One story has been causing quite a stir across social media, as reports were released that a police officer was served a Starbucks drink with the word “Pig” written on it instead of his name.
The incident occurred in Oklahoma.
The police officer was patrolling his home town of Kiefer, Oklahoma when he went into their local Starbucks on Thanksgiving morning.
The officer was picking up beverages for himself and fellow officers who were working during the holiday season.
The officer was shocked when he read the names that had been printed on the cups.
Kiefer Police Department Chief Johnny O’Mara posted the image on Facebook along with a statement which read, “What irks me is the absolute and total disrespect for a police officer who, instead of being home with family and enjoying a meal and a football game, is patrolling his little town”.
“It’s another tiny symptom and a nearly indiscernible shout from a contemptuous, roaring and riotous segment of a misanthropic society that vilifies those who stand for what’s right and glorifies the very people who would usher in the destruction of the social fabric,” O’Mara went on to write .
The store offered to replace the cups.
O’Mara wrote that he had called the store about what had been written on the cups, and the store offered to replace them if he returned. However, he wrote, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
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Starbucks were quick to apologize for the offensive incident.
The Oklahoma Starbucks branch responsible did not immediately issue a statement, but a representative of the Starbucks brand told ABC Tulsa:
“This is absolutely unacceptable and we are deeply sorry to the law enforcement officer who experienced this. We have also apologized directly to him and we are working to connect with the police chief as well as to express our remorse. The barista has been suspended pending the outcome of our investigation into this matter. This language is offensive to all law enforcement and is not representative of the deep appreciation we have for police officers who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe.”
The employee has since been fired.
Starbucks released another official statement to ABC 7, in which they explained that the employee had been fired, and went on to outline how the branch would seek to make amends for any offense caused.
“In the coming days, Starbucks will be meeting with the Kiefer Police Department to begin discussing ways to work together, including a jointly hosted Coffee with a Cop event at Starbucks where local law enforcement can meet with baristas and members of the community to discuss the critical role dispatchers and police officers play in keeping our communities safe,” the statement read.
Hopefully this sort of incident will not happen again.
Officer O’Mara told ABC that the employee who had written the word on the cups had tried to reach out and apologise in person, explaining that it was a joke. However, it would appear that the apology is too little, too late.
Hopefully, the branch and the police department’s events go well and help to put this event behind them.
