Kudos for Sheriff David Clarke for reminding us of the double standard practiced by the self-righteous guardians of social justice such as Starbucks, who flagellate themselves in public over the injustice of denying non-paying patrons use of their facilities – patrons who happen to be black:

Not too long ago a Philadelphia Starbucks refused to let a police officer use the restroom telling him it was for paying customers.  Don't remember Starbucks closing 8000 stores for sensitivity training toward police.

In 2015, an unnamed Philadelphia police sergeant entered a downtown Philadelphia Starbucks and asked to use the restroom.  He might have been the one who would have responded if that Starbucks were being robbed or its employees or customers were assaulted.  He was told in no uncertain terms that he could not and should find a restroom down the street.  The unnamed officer's story was posted on Facebook by Joe Leighthardt, another Philadelphia officer:

So I walk into the Starbucks at 13th and Chestnut in full uniform and ask the young blonde liberal behind the counter if I could use their public bathroom for which you need a key code and she states, in a loud voice so all the other customers can hear that the bathroom is for paying customers only. I then ask in a very polite manner if I could please use it. She then states in the same loud manner and a smirk "Are you a paying customer?" It was at this point that I realized what she was doing. As I walked out with my hand up and while she continued loudly to tell me about the bathroom down the street, I was even more astonished that the many customers and other employees said nothing and seemed indifferent. This is the world cops live in anymore. It's hip for this generation to berate and totally disrespect cops in front of the public and praise cop killers as the heroes of they're [sic] time. I never post things but I hope my fellow brothers and sisters in blue see this and know that we have each other… and not to patronize that Starbucks.

Starbucks did somewhat apologize for the incident, but there was no national mea culpa by the executive officers of Starbucks or the shutting down of its 8,000 stores and turning them into temporary re-education camps for employees who for the most part probably don't have a biased bone in their bodies and who depend on police for their safety inside and outside their stores.

Officer Leighthardt noted as much:

In the post, Leighthardt‎ wrote, "Thought you world like to know this happened at your 1301 Chestnut St in Philadelphia.  In a time when police are being made the enemy, Your clerk pulls this nonsense.  And might I point out, this store is a frequent caller to police for some sort of service." ...

"No one is asking for special treatment, but when your 'office' is a police car and you're running from job to job in Philadelphia, I'd he supposed to hold in?  Pee on the sidewalk?  I'll bet your job has a bathroom within 100 yards," Leighthardt wrote.  "Cops don't.  And this particular Starbucks calls the police several times a week for things as simple as someone sitting on the bench outside their property."

We live in a world where black lives matter but blue lives matter not so much.  Just ask the families of the two Florida police officers gunned down while having lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

Two Florida sheriff's deputies were shot and killed while eating in a restaurant Thursday afternoon by an attacker found dead outside shortly after, police said[.] ...

"I don't have answers to why this happened," Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz said at a news briefing.Schultz identified the slain officers as Sgt. Noel Ramirez, 30, a seven-year law enforcement veteran, and Deputy Taylor Lindsey, 25, a three-year law law [sic] enforcement veteran.  Schultz said Ramirez had children and was married, while Lindsey was not married but had a girlfriend. ...

"We're not going to make this a political issue, other than the fact: What do you expect happens when you demonize law enforcement to the extent that it's been demonized?" Schultz asked.  "Every type of hate, every type of putdown that you can think of.  The only thing these men were guilty of was wanting to protect you and me."

Closing 8,000 stores is a big financial hit, money that could have been spent to help inner-city kids get an education, or a meal, or clothes for school or to fight gang crime and drugs:

On Tuesday, Starbucks announced plans to close all 8,000 stores across the US for the afternoon of May 29.  Starbucks said in a statement it plans to "conduct racial-bias education geared toward preventing discrimination in our stores" during the period[.] ...

"The company's founding values are based on humanity and inclusion," executive chairman Howard Schultz said in a statement.  "We will learn from our mistakes and reaffirm our commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment for every customer."

While the decision to close stores to train employees on issues of racial discrimination is unprecedented, Starbucks has done something similar once before under Schultz's leadership[.] ...

In February 2008, Starbucks closed all 7,100 of its stores for three and a half hours to train employees.  Schultz had recently returned as CEO to turn the company around as it struggled to repair its reputation and grow sales after a period of overexpansion. 

The closures cost the company an estimated $6 million, according to Schultz's 2011 book "Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul."  However, Schultz maintained that it was worth the financial cost and the mockery the company endured to put Starbucks back on the road to recovery. 

Self-survival and political correctness are prime motivators for Starbucks, but not the indignity and disrespect shown a Philadelphia officer in 2015.  No grandiose mea culpas, no mass closings, and no employee re-education.  Starbucks's social conscience did not extend to those who risk their lives for the safety of its employees and customers.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investor's Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.