Starbucks kicks out Democrats

Rumor has it that a Starbucks franchise in Northern Kentucky kicked out some college Democrats who were just minding their own business and not disrupting others.

The story is still developing -- more to come later...

Received an email from a Northern Kentucky Democrat with a statement from Starbucks:

I'd like to thank you both again for taking the time out today to speak with me.

I appreciated your candor and must agree that we had the opportunity to handle this situation in a much different way. Again for that, please accept my sincere apologies.

As regular Starbucks customers, I am sure that you both know that two important cornerstones support the Starbucks Experience; the highest quality coffee and an environment that's welcoming and inviting. To be sure, we work hard to create an environment geared toward the sharing of conversations, ideas and experiences.

Let me again assure you that though Starbucks itself is an apolitical company, Starbucks does not have a policy prohibiting groups discussing political topics from meeting in our stores. Instead, our guidelines are geared toward creating an environment where people of diverse opinions feel welcome. In protection of that ideal, we may sometimes overreact to situations that seem to conflict with that notion.

We don't take this issue lightly. Our district manager for the area spent most of the day clarifying our procedures involving large gatherings in our stores to ensure that this won't happen in the future. Further, we are planning to communicate about these guidelines to our stores across the U.S. and Canada.

I certainly hope this unfortunate experience doesn't affect your decision to meet at this or any other Starbucks location in the future. Please don't hesitate to contact me directly to set up a time to do that, if it's convenient for you.