The union for Tempe police said six officers were asked to leave a Starbucks near McKellips and Scottsdale roads on the Fourth of July.
The claims were initially made on Twitter and a back and forth between the Tempe Officers Association and Starbucks has ensued.
The Tempe Officers Association said six members of the police force bought coffee at the Starbucks on the Fourth of July prior to a long shift. Then, a barista who knew one of the officers said a customer felt unsafe because of their presence and asked them to either step out of the customer’s line of sight or leave.
As of Saturday, the initial tweet has more than 21,000 likes, 11,000 retweets and caused the #DumpStarbucks to trend.
A Starbucks spokesman told the Arizona Republic the coffee giant had reached out to the Tempe Police Department to better understand what happened and to apologize.
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 pic.twitter.com/oGaDKhlYX3
— Tempe Officers Association (@ToaAz) July 5, 2019
