Today, a group of anti-maskers protested at Ralph’s and the Century City shopping mall. Lots of angry confrontations with customers and a few physical altercations.
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A violent altercation broke out between a protester and a customer. Didn’t see see the inciting incident. She claims that the customer hit her; in response, she tries to ram him with a shopping cart and shout at him.
As the shopper was checking out, the anti-masker kicked him.
“Some guy take care of him out there, come on patriots.”
A lot of shouting matches like this, where a shopper tells two protesters to leave and they say that this isn’t Communist China.
One protester suggests he doesn’t need to wear a mask bc he tested negative. He calls a shopper a “mask Nazi.”
The anti maskers went next Bloomingdales at Century City Mall. LAPD showed up eventually but did not try to remove them. @Bloomingdales staff seemed unable to force them to leave.
The group of about 20 circulated around the 3 floors, chanting “no more masks,” and “fuck communist China.”
@Bloomingdales staff escort a shopper out after he gets into an argument with multiple protesters
The anti maskers have a little dance party on the floor of @Bloomingdales, dancing to the MAGA version of YMCA.
Things get heated between a Steve Madden employee and a protester who tries to push through their door, claiming the employee pushed him first.
An anti-masker enters an 85 Degrees cafe/bakery and says to tell the company that masks are illegal. The customers and employees appeared nonplussed.
The anti-maskers mistake a woman taking a sip of her coffee as a supporter. She quickly puts her mask back on.
A worker in the foot court asks why the anti-maskers are protesting on private property. The anti-masker tells him that he has a right to be there because he is an American.
Some the anti-maskers were not served by foot court employees. One of them confronts malls security and says that they can be arrested for not serving them. “We don’t live in China, we don’t live Iran.”
Police intervene in an incident where a shopper allegedly pushed an anti-maskers camera.
The protester reviews footage of the incident with police. It seems to show the shoppers putting their hands over or into her phone. Officers told me that no charges were pressed.
An anti-masker pantomimes dying of COVID to an Ugg’s employee who was saying something to the group.
A woman who said she’s a doctor yells at the anti-maskers that her mother is in the hospital with COVID. A protester responds, “People die. Your father’s not special.”
Just a note, the fake hedge was put in place as a makeshift barricade. LAPD opted to observe and intervene only when necessary rather than try and expel the anti-maskers.
A mall official asks some anti-maskers to leave. A protester asks, “In the 40s, would you ask a group of Black people to leave if they were harassed? Trump supporters are oppressed in America today.”
At some point today, police apparently detained Shiva Bagheri after an altercation with a shopper. According to @peterdelachinga, who witnessed her detention and filmed it, he saw Bagheri walking free after this.
Will follow up with LAPD for details.
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