LOS ANGELES, CA – A woman whose diatribe laden with profanity at being asked to wear a mask at Trader Joe’s in North Hollywood is speaking after nearly 15 million people viewed her screen on social media.
ABC7 tracked down the woman who asked to remain anonymous, but critics called her “Trader Joe’s Karen”. Although she seemed to delight her audience at the time, speaking directly to the cameras of other buyers who filmed her, the woman now says her decision not to wear a mask despite the state mandate is being misrepresented.
“Unlike the lies they are telling, I had no political agenda. I had nothing. They could use what I said later in my anger, it doesn’t matter,” he told ABC7.
In the video she can be seen throwing her shopping basket on the floor and screaming, “You are Democratic pigs (expletives), all of you.”
The woman said she has an unspecified medical condition that prevents her from wearing a mask and that she asked merchant Joe’s for permission to buy without a mask. The state mask requirement specifically exempts people who cannot wear masks due to medical conditions. But another buyer began to harass her over her decision not to wear a mask, she told ABC7.
“What happened to me shouldn’t happen to anyone else,” he said.
Viral videos of such scenes have spread like wildfires through social media as the mask calls for sparking across the country. There have been repeated incidents of violence in companies where customers must wear masks. In Van Nuys, two men were arrested for attacking Target Security guards who asked them not to cover up, according to Los Angeles police. A security guard at a Dollar Family store in Michigan was shot dead after asking customers to put on a mask; and three McDonald’s employees were injured in an Oklahoma City shooting after informing a customer of restrictions related to the pandemic.
Across California, county health officials, including Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer, reported receiving death threats for requiring residents to wear masks in public. This week Hugo’s Tacos announced that it will close its locations in Studio City and Atwater Village due to customers harassing and attacking employees for asking them to wear masks.
“Our taco stands are depleted by constant customer conflict over guests refusing to wear masks,” company officials wrote in a notice to customers.
The mask controversy exploded after President Donald Trump questioned the need for masks, even as health experts in his administration advised Americans to put on protective gear to stop the spread of COVID-19. According to a Gallup poll, the issue has become highly politicized, with 75 percent of Democrats saying they had worn a mask in public compared to less than half of Republicans surveyed.
