MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (WKRC) — An Ohio woman has found herself at the epicenter of the political divide in this country.
It happened over something as mundane as ordering a cup of tea at a Middletown Kroger Starbucks counter. The incident occurred on Sunday and has lit up social media ever since. It all started with a Facebook post showing slain political activist Charlie Kirk at one of his Q&A sessions.
“What’s your Starbucks order?” said a young girl. “You’ve been carrying around a Starbucks cup all day.”
The article was posted on Fox News’ website.
“It’s literally just Mint Majesty Tea with two honeys, and I drink like nine of them a day—otherwise I lose my voice,” said Kirk.
Middletown mom Autumn Perkins saw posts about Kirk’s favorite drink and how people were ordering it to memorialize him. So, she decided to do the same when she went to the Kroger store on Towne Road in Middletown and walked up to the Starbucks counter.
“I asked for a blonde mint majesty tea with two honeys,” said Perkins.
“Was there a reaction?” Local 12 said.
“It was late, you know; [the barista] seemed a little bit irritated,” said Perkins.
After getting her tea, Perkins looked at the cup within the cup, and she saw what the barista had allegedly written: “Racist’s Fav’ Drink.”
“What did you think?” Local 12 said.
“You know, yeah. Just shocked,” said Perkins. “Shock was really the only thing—I couldn’t believe it.”
That’s when Perkins went to Kroger management. The statement sent to Local 12 says it all:
“The individual involved is no longer employed. This behavior does not reflect Kroger’s values.”
Local 12 asked Starbucks to comment—its statement reads in part:
“Writing this on a cup is unacceptable. We have policies that prohibit negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment.”
But this isn’t where the story ends. Perkins posted a picture of the cup, and her post blew up online. Thousands of views and comments from both sides of the political spectrum. And the vitriol flying back and forth found its way back into the real world.
Tony Tincher got into it on Facebook with people who posted things about Perkins he didn’t like.
“She’s lying. She wrote that on the cup herself. We’re all racist. They just kept going,” said Tincher. “So, this morning, when this started happening, I just said, ‘Alright, I’ll come up here and see if any of these people that are threatening me are going to be here.’”
“What would you have done if this guy had shown up?” Local 12 said.
“We were going to fight,” said Tincher.
The person apparently didn’t show. Perkins said she’s okay with the barista getting fired, and she hopes it’s a growing experience for her.
“I think it’s unfortunate that we can’t have peaceful conversations or debates and love each other regardless of differences,” said Perkins.
Local 12 couldn’t find the barista who allegedly wrote on the cup. Local 12 did learn that Kroger has now hired armed guards to monitor some of its Starbucks counters.