Kylie Rancor
Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 in the United States have hit an all-time high and yet, of course, anti-maskers are getting even cockier in the face of an unprecedented disaster.
A parade of anti-maskers swarmed a Ralph’s grocery store in Los Angeles over the weekend, resulting in a number of confrontations and even violence.
At least 20 videos taken of the crusade by various people were compiled by writer Samuel Braslow on Twitter, including an incident in which one anti-masker began chasing a man with a mask on with her cart after claiming he hit her. He appears to deny the accusation, and another person can be heard claiming she breathed in his face as part of their protest.
The anti-maskers caused a massive disturbance throughout the store as they clashed with people following masking protocols. People on both sides can be seen yelling and harassing one another as multiple people recorded.
The protest eventually spilled over into the Century City Mall. According to Braslow and the videos shared, the LAPD eventually showed up but did nothing to enforce the mask mandate or remove the disrupters.
The LAPD’s unwillingness to do anything about anti-maskers is no surprise, as the police themselves have repeatedly been filmed without masks on throughout Los Angeles in 2020.
However, the mall is private property, and businesses retain the right to refuse service to those not complying with rules, despite anti-maskers’ repeated claims to the contrary.
The protest sparked outrage in Los Angeles, where ICUs are at capacity and estimates suggest someone in the county is dying of COVID-19 every ten minutes. Many not only blasted the selfishness and entitlement of the anti-maskers, but questioned why no authorities are doing anything about this while both the city and country are in crisis.
It’s events like this that make it difficult to believe the pandemic will end with vaccinations becoming available to the general public. Not only will people like this likely refuse to get vaccinated, but they will go out of their way to continue pretending COVID-19 is just a hoax.
When will the pandemic end? No one can say. But it seems more and more likely America will outlast most other countries.