About this episode
In the face of record crime , Starbucks has announced the closure of 16 stores in five cities: Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The reason, according to CEO Howard Schultz , is these cities have "abdicated their responsibility in fighting crime and addressing mental health," leading retail partners to repeated concerns over "their own personal safety." "Starbucks is a window into America," he continued. "And we are facing things which the stores were not built for." Given Starbucks' outspoken support for progressive candidates who lead these cities, it's easy to think the coffee giant should sleep in the bed it helped to make. As the National Review reports, Starbucks "pledged over $100 million in social-justice grants" over the last few years, and individual stores are hubs for left-wing causes from trans rights to climate change. Basic law enforcement is about the reality of the human condition. When Proverbs says that "whoever sows injustice will reap calamity," it goes for individuals and entire cities. Social justice is trendy, but at the end of the day, pushing hip causes is only possible where there's actual justice.