim name.
- He told NBC News that he felt “as if I was discriminated against and it’s hurtful” when he saw the writing on his cup.
- Johnson believes the barista was referencing the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a vile terrorist organization.
- Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges told the Washington Post, “After investigating, we don’t believe this was a case of discrimination or profiling. The customer approached and provided the name, Aziz. The barista mistakenly spelled it incorrectly. We have connected with Mr. Johnson and apologized for this regrettable mistake.”
- This isn’t the first time a Starbucks employee has discriminated against a customer. Just last year, two black men were arrested at another Philadelphia location for sitting in the store without ordering anything.
- The company also shut down thousands of stores across the country last May to conduct racial-bias training.
Let’s hope this really was a mistake.
