A protest by vegans in Nashville blocked off an entire street at West End Avenue last Thursday, August 18. The reason? They wanted Starbucks to stop charging people extra for non-dairy milk options. What did they do? They sealed themselves in cement, literally, outside the business. This caused the entrances and exits of the coffee shop to be inaccessible to vehicles and customers.
Currently, Starbucks allows customers to add a “splash” of non-dairy milk to their drinks, but for any more than that, there is an additional charge. The alternatives to dairy are oat, almond, coconut, and soy milk. The charge varies from 50 to 90 cents, depending on the Starbucks branch and the choice of plant-based milk. There is no extra charge for the regular options – milk or dairy creamer.
According to the protesters, they wanted to “cement” the fact that they will continue to pursue their goal. The incident is the next step in their movement, which started earlier this summer. They superglued their hands on the counters of Starbucks branches in Chicago, New York and Seattle.
The protest was sparked by former Beatle Paul McCartney’s letter to Starbucks, telling them to “stop charging for plant-based milk.” Stores in the United Kingdom, where McCartney is famously from, do not charge extra. He added that his friends at PETA are also working on the campaign and that he hopes that this policy will be implemented.
PETA says that people should not be penalized or charged extra because they are concerned about cows or their own health. According to PETA, “Cows used for dairy are forcibly inseminated … and their beloved calves are torn away from them so that the milk meant to nourish their babies can be used by humans.”
The protesters were arrested by the police, and one of them was taken to a hospital due to foot pain from the cement. A Michigan man refused to leave his spot on the block, resulting in his arrest and a charge of disorderly conduct.
“We respect our customers’ rights to respectfully voice their opinions so long as it does not disrupt our store operations,” Starbucks shared in a statement.