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How To Strike Up A Starbucks Conversation: Have Coffee With A Cop
By Ronald Holden, Forbes
Original article HERE
Howard Schultz may be on his way out as CEO of Starbucks (he relinquishes his title in April), but he’s clearly in complete charge of the company’s image. Remember the short-lived “Race Together” initiative two years ago to get Starbucks customers talking about, ahem, race? A dumb idea, and quickly dropped, but now Schultz is back with another notion: coffee with a cop.
He told a conference of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives in Seattle today that Starbucks would commit to holding 100 meetings around the country with police officers. The first locations will be Dallas, Indianapolis, New York, Norfolk and Seattle. Also partnering are the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
The high-minded kaffeeklatsch events are designed to “break down barriers between police officers and the communities they serve,” according to a Starbucks news release.
Today’s announcement expands a program that Starbucks actually launched some two years ago, and which has been supported from the start by Seattle’s police chief Kathleen O’Toole.
“Community trust is critical to effective policing,” she said in a news release. “Trust can only be achieved through ongoing engagement and dialogue. We are grateful to Starbucks for this opportunity to build greater trust and understanding between our officers and those we serve.”
For its part, the company replied, “We are pleased to host meetings in our stores across the country where police and the community can meet and share experiences to foster greater understanding and empathy,” said the Starbucks news release.
The final schedule has yet to be announced.
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