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Cover your face or else …
This appears to be the new motto of some of America’s law enforcement officers, including the officers in the state of Pennsylvania.
On Thursday, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority issued a statement asking public transportation riders to don masks or facial coverings.
A day later, an unmasked bus passenger in Philadelphia reportedly paid a steep price for his refusal to abide by SEPTA’s request.
Watch:
#Philly police find Man who didn’t have a facemask on #septa bus pic.twitter.com/o0hjfHyMBV
— Silver Report Uncut™ 🇺🇸 (@silver_report) April 10, 2020
“Philadelphia police responded to ‘calls of a disturbance’ near 11th and Market Streets about 8:25 a.m. Friday after a passenger was repeatedly asked to leave the bus and refused. The passenger was not arrested or cited,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The unnamed man has claimed he was targeted for not wearing a mask.
Philadelphia Managing Director Brian Abernathy has said only that the authorities “were responding to the fact that the person was asked to leave the bus and refused.”
While nothing about masks was formally cited by any figure in Philadelphia, it’s become pretty clear to the world that the man was indeed targeted for his lack of mask.
However, the man seen above wasn’t the only one to be targeted.
“A second video circulated on Friday of a SEPTA worker telling people on a bus to get off if they didn’t have masks. The worker then directed one man, who was wearing a bandanna over his mouth, to get off the bus,” station WPVI reported.
Watch, and take note of the driver’s face:
Another video out of Philadelphia.
SEPTA has banned anyone from riding the buses or underground lines without a mask.
Here, an unmasked man comes on to enforce the order saying he will have the cops remove anyone who refuses to comply.
A man using a jacket as a mask also off! pic.twitter.com/UlhyMiS8YC
— #AMPFEST2020 ~ MIAMI ~ OCTOBER 8 – 11 (@AMPFEST_USA) April 10, 2020
That’s certainly one way to enforce mask rules.
Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County, California has another way …
Speaking Saturday morning on Fox News’ “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” he said that his department is approaching his county’s own face mask rules with far more leniency.
“The order was obviously given by our county health doctor and through the executive office, and it applies to everyone in the county, but we in law enforcement — especially in this county, Riverside County law enforcement and even our surrounding counties — are taking the approach where we’re trying to get voluntary compliance,” he said.
“So in Riverside County, my deputies are not actively going out and searching for these people not wearing masks or coming outside their home. We’re taking more of the voluntary compliance approach. We’re passing out some fliers if we see people, if we’re contacting them normally, and for the most part, in Riverside County we are getting compliance when we ask.”
Perhaps the folks in Pennsylvania should take note? In fact, they already have.
Listen to Bianco’s full FNC interview below:
(Source: Fox News)
After the bus footage from Philly went viral, SEPTA reversed its Thursday decision.
“SEPTA said it’s no longer enforcing a facial covering requirement that went into effect Thursday, and will not deny entry to passengers who are not wearing a mask or covering,” the Inquirer confirmed late Friday.
Better late than never.
Though as of Saturday afternoon, it wasn’t clear whether the about-face would be enough to quell the rising tide of anger seen below (*Language warning):
do riders know that they might be pulled off a SEPTA bus by 10 cops for not having a mask? pic.twitter.com/NnHXJC02E8
— Philly Transit Riders Union (@phillyTRU) April 10, 2020
This is the most insane waste of resources I’ve ever seen. Since so many businesses are closed these cops are just looking for something to do, and this is what they come up with?
— 🧔🏻 Riker’s Beard @ 🏡 (@BeardOfRiker) April 10, 2020
Don’t blame the cops. Blame the policymakers & the person refusing to leave, which makes the cops have to remove him.
— Bearzus (@bearzus) April 10, 2020
@SEPTA you guys are fucking trash.
If your bus driver was already wearing a mask why is he fearing for his life?
Isnt the mask supposed to protect him?
No?
Then why the fuck are you wearing it and throwing people off the bus for not being able to purchase one.
Trash
— CPTR™ (@ComPTonRiLLO) April 11, 2020
fuck @SEPTA it’s not a law to wear a mask but you can’t ride public transportation without one I say fuck y’all when it’s time for a new union deal
— Vernon Coles (@VernSav) April 11, 2020
This is beyond appalling! Yeah, how about a warning, or hand out masks, or have signs posted at bus stops, and have drivers inform riders…. so many possible solutions that don’t include these ass hats dragging a man off of a damn bus. Unacceptable. 😡
— Amber Chapman (@achappie2007) April 11, 2020
People are being forced to go to work in the middle of a pandemic so they don’t lose their homes, so they can feed themselves and their families, and the response is to police people like this??? @SEPTA answer for yourself this is unacceptable https://t.co/NMojiXI1Qe
— Emily Endres (@EmilyEndres1) April 10, 2020
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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