Men Arrested In Philadelphia Starbucks Get Free ASU Tuition

TEMPE, AZ – The two black men arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks last month as they waited for a colleague will be attending Arizona State University for free. As part of their settlement with Starbucks, they will receive tuition through a partnership with the school and Starbucks.

Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were in the Starbucks waiting for a colleague when a manager called police. The two were charged with trespassing.

The arrests set off a firestorm as it quickly became apparent that the men had done nothing. Starbucks announced that they are closing all their stores on May 29 so that employees can go through racial bias training.

The company says that as part of their settlement with Nelson and Robinson, the two men will be able to study under the "Starbucks College Achievement Plan." (Get Phoenix Patch's daily newsletter and real-time news alerts. Or, find your local Patch here and subscribe).

That program was set up in 2014 and allows Starbucks employees who work at least two hours each week to take classes through ASU Online with the company picking up the tab.

More than 1,200 Starbucks employees have received degrees through the program.

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Patch's Max Bennett contributed to this story.

Image via ASU.