[BRIEF NOTE] An Anti-Starbucks Protest in Kingston

[rfmcdonald]

I'd mentioned going to a Starbucks newly opened in downtown Kingston on Princess Street a couple of weeks ago, only to be disappointed when the promised protest didn't materialize. Reading the letters area of today's issue of The Kingston Whig-Standard, I learned what I'd have seen it if only I waited.

"Swearing protester tuned out"

Two Saturdays ago, I took my two-year-old to the new Starbucks at the corner of Princess and Wellington streets. For their opening, Starbucks was gracious enough to have Kingston Literacy there, and there was a sing-a-long and story time for kids. My daughter enjoyed the 10 a.m. session so much we went back for the 11 a.m. story time.

I was expecting to see protesters outside the store, as I had heard there had been some commotion and vandalism while Starbucks was renovating the store and getting read to open for business. I guess the protestors had decided to sleep in and they got there just before 11:30 a.m., when story time was winding down. The protesters took over the sidewalk outside the door.

I left Starbucks with an open mind, planning to get one of the flyers the protesters were wanting out and finding out what they were worked up about. Well, my mind quickly closed when a protesters carrying a plastic-bucket drum started swearing. I said to him that I didn't think swearing in the presence of young children was necessary to get his message across. He replied by pointing to the Starbucks logo and saying that it was a swear word.

I told the protesters that I would rather have my two-year-old say "Starbucks" than what he was saying. He continued his shouting, saying something to the effect that Starbucks was destroying our local community. I laughed and asked him how he could talk about community and, in the same breath, swear in front of children. He replied that he would say what he was saying any way he wanted.

The protester's idea of community is much different from mine. So we left.

The man with the plastic-bucket drum did a great job of getting his message across. Apparently he was more interested in listening to his own shouting and didn't care if people in the community like me left without having the faintest idea of what he was protesting about. Oh well, I guess it can't be that important.

On a happier note, I would like to thank the Kingston Police for doing a great job of caring about my idea of community. During that whole morning there was at least one police vehicle at that corner and as soon as the protest started, the police were there. One officer came into Starbucks to watch over the kids as story time was wrapping up.

I thank the police for caring about our community, our safety and our kids.

D**** R******
Kingston

It would be really, really nice if anti-Starbucks protesters specifically (and anti-globalization protesters generally) were able to realize that they need much better PR; or, hopefully more accurately, if they were able to control or exclude those of their members who, like the above-mentioned plastic-bucket-banger, didn't care about the question of representing their cause to the wider public.

And as she mentioned, it would have been nice if the protesters had showed up on time. I, for one, was disappointed.

UPDATE (3:07 PM) : Crossposted to the queens community, where the original note of the protest was first made.