Global COVID-19 Mask Craziness

In Flint, Michigan, on May 1, at a Family Dollar store, a 43-year-old security guard, a family man, the father of six children, was shot dead after asking a customer to wear a mask (“Killed for Doing His Job,” The Sun, May 4, 2020).

In Staten Island, New York, on May 25, a mob of angry customers at a Shoprite grocery store cursed and berated a woman for not wearing a mask. One shamer removed his mask so he can yell louder (“Video shows mob berating woman,” Fox News, May 26, 2020).

In Gardena, California, on July 5, a security guard shot and killed a 50-year-old man at a supermarket because he wasn’t wearing a mask (“California security guard charged with murder,” Fox News, Jul. 9, 2020).

In Bayonne, France, in July 5, a 59-year-old bus driver, family man, father of three daughters, was beaten to death by a group of passengers who refused to comply with the mask rule (“French bus driver died,” Agence France-Presse, Jul. 11, 2020).

In Lansing, Michigan, on July 14, a man stabbed another man in a restaurant after being told he had to wear a mask. He fled the scene and was later shot to death by a policewoman after he approached her with a knife and would not put it down (“Suspect killed by Michigan deputy,” ABC News, Jul. 15, 2020).

In Minden, Ontario, on July 15, a man assaulted a grocery store employee after being told to wear a mask and was later shot to death after a confrontation with police in his home. One of the employees said later that they shouldn’t have to enforce government rules. “If we didn't have to force him and tell him that he couldn't come into the store, nothing would have happened, really. He would have got his groceries and went along with his day” (“OPP shoot man dead hours after mask dispute,” CBC.ca, Jul. 15, 2020).

In Lakeside, Colorado, on July 19, a woman shopping in a liquor store was cursed and attacked with a cart for not wearing a mask (“Mask Madness,” The Washington Times, Jul. 20, 2020).

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, on July 21, a man who was told that he had to wear a mask to have his automobile serviced ran over the shop owner’s son (“New Mexico deputies,” Associated Press, Aug. 24, 2020).

In Gainesville, Georgia, on about July 23, a woman shopping in a Walmart with her two young children was severely berated by another customer for not wearing masks. The mask shamer said, “I hope you all die” and walked off. Walmart policy does not require young children to wear masks (“Store Mask Bully,” Western Journal, July 29, 2020).

In San Diego, California, on July 23, a woman pepper-sprayed a man who wasn’t wearing a mask. He and his wife were sitting outside alone, social distancing and eating a snack. The woman sprayed the entire container into the poor man’s face (“Man allegedly pepper-sprayed for not wearing facial covering,” ABC10 News San Diego, Jul. 24, 2020).

In Hackensack, New Jersey, on July 29, in a Staples store, a 54-year-old woman who had recently undergone a liver transplant and was walking with a cane, demanded that another customer wear a mask and was subsequently shoved to the floor and suffered a broken leg (“Woman Shoved to the Ground,” NBC4 New York, Jul. 31, 2020).

In Manhattan Beach, California on July 31, a woman berated a man for not wearing a mask (even though he was sitting outside and eating at the time), then threw hot coffee on him. The victim subsequently beat up the crazed woman’s husband (“California Couple Throws Coffee,” International Business Times, Aug. 1, 2020).

In Wisconsin, on July 31, the head of the Department of Natural Resources, instructed his employees that they must wear masks even while video conferencing from their homes (“Employees need masks,” The Kansas City Star, Aug. 10, 2020).

On August 10, a woman and her two children were removed from a Southwest Airlines flight because her three-year-old autistic son would not wear a mask. She had a note from the boy’s doctor about his special condition, but Southwest apparently does not allow medical exemptions (“Family removed,” USA Today, Aug. 11, 2020).

On August 19, a mother and her six children were removed from a JetBlue Airways flight after her two-year-old daughter kept pulling off her mask. The other passengers were loudly protesting the airline’s decision, saying, ‘That’s not fair; don’t do that to that mother,” to no avail. Another mother was kicked off the same flight with her young son for sticking up for the first mother (“Mom traveling with 6 kids kicked off,” ABC News, Aug. 21, 2020).

Former Navy Seal Robert O’Neill, one of the nation’s brave heroes who participated in the raid that killed mass murderer Osama Bin Laden, was banned from flying on Delta on August 20 after he tweeted a selfie of himself not wearing a mask on a Delta flight, calling masks “dumb.” Even though he was eating and drinking at the time and airline policy does not require wearing a mask for such an activity, he was perhaps targeted for his jocular attitude against masking.

On August 31, there was a shootout at a Family Dollar store in St. Louis after employees told two customers that they must wear masks according to a city ordinance. One of the customers shot at an employee, who returned fire and wounded the man (“Missouri man shot,” Fox News, Sept. 5, 2020).

On September 23, a mother was tased and handcuffed by a security officer for not wearing a mask at an outdoor eighth-grade football game in Logan, Ohio (“Woman apparently tased at football game,” WTAP.com, Sep. 24, 2020). She was seated far from other people in the bleachers.

That same day, police in Moscow, Idaho, arrested three unmasked Christians who were participating in a hymn sing outside city hall, even though there have been zero covid-19 deaths or hospitalizations in the entire county (“Idaho Christians Arrested,” PJ Media, Sept. 24, 2020).

Three National Football League teams have been fined more than $1 million because their coaches didn’t wear masks at all times during games (“Coach Faces $100K Fine,” The Daily Wire, Sep. 30, 2020).

Actor Jason Isaacs of Harry Potter said that non-mask wearers should be in prison or the stocks or executed by hanging “(“Harry Potter star,” Insider, Sep. 29, 2020).

On October 3, the office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent out a tweet urging restaurant-goers, “Don’t forget to keep your mask on in between bites. Do your part to keep those around you healthy.”

On October 19, a woman punched a Delta flight attendant on route from Atlanta to Miami after the attendant told her and her boyfriend to wear a face mask (“Woman incorrectly wearing face mask throws punches,” The Daily Caller, Oct. 20, 2020).

On October 25, Delta Airlines sent a memo to its employees stating that 460 people have been added to its no-fly list for refusing to comply with their mask regulation. The list is typically reserved for suspected terrorists.

On October 25, two women stabbed an employee of a store 27 times and kicked him in the head after he asked them to wear a mask. The event took place in a Snipes record store in Chicago (“Sisters allegedly hold down, stab guard,” Chicago Sun-Times, Oct. 27, 2020). The employee was stabbed in the arms, back, and chest with a small knife and survived.