The Breakfast Club - DONKEY: Starbucks Employee Fired After Defending Himself During Store Robbery

Episode Date: February 1, 2024

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Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own? I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. We need help! That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast

Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay.

Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist who on October 16th 2017 was assassinated. Crooks everywhere unearths the plot to murder a one-woman Wikileaks. She exposed the culture of crime and corruption that were turning her beloved country into a mafia state. Listen to Crooks Everywhere on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. reforms, and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence,

and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle. We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other. So join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Some donkey today just saw themselves. I've been watching you, Charlamagne. I was readys just sell themselves. I've been watching you Charlamagne. I was ready for you.

I'm a donkey. I never heard of a donkey the other day. What is it? I'm a donkey. Say it again Charlamagne. I'm a donkey. Yes. You are a donkey.

So I'll show you how to act a donkey. Everything that Charlamagne is saying is true. Yes. Donkey of the Day for Wednesday, February 1st, the first day of Black No, was it Thursday or Wednesday? Thursday. Don't hear the day for Thursday, February 1st, the first day of Black History Month. It's going to the

people to decide. Yes, our amazing Breakfast Club listeners, the millions of you who listen to us daily, you will get to decide the day who gets the biggest hee-haw. You will get to decide who gets the credit they deserve for being stupid. I personally know who I feel in my heart should get it but i want y'all to hear the story and then we can discuss and i'll give the hee-haw later but donkey of the day today will go to either a starbucks in st louis right or a 20 year old former employee of the starbucks in

st louis michael harris see michael harris was fired from Starbucks in St. Louis, and he is currently suing the whole coffee chain, saying he was wrongfully terminated after he confronted robbers at the store. Oh, my God, no. Now, y'all know how I feel about that. These franchises ain't dying for you. Okay, somebody come in there and rob the store, let them have it, all right?

It ain't yours. They pull out a pistol here, man. You can have all the pistachio, frappuccino, blended beverages you want. All right, here, take the gift cards at the counter. You want a couple of dollars out the register, you can take that too. Just go on about your business. All right, you nubbed and I ain't about to buck over no damn Starbucks

or any fast food retail chain for that matter. I'm making minimum wage. Okay, by the way, I don't care if you're a store manager making a salary. I'm not dying over no white chocolate mocha Frappuccino blended beverage. Okay, now there is exceptions to the rule Because sometimes you are not defending the store You have to defend yourself and if you ask me Michael Harris was in a position where he had to defend himself Let's go to NBC 5 on your side for the report, please. I thought I was gonna die that day. They walked in

Announced that it was a robbery 20 yearold Michael Harris was working the drive-thru here at the Starbucks on South Grand in Midtown. Then they started going up to people and first seeing them for stuff, and we started to fight back against them. He says when the two men then demanded cash from the register, he tried to open it. He says one of the bad guys then hit him on the head with a gun. He tells me he felt

emboldened to stand his ground, especially when he realized the gun he had just been attacked with was fake. Trigger for it like came busted off and then that's when we noticed us and started to fight back. Not knowing if the crooks had another gun, Harris said he wanted to be careful eventually one of the crooks took off harris and another co-worker were able to restrain the other until police could get there weeks after the situation harris says he got a call they terminated me damn b you can bring it in here you can bring the chapstick in here my lips so goddamn dry uh first rule of nature is self-preservation okay michael harris said he felt like he was gonna die that day thank you michael harris said he felt like he was gonna die that day michael harris got hit in the head with the fake gun so his blood was probably

boiling okay he was probably enraged and then he realized the gun was fake because he noticed the trigger had fell off so he sprung into action now i don't know if he sprung into action because he was trying to get his lick back for getting hit with the gun i don't know if he still felt like his life was in danger i don't know if he was defending starbucks i just know he was fired weeks later and never given a reason as to why now a lot of these franchises like starbucks have protocols in place to ensure things like this don't happen in fact starbucks said about this incident that all employees are expected to follow our carefully crafted protocols to ensure the safety of customers and partners during these situations

starbucks says in situations like this our training and protocols guide our partners to comply and de-escalate not just for their safety but for the safety of all in the store the safety of our customers and partners but guess what the home of the caramel apple spice doesn't teach you what's the proper procedure when you got a gun to your head what's the procedure when you got a gun at your head michael harrison his attorney said starbucks policy is unfair their statement there is no way that an individual can be faced with danger attempted potential death of themselves or another and then once they've been hit or down that they cannot defend themselves. Leonard agrees.

Okay, you have to factor in human emotions to all of this. Michael is a young 20-year-old man who felt like his life was in danger. You can't be upset at him for fighting back when he thinks he's getting robbed at gunpoint and then he gets hit in the head with a gun. In fact, he shouldn't be fired. He should be employed a month.

He should be promoted to manager. Let him get unlimited sugar cookie almond milk frappuccinos this man earned that and much more i believe if michael would have said he was fighting for the store and not himself he probably would still be employed today but i told you we're gonna go to breakfast club court all right you heard the facts of the case you've heard the situation so who should get the biggest hee haw here? Michael. Play the theme music. Yeah, play. Let me get the. Michael, for not following store protocols, even though his life was in danger, are Starbucks for allegedly firing Michael for not following store protocols. Once again, who should get the biggest hee-haw here michael for not following store protocols even though his life was in danger are starbucks for allegedly firing michael for not following store protocols even though his life was

in danger i don't usually agree with employees playing hero when stores they work at get robbed but this was more than that this was a man defending himself because he was working in a franchise that got robbed there is a a difference. Let's discuss. All right, let's open up the phone lines, 800-585-1051. Now, the reason most store owners don't want people to apprehend shoplifters is because they are not insured to risk their health physically. All right, so if something happens, they don't want to be liable. If you die, they don't want to be liable. But Charlemagne said something very specific.

The man was hit over the head with the gun. He defending himself so now it's not a robbery this is an assault and it's self-preservation and i have to defend myself first law of nature self-preservation he wasn't defending that store at that time he was defending that head pause pause mac mac where's your whistle mac jesus christ Christ, Mac. Mac, come on, Mac. Where's the police when you need them? That was disgusting. I don't even want to play that game. I'm going home.

I've had enough. He got hit over there. No, no, no, bro. God damn. Lord have mercy. Call us up now. Let's discuss. Why is your brain working that way?

It's the Breakfast Club. Jesus Christ. The Breakfast Club. Daddy calling my phone. It's the Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club. It's topic time. Call 800-585-1051 to join in to the discussion with the Breakfast Club. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Charlemagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club.

If you're just joining us, Charlemagne is trying to decide if he should give Donkey of the Day to who? Well, here's the thing. Michael Harris, 20 years old, he was an employee of Starbucks, right? He got fired from Starbucks because people came in there to rob the store. Right. One of the guys hit him over the head with the gun, and he realized that the gun was fake because he saw the trigger fall, but he defended himself. Correct. Right?

So weeks later, Starbucks fired him, now michael harris is suing starbucks now usually i am totally against uh people fighting you know uh robbers when they come in to rob the places that they work at because we know that none of these establishments these chain retail stores we know they ain't dying for you so you shouldn't die for them but this is a different case. This man was not defending Starbucks. He was defending himself. The first law of nature is self-preservation. He got hit in the head with a gun. Once he realized the gun was fake,

he went and made his move. That's right. Not mad at that. I don't think he should be fired, but it's not up to me. It's up to the people. All right. I mean, I don't think he should be donkey today,

but it's not up to me. It's up to the people. Hello, who's this? Hi, this is Leomi. Hey, Leomi. Good morning. Good me. It's up to the people. Hello, who's this? Hi, this is Leomi. Hey, Leomi. Good morning. Good morning. Now, you heard the story. Do you think Michael should get donkey or Starbucks? Okay, I think

it depends on, you know, what race is Michael, because if he is like, you know, of the top of the race, and he shouldn't have did it, and he shouldn't mind his business, and he shouldn't let whatever happen and fall on the floor minded his business and he should have let whatever happen and fall on the floor and just

let the guy do what he was supposed to do. Now if he was black, Starbucks owes him an apology and he needs his job back. Period. Because it's Black History Month, so if he's black... No, queen, queen. That is ridiculous. But was he black already? No, it's not.

That is beyond ridiculous. It's not about what his race was. That is ridiculous. But was he black or white? No, it's not. That is beyond ridiculous. It's not about what his race was. Yes, it does. It's about right or wrong in this situation. Is he black or white, gentlemen? It doesn't matter. How about the people who robbed him was black? How about that?

Oh. I don't know you. If he was robbed and he was black? You riding with him. It don't matter about the race in the situation. You asked her her opinion and you said the people's side. First of all, she'd be disqualified from the jury. That's racist.

That's number one. She's racist. Yes. She'd be disqualified from the damn jury. Okay? Matter of fact, she is disqualified. Listening to her. Hello, who's this?

Yo, what's up? It's Kel, man. Calling out of Broward County, Florida. What's happening, my brother? Should Michael get donkey today or should Starbucks get donkey today? Listen, man, as much as I want to say, I wish Broker get paid, man, but I'm going to keep it real. He messed up when he admitted that he realized the girl was fake. So you're saying there was no real threat at that point?

At that point, there was no real threat. Just like you were speaking on a few weeks ago when somebody got their back turned. Even if there's no reason to fire no longer a day. Well, listen, you've seen like a BB gun before. You know them BB guns that be looking real? They still got some weight to them. So I can still pistol whip you with that BB gun. And he got hit in the head with it.

Are you trying to sway the jury? No, I'm just saying. Yeah, you, like I said, man, I hope he get paid. I hope he get paid, but he should have left that little detail out, man. It just went all in. I thought it was real. I was a sense of my life. But once you admit that you realized it was a fake gun,

you know how the corporations going to play. They want you to be a computer, basically. They want you to take all the human emotion out of it. That's true. Let that slap over out of it. That's true. Let that slap over the head go. That's true. You know what I'm saying? And get back to your job, basically.

That's true. Hello, who's this? This is Charmaine. Hey, Charmaine. Good morning. Where you calling from? Good morning. Dayton, Ohio.

Dayton, Ohio. So who do you think should get donkey? Michael or Starbucks? Starbucks. Because they're not about to pay for that man's funeral. So he had to do what he had to do to keep his life. That's right.

Okay, thank you, Charmaine. No problem, no. Okay, so currently, we got one for Michael, one for Starbucks, and one disqualified juror, because she made it about race, and I don't know why.

800-585-1051. When we come back, we're going to take some more calls. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Charlemagne the calls. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club.

If you're just joining us, Charlamagne is trying to decide who he wants to give Donkey to. Is it Starbucks or Michael? What happened? Now, let me explain the situation. Michael Harris was an employee at Starbucks in St. Louis. Some guys came in there to rob the Starbucks in St. Louis. One of the guys hit Michael in the head with a gun. Then Michael realized that the gun was fake because he saw the Starbucks in St. Louis. One of the guys hit Michael in the head with a gun. Then Michael realized that the gun was fake

because he saw the trigger fall off. So Michael decided to defend himself. He fought back against the robber. And now, a week later, Starbucks has fired him. And Michael believes he got fired because he didn't follow their protocol, which is to comply and de-escalate in situations like that. But I feel like the first law of nature is self-preservation.

You got to factor in human emotion. Somebody thinks that their life is about to be taken. They get hit in the head with a gun. I don't have a problem with the young man defending himself in that situation. Hello, who's this? This is Malcolm. Malcolm, what's up, brother? What's your thoughts, Malcolm?

Who should get donkey? Should it be Starbucks or Michael? Listen, I think both of them should get it, to be honest with you. Why? Okay, explain. All right, listen. I used to manage restaurants, and I used to manage the Burger King. We got robbed.

But I feel like Starbucks should be smart enough to know that he wasn't defending Starbucks at the time he was defending himself. Starbucks, they need to know that right off the bat. So then why is he getting donkey? Go ahead. He got to get donkey because he needs to know these dudes got guns drawn, who regardless if you think it's fake or not, you got to take that loss because you don't know if they got another one or what's going on.

That's true, too. You got to just sit there and take that. I thought about that, too. I feel like they both got to share this, and they need to go somewhere and talk about it, and both of them just be donkeys and just living their life like that. Okay. Hello, who's this?

This is Kia and her daughter Jake calling for the donkey of the day. We right here. What's happening Kia and her daughter? You said Jake? Jake. J-A-E-P Jake. Oh, Jake. Okay. What's the ages? What's your daughter's age? She's nine.

Okay. So what do y'all think? What do you think, Jake? Thomas is the donkey of the nine. Okay. So what do y'all think? What do you think? Starbuck is the donkey of the day. Okay. Alright. Now, Mama? I can't say anything because she told me I was the donkey of the day because I'm always getting her to school late. Damn.

Well, she's right. She's correct. Because you're probably stopping at Starbuck. You're stopping at Starbuck, aren't you? Aren't you? Tell the truth. Only if I'm allowed to get her the matcha latte. Exactly. Thank you so much. Thank y'all.

Have a good day. Have a great day at school. Hello, who's this? What's going on, fellas? This is Ali J from Jacksonville, Florida. Hey, what's up, brother? Jacksonville, what's happening? What's your thought?

Who should get done today? Michael or Starbucks? Hey, man, you got brother? Jacksonville, what's happening? What's your thought? Who should get dog food today? Michael or Starbucks? Hey, man, you got to go ahead and get that thing to Starbucks, man. That man scared for his life. And them people don't fuck with that pill thing. He see a moment,

throw it in and get him to go fight it up, man. They ain't got security or nothing now. Get to Starbucks. Let him protect himself. Okay, okay. Thank you, brother.

All right, so far, that's three for Starbucks. Well, four if you do Kia and a daughter. Okay. Well, I got, all right. She didn't vote, though. Mom didn, so far, that's three for Starbucks. Well, four if you do Kia and a daughter. Okay. Well, I got, all right. She didn't vote, though. Mom didn't vote?

Mom didn't vote. She said she didn't want to vote. Okay. Because she get donkey of the day for being late. Okay. Hello, who's this? This is the last one. This is Destiny.

Hey, Destiny, good morning. So who should get donkey of the day? Is it Starbucks or is it Michael? It's definitely going to be Starbucks because I get it. Places have policies and procedures set for a reason. However, if somebody's hitting me across the head with a gun, and I notice that it's fake, and the pieces to it start to fall apart, obviously I'm going to take that opportunity to defend myself and those around me

because things still could have went wrong. So I think he's bringing to action as he should, and Starbucks definitely gets dunked the other day. Okay. Thank you. All right. Tally the votes. We took one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

We took seven calls, right? Eight calls. Eight calls. Eight calls. One juror got disqualified because she made it about race, so that's seven. So we have one, three four for starbucks uh one dude voted for michael and starbucks moral of the story is starbucks is getting the donkey of the day the first law of nature is self-preservation that's right first law of nature

and i feel like if he would have told them you know he was trying to defend the store they probably wouldn't have done that to him but even still you still get you got to defend yourself right first law of nature is self-preservation. I'm not mad at the brother. All right. So please let Starbuck get the sweet sounds and the hammer tones. Oh, now you are the donkey of the day. You are the donkey of the day. Yee-haw.

Yee-haw! Yee-haw! All right. Now, when we come back, we got your rumor report. Donald Glover, he's doing a reboot of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. And when he asked Brad Pitt

for some advice, he kind of got, let's just say, curbed. We'll talk about it when we come back. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. Donkey of the Day

is sponsored by renowned personal injury attorney Michael the Bull Laminsoft. Don't be a donkey when you need a fighter on your side. If you're ever injured, go to MichaelTheBull.com. That's MichaelTheBull.com. And when you mess with the bull, you get the horns. Had enough of this country? Ever dreamt about starting your own?

I planted the flag. This is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Or maybe not. No country willingly gives up their territory. Oh my God.

What is that? Bullets. Listen to Escape from Zaka-stan. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-a-stan. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more.

After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best, and you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before.

Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist who on October 16th, 2017, was assassinated. Crooks everywhere unearthed the plot to murder a one woman WikiLeaks. She exposed the culture of crime and corruption that were turning her beloved country into a mafia state. Listen to Crooks Everywhere on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show, Civic Cipher.

That's right. We discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle. We're going to learn how to become better allies to each other, so join us each Saturday for Civic Cipher on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.