Starbucks faces crisis after arrests

Coffee chain moves to restore reputation following controversy

NEW YORK - Three years ago, Starbucks was widely ridiculed for trying to start a national conversation on equality by asking its employees to write the words "Race Together" on coffee cups. The initiative, though it backfired, was in line with the company's longstanding effort to project a progressive and inclusive image.

The company is now through the looking glass, trying to tamp down a racially charged uproar over the arrest of two black men at one of its stores in the city of Philadelphia in the United States. How could Starbucks, which once urged its employees to start conversations about race with customers, now be under fire for its treatment of black people?