A man was removed from Starbucks on Thayer Street by Providence police last night after he approached two Brown first-years and began shouting and cursing when asked to return to his seat by employees.
Customers described the man as a regular presence in the coffee shop. "He's a homeless man who practically lives in this place," said East Side resident Toni Bonadie, a personal trainer and Starbucks regular. Though she described the man as "mentally unstable" and sometimes "kind of feisty," she and other customers said he usually kept to himself.
Around 7 p.m. last night, however, he got up from his seat by the window and began swearing, then approached Mallory Neidich '10, who was doing homework with Cecily Barber '10 at the time.
When asked if the man had been bothering her, Neidich replied, "Not really, but it was a little odd."
"He reeked of liquor, and he was slurring all his words," Barber said.
Neidich and Barber said an employee then approached the man and requested that he return to his seat. The man then began cursing loudly, at one point saying, "I (expletive) own this place," according to Neidich.
"They were being really patient with him," Neidich said. "He was really riled up."
Two Providence Police cruisers arrived, and officers removed the man, though it was unclear who called the police. An officer on the scene declined to say who had called in the complaint, and Starbucks employees also declined to comment.
Bonadie said the man protested, "This is my home," while the officers "dragged him outside," but he then left the scene willingly.
Bonadie grew tearful several times while describing the man's removal. "Look at all this wealth around here," she said. "He's like a piece of furniture."
