A woman barred from entering a pet store in California because she wouldn’t wear a face mask called 911 on the employee.
Aidan Bearpaw, an employee at Bones-N-Scones, recorded the woman and the entire interaction, according to an article published Friday by the New York Post.
‘Karen’ calls 911 after being barred from pet store for not wearing a mask https://t.co/6Tsnx5qrzG pic.twitter.com/HZffghSQw5
— New York Post (@nypost) October 9, 2020
“I’ll have a panic attack, I will freak out, I will have an anxiety attack,” the woman reportedly told Bearpaw after he asked her to put a mask on or let him provide her with “reasonable accommodation.”
The employee shared the video Sunday on Facebook.
“I’ve never had to deal with a karen calling 911 on me before all because I asked her to please wear a mask in the store,” he captioned the video.
The woman did call 911 and cited the 1964 Civil Rights Act as the reason she didn’t have to wear a mask. (RELATED: Man Leaves Waitress No Tip After She Reminded Him To Wear A Face Mask)
“As per the 1964 Civil Rights Act, I cannot be discriminated against,” she said in the video, the outlet reported. “I do have a right to be able to breath O2 not CO2 and I’m being discriminated against right now at a store.”
“I’m being told I need to wear a mask even though I have a religious exemption right and a God-given right to be able to breathe O2 and not CO … medical exemption too,” she added.
Bones-N-Scones General Consulting Manager Jay Smith backed up the employee’s decision to enforce the mask policy in an interview published by KESQ.
“I’m biased, but it’s a shining example of how just doing what’s right,” Smith said. “Standing your ground overcomes all of those things. Aidan won for us that day, he didn’t just want it for Bone-N-Scones. He won for the city of Palm Springs, but United States and for humanity in general.”