DETROIT (WXYZ) — Starbucks lovers in Detroit were cinder blocked from getting their cup of coffee Friday morning.
Protestors with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, were quite literally cemented outside the Mack Avenue location.
They want the company to stop up-charging for non-dairy milk.
Customers pulled up Friday morning and could not get into the parking lot. Protestors were blocking both entrances and get this: their feet were encased in concrete.
"Activists are cemented here outside of the driveway here at Starbucks to put themselves in place permanently to make a stand," Kenneth Montville said.
People for the ethical treatment of animals were behind the demonstration.
Protestor Kenneth Montville says the company overcharges customers for making better environmental decisions.
"Starbucks although it claims to support sustainability and pay lip service to the environment is still up-charging for vegan milk," Montville said.
Most Starbucks locations charge 70 cents for soy, oat, almond or coconut milk.
According to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, livestock is one of the leading sources for global methane emission. PETA says the cheaper option is hurting the planet.
"Dairy products are horrendous for the environment, cause three times the greenhouse gas emissions of the vegan counterparts and uses nine times as much land," Montville said.
7 Action News reached out to Starbucks about the protest and in a statement, they said:
"We respect our customers’ rights to respectfully voice their opinions so long as it does not disrupt our store operations."
Protesters needed medical attention to get back on their feet. They were wheeled off on stretches by Emergency Medical Services and some still proudly held their signs.
Montville never told us if the group ever planned a way out of the concrete.
"Brave individuals taking to the streets and doing some brave action to disrupt and create a conversation around these really important topics," Montville said.
PETA does have a petition circulating online to stop Starbucks from up charging non-dairy milk.
