Breaking: Charges Dropped Against 13-Year-Old Wrongfully Arrested at PETA Protest of Starbucks

For Immediate Release:
May 29, 2024

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

All charges have been dropped against a 13-year-old PETA supporter named Evan, who was wrongfully arrested on trespassing charges on March 8 while peacefully protesting against Starbucks for charging extra for the vegan milks that it agrees are better for the planet. Evan and his family were joining other PETA supporters at the Starbucks store at New Independence Parkway and Hamlin Groves Trail—and although the store manager had given the protesters permission to sit-in there, the coffee giant later called the police on the group. Dramatic video showsthat when police directed the group to leave, Evan was complying by gathering up “Starbucks: Stop Vegan Upcharge” signs when an officer grabbed him, shoved him face-down onto a table, handcuffed him, and illegally questioned him without reading him his rights.

“Starbucks’ hypocrisy apparently knows no bounds, from charging more for vegan milks that it admits are better for the environment to having a child arrested for asking it to reconsider,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA applauds Evan for standing up for calves and the loving mothers they are torn from by the dairy industry and urges everyone to take inspiration from this passionate young activist by ditching dairy.”

In the dairy industry, cows are repeatedly forcibly impregnated and their calves are taken from them within a day of birth so the milk meant to nourish them can be stolen and sold to humans. Once their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.