As always, we have a lot going on in our country, and it can be hard to keep up, so this morning instead of taking a deep dive on one issue, I’d like to give you some thoughts on three different important stories.
First, I want to give you an update on Starbucks. As you’ve likely heard, Starbucks announced that next month they are closing all of their stores in the United States for half a day of training on issues of bias, bigotry, and discrimination. They’ve asked several leaders that I know and trust to help create that training to ensure that it is actually direct and effective.
People are right to say that this isn’t enough – and Starbucks has openly said it’s not enough – that they will need to change their policies, that they will need to settle lawsuits, and more, but I do want to say two things about this.
- I don’t know of a mega-corporation that has ever done this before. They normally go silent, settle the matter privately, release an apology, and try to move on. While it’s not enough, it’s a big deal that Starbucks is doing this and I actually hope that other corporations will be inspired to follow their lead.
- We did this. We made this happen. Our voices, our outrage, our frustration made this possible. This is the way we need to respond anytime we see injustice. So let’s be sure that we don’t let Starbucks off the hook on everything else that they claim they are going to do to make this right.
Next, I have to talk to you for a moment about yet another horrible case of police brutality – this time in Barstow, California – which is less than two hours east of Los Angeles.
Earlier this month, a wonderful young brother named Diante Yarber, friends and family called him Butchie, a 27 year old father of three, who was widely known all over Barstow for being a happy go lucky friend to everybody, was brutally shot and killed by police in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart there in Barstow.
I need to tell you this story because it is as horrible and outrageous as any case of police violence you’ll ever hear. And in a way, it’s connected to the Philadelphia Starbucks incident.
Here’s how – just like in Philadelphia – somebody called the police on Butchie – saying that his car looked suspicious in the parking lot.
Listen to me – how do cars look suspicious? It was in the middle of a weekday afternoon in broad daylight. What they meant was that the Black man driving that car looked suspicious to them. And this is what happens, just like in the Starbucks in Philadelphia, when white folk call the police on black folk, bad things happen.
Butchie did nothing wrong. He was actually giving someone a ride to the Wal-Mart and had several other family members in the car with him. The car was not stolen. Nobody stole anything from the Wal-Mart. Nobody was armed or had a gun or drugs. They were literally just Black in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
I kid you not, police then surrounded the car, guns drawn, as Butchie backed out of his parking spot. With a car of people, police then fired 30 shots into the car, slaughtering Butchie and shooting the other passengers.
Police then concocted a lie that Butchie tried to run over them, but here’s the thing, it was broad daylight. A dozen people saw the whole thing. An innocent bystander filmed it.
Butchie didn’t try to run anyone over. They made that up. And the other people in the car survived, so they are able to say what happened as well.
My good friend and attorney Lee Merritt is representing this family and I will make sure people know this story until we get justice for Butchie.
Lastly, I want to tell you about new teams I am building all over the country to help us fight for justice and elect new District Attorneys and new sheriffs everywhere.
Right now, I’d love for you to sign up and join one of those teams. You can go directly to RealJustice.team – that RealJustice.team – and once you are there you will see a video from me explaining these teams and a form for you to sign up.
Our nation has 2,400 District Attorneys so we are forming 2,400 teams in all 50 states and in every county in this country.
Once you sign up @ RealJustice.team – you will get an email from me. If you don’t get the email, that means you might not have put the email address in correctly.
Our work is going to get started almost right away, so please go ahead and join us @ RealJustice.team and let’s organize in some smart ways for justice all over the country!
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