(courtesy nbc12.com)

“Just before 5:30 a.m. Monday, employees of the Starbucks in the 1800 block of W. Broad St. called police about a suspicious man outside the store. According to police, the suspect then ran into the business, and attacked the two employees,” nbc12.com reports. “Both baristas sustained facial injuries, with the suspect kicking an officer who arrived on scene. A 65-year-old employee is now facing a difficult recovery from serious injuries, and remains at VCU Medical Center in intensive care. Police reported that the suspect . . .

stole no items or money during the incident, with the Starbucks reopening a short time later.”

Assuming customers waiting for the store to open were observing Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz’ request to leave their legally carried guns at home (thank you, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America), knowing that the coffee company doesn’t allow its employees to exercise their natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms, we must conclude that this is what happens to a disarmed populace.

Because this is hardly the first time store employees have been attacked by armed robbers. (Hint: Google “armed robbery starbucks.”) While the company might like to sweep it under the rug, the brutal murder of three D.C. area Starbucks’ employees in 1997 hangs like a shadow over the enterprise’s current “no guns” zeal. Anyway, the store responded to yesterday’s attack:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with both of our employees who were hurt, and their family members during this difficult time,” said Starbucks spokesperson Laurel Harper in a phone interview Tuesday. “Safety is always our highest priority, and we are hoping for both of their speedy recoveries.”

If safety is your highest priority, welcoming legally-armed customers and yes, barristas, is your best bet against criminal predation. As it is for all of us. [h/t CR]

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62 COMMENTS

  1. If safety is your highest priority, then what change can we expect to see in your company that will lessen possible dangers?

    • In order to increase security Starbucks is releasing a new line of calming teas that may be administered to angry patrons and would-be robbers and assailants at the nominal price of $40 per cup. Regular patrons may purchase this new product as well to feel warm and fuzzy inside.

      New at Starbucks; SecuriTea, try it now! Increase your level of SecuriTea today!

      • There is also a more economical solution for those angry consumers on a budget: we throw boiling water in your face, and try to talk to 911 over the sounds of your screaming. This service can be provided free of charge, and in a moment’s notice. Simply inform us of your wish for this service by attacking one of our baristas, and you’ll be floored by our quality drink in seconds!

        Oh, how I wish.

        • One of the girls working the drive through at a fast food joint I worked at, had a guy come thru the drive thru, naked, spanking himself, and she dumped a pot of hot coffee on you know what, 2nd degree burns where it counts, LOL!

      • Any tea with 15mg of Valium dissolved in it would be calming…to the point of unconsciousness.

    • In order to secure our people, we will be posting a BIG SIGN at the door that says “Crime is not allowed on these premises”

      • Seattle PD has an anti-trespassing program that encourages business owners to post a sign that includes the sentence, and I’m not kidding, “All violations of the Seattle Municipal Code and Revised Code of Washington are prohibited.”

  2. These type of things will never be reported by the mainstream media, they pick and choose what is reported to fit their agenda.

  3. Maybe the CEO could check with Shooter’s Grill in Rifle, Colorado, about how to keep the employees safe from attack. But he won’t.

    • Why hate on Richmond? This is a Starbuck’s problem, not a Richmond problem. If it was an hour later, this Starbuck’s wouldn’t have been a “gun free” zone. I get coffee there every morning.

    • under that wording, in smaller print, the sign will also say

      “YOU ARE SO F*CKED RIGHT NOW!”

  6. “Our thoughts and prayers are with both of our employees who were hurt, and their family members during this difficult time,” said Starbucks spokesperson Laurel Harper in a phone interview Tuesday. “Safety is always our highest priority, and we are hoping for both of their speedy recoveries.”

    Translation: “Hey, our lawyers told us the employees can’t sue us for requiring them to be disarmed and helpless. If they don’t like being victims, they should work somewhere else. And this way, Bloomie’s Moms will leave us alone. And THAT’S our highest priority.”

  7. Frankly, unless legally prohibited, I would carry if I worked at Starbucks, or a pizza delivery driver, or any other job that required me to be alone at times of day or in areas I wouldnt want to be alone. The thing is, they should only know you have it if you use it. If you need to use it, you will either be successful and thus alive or you wont and you will be dead which is no worse off than you likely would have been had you not been carrying. Either way the potentially lost job would be the least of your concerns.

    Last I checked they don’t watch you change into your work clothes, or pat you down every day when you come in, if you conceal properly no one should ever know you are carrying, unless you tell them for some reason and the old “I told my coworker and he/she betrayed me” excuse is stupid as nobody except maybe your family should know that you CC, that’s just common sense.

    If the companies insist on firing people who successfully defend their lives and their employers’ property from worthless criminals then the tide of public opinion will change.

    • Yup, your either alive and unemployed or dead and unemployed. I’ll take the first one, thanks.

    • Yep – used to work for an unnamed gummint agency that had a “30-day suspension without pay or maybe firing” policy on carrying guns, even if you had a concealed carry permit. When the job took me out into the backwoods/boonies, 2 hours from any help, where the free-roaming meth labs were set up, I always carried food, water, shelter, fire starting material, and a .38 Spcl. in a nice little royal blue belt pouch that did NOT look like a “tactical butt pack”. Never needed it, never told anyone I was packing, but it definitely gave me a warm fuzzy having it.

      Figured my life was worth more to me than the job.

  8. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you attempt to apply logic to Starbucks decision to disarm their employees. I choose to vote with my wallet- SBs can keep their overpriced java.

  9. Good thing I don’t like paying $5 for a freaking coffee. And their breakfast sandwiches taste like stale s##t. Couldn’t the employees just throw HOT coffee at the bad guy?!?

    • Good thing a coffee isn’t $5 at Starbuck’s. The froo-froo drinks are overpriced, but a straight black coffee is ~$2.

    • Sorry, Former Water Walker, but I gotta ask; how do you know their sandwiches taste like stale S##t if you’ve never tasted the genuine article? And, if you have, how did you know it was stale? (I suppose there’s that whole haggis thing.)

      • Sorry I didn’t get back to you. My wife bought me a crappy overpriced sandwich from starsucks. Whaddaya work for “em??? Btw the coffee at Mickey D is a buck and tastes better. Never thought I’d get conflict from Starsucks.

    • Corporate policy will likely be to warn the the thug “Careful! The coffee I’m about to throw in your eyes is hot!”

  10. I look at this way. Starbucks et al are free riders. I provide security by patronizing their establishments. Perhaps they should give CCers a discount. Now that they have discouraged people like us from buying their coffee they will have provide their own security or lose customers.

  11. I have banned starbucks for some time. Greedy corporate goons with their overpriced overhyped BS coffee.

  12. “Gun Free Zone” = “Defenseless Victim Zone”, as criminals read it. These stores are within their rights to ban guns from their shops but they are making employees and customers less safe, not more secure. I avoid shopping at any store that wants to put me in danger.

    • The problem is that people, including bad guys, think that Starbucks has banned guns when they haven’t. Until a bad guy runs into someone who understands this they are going assume Starbucks is an easy target.

  13. I carry all the time and am especially conscientious when entering a so-called gun-free zone. Its an invitation for bad guys free to do whatever crime is in their minds, except to me.

  15. a hot pot of that expensive joe to the face would have stopped that guy….then again he would be the one pushing charges…didn’t spigcolli do that in fast times at ridgemont high?….

  18. He request you not carry in his stores. I don’t do request. Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. My attorney says it is much easier to defend me against an empty chair.

  20. I’m addicted to their over-priced swill. But hey, concealed means concealed, although I generally don’t visit off duty. On duty they’re ok with cops OCing. There’s that double standard again.

  21. Dang. I just moved to Richmond. Love it, but this is a reminder that I really should be carrying more often.

  22. I have to wonder how many times that café in Rifle, Colorado has been robbed.
    .
    Perhaps Starbucks should take another look?
    .

  23. I don’t think MDA deserves the entire thank you for Starbucks new policy, MDA should share this one with OCT.

  24. So, it’s come to this.

    Eddie Griffin has sunk to the level of attacking StarBucks employees.

    Dang.

  25. “Oh my god, we’re just going to Starbucks…do you really need to bring a gun to go to Starbucks? What are you so afraid of?”

    • I would say “I’m not afraid of Starbucks, I’m worried about their customers! The people who rob, vandalize, and use violence are the same people who shop at Wal-Mart, Target….. oh, and Starbucks.”

  26. Those employees who were injured should sue Starbucks for any harm that came to them because of their “disarmament policy” that put them in danger and caused them harm – and any money to cover rehabilitation, mental anguish, and any psychotherapy. Starbucks is afraid of the liability of being sued by by a criminal that was harmed by an employee who defended themselves?? They should be more afraid of their Baristas suing them!

  27. Starbucks the new stop & rob, we don’t have guns but lots of cash from people conned into buying $5.00 a cup Folgers. Sound like a good company advertisement??

    • Maybe, but a lot of people -I would say most of those who shop at Starbucks- pay with credit cards, not cash, and most stores have a timed safe that they can drop money into at any time through a separate slot. So when the drawers get full to a certain point, the registers let them know, then they just count the money and drop a certain amount into the safe. The registers probably never have more than a certain amount in them, probably $100 or less.

      • That’s 10 rocks for them. Most 7-11’s have signs saying they don’t keep more than $50 in cash they still get robbed. They will wait on time safes and managers with a sawed off 12ga pointed @ the head will open the safe. We’ve had 10 or 12 ATM’s stolen places that have any amount of cash are subject to robbery. Little over a month ago The House of Blues box office was robbed. Pulled up on a motorcycle walked over pulled a gun got a bit of cash & disappeared.

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