A homeless man was kicked out of a Manchester branch of Starbucks after customers and workers complained he “f****** stinks”, despite attempts by a teenage girl to convince others to show a little human compassion.
The homeless man walked into the Market Street branch of Starbucks to enjoy a hot drink, but was confronted by an angry customer who walked up to him and complained about his smell.
Carrie-Anne, a local hair stylist, said the branch “came to a standstill”, as the furious customer delivered a barrage of insults towards the homeless man.
Speaking to the Daily Express, the 23 year old said: “The shop came to a standstill. They stopped serving people,” as a barista agreed with the customer and said “he absolutely f** stinks”.
Carrie then began to argue with the insensitive customer, backed up by a teenage girl who tried to buy the homeless man a sandwich, but staff refused to serve her.
Carrie told the insensitive customer: “He is still a human being he breathes the same air that you do.
She added: “Why has Starbucks doing anything set up [sic] where we can pay for him to have a drink?
“A massive business like Starbucks should be able to do that. They told him to leave again, he got really upset.”
The homeless man was allowed to finish his beverage before being removed from the shop.
Related: Westminster council could send homeless families to Coventry
A spokesperson for the popular coffee chain stood by the decision to eject the homeless man. “We want to provide a welcoming place for everyone in our stores”, the spokesperson said.
“The safety and security of our partners (employees) and customers is always our highest priority and we support our partners’ approach.”
Charities say attitudes toward homeless people are becoming harsher. Homeless people are increasingly subjected to aggressive behaviour and cruel remarks. Negative stereotypes are becoming commonplace, with many homeless people branded as “second class” or “vermin”.
Recent research warned rough sleepers face high levels of abuse from members of the public.
The study by the homelessness charity Crisis found that street sleepers were almost 17 times more likely than the average person to have been a victim of violence, and 15 times more likely to have suffered verbal abuse.
Commenting on the research, Jon Sparkes, the chief executive of Crisis, said: “Violent and abusive experiences can cause not only physical harm but can also undermine people’s attempts to seek help and move on from homelessness. Too many rough sleepers are left living in fear and isolation”.
“The research shows that urgent action is needed by both the police and government. It is not acceptable that homeless people are put in harm’s way on a daily basis. The police must act to reassure homeless people that their safety is paramount and crimes against them will be fully investigated.”
Eight out of 10 rough sleepers reported being victims of a range of crimes and antisocial behaviours, from vandalism and intimidation to being hit, kicked, threatened or urinated on.
A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: “Faced with rising demand, wide-ranging welfare reforms and falling social housing, councils are struggling to tackle the nation’s growing homelessness crisis.
“The government needs to give councils the powers and funding to resume their historic role as a major builder of affordable homes and to address the widening gap between incomes and rents. This is vital to end homelessness.”
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