Starbucks is just as much responsible here as Retriever, if not more so: It's their parking lot and likely their contract with Retriever.

Outrageous, there's a tort in there somewhere, I know. Intentional interference with the latte experience. Punitives x 2. Harumph Star Bucks in bed with Repo Man - you're chillin my americano.

As someone who's known the Portland towing coordinator for more than 20 years, I can assure you that when all is said and done, there will be much more to this story than is revealed in the letter. Having said that, I don't disagree with the opinion about Retriever towing or Starbucks. I just suspect there is something incomplete about this story as there usually is whenever one of these things blasts public in this way.

Contract towing can be a significant source of income to the property owner who controls the parking lot. The owner picks the towing company and negotiates a cut of the tow fee, getting as much as sixty percent or more per tow. Therefore, the lot owner who picks an aggressive tow company and agrees to the rules is at least as culpable as the tow company.

The time stamp on your post, Jack, says 12:50 pm.

The time stamp on the first comment in anti-Starbuck's solidarity arrived under The Letter (at the link), says 1:52 pm (?, as I recall). Just sayin' ... Promotion = Commotion

Big up, Mr. B.

Eat your 'Screw Oregonians' hearts out, Blue Oregonians. ... and drink your five-dollar piffle frappe.

Wayne Madsen Report -- Boycott of Starbuck's widens, Jan 14, 2009 - Starbuck's denies links to Israel

Around one hundred protesters shut down a Starbuck's in Beirut on January 13 in protest over the company's CEO's links with Israel. The Associated Press reported from Beirut that the protesters targeted Starbuck's "because they claim that Howard Schultz, the company's CEO, chairman and president, donates money to the Israeli military." The report added, "a spokeswoman for the Seattle, Washington-based conglomerate called accusations Starbucks supports Israel 'false' and said the political preferences of one of its employees has no bearing on the company's policies."

However, as Chairman and CEO, Schultz is far from an "employee" of Starbuck's and he has been honored for his support of Israel by the Jerusalem Fund of Aish HaTorah.

The AP also reported that "the demonstrators hung several banners on the shop's window and used white tape to paste a Star of David over the green-and-white Starbucks sign. The protesters also distributed a letter saying Schultz 'is one of the pillars of the American Jewish lobby and the owner of the Starbucks,' which they said donates money to the Israeli military."

Protesters last week handed out leaflets at a Starbucks's in Hamra, Lebanon urging a boycott of the coffee shop.

The boycott of Starbuck's over its links to Israel have also spread to Malaysia, ...

An e-mail campaign in Saudi Arabia has seen Starbuck's business in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, fall off ... similar ... in Singapore. ... Muslims in Indonesia to boycott U.S. chains like Starbuck's.

Last week, a Starbuck's in Holargos (Kholargos), Greece was attacked with a Molotov cocktail. On January 12, the Starbuck's on Whitechapel Road in London was attacked with bricks, rocks, and a Molotov cocktail ...

... boycott of Starbuck's in solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza. Bloody latte grandes will not be on my menu any time soon.

Wait a minute ... or 3 hours. Some factcheck inspection finds perhaps 'the consumerist' website is marking East Coast time.

Well alright then.

Sorry Starbucks if you do ugly things. Do it without my dollars ...

I saw a tow truck hooking up a car Friday afternoon as I was leaving the parking lot of the Starbucks/FedEx Office/???? complex across the street from Civic Stadium. I had just left FedEx Kinko's and had been there about 10 minutes. The tow truck driver did not come into FedEx Kinko's before hooking up the car (although I suppose it's possible that an employee of one of the businesses called after seeing someone park in the lot and walk away). What I don't understand, though, is why people spend their dollars at Starbucks in the first place when there are so many local coffee shops to choose from. Dollars do more for the local economy when they are spent at locally-owned businesses.

'The AP also reported that "the demonstrators hung several banners on the shop's window and used white tape to paste a Star of David over the green-and-white Starbucks sign".

Unfortunately reminiscent of 1938 Germany when businesses were similarly identified.

It sounds like someone started a rumor that Starbuck's CEO donated money to the Israeli military so that the protest would look like it is anti-Israeli when in fact it is just plain old anti-Semitism. As far as I can tell, Howard Schultz is an American, not an Israeli, and the idea that he donates money to the Israeli military (which gets plenty from the US government) is preposterous.