Anti-mask flash mob protest at Target in Fort Lauderdale
A crew of anti-maskers marched through a Target in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday evening, and it was caught on video, of course.
The boisterous young crew of 10 to 15 people is led by a blond woman in a black shirt and shorts and a guy in a red Trump hat, who walks by the camera and giggles. All members of the group are screaming about how bad masks are and laughing while shoppers look on.
Earlier this week, local anti-mask activist Cristina Gomez shared a Facebook invite to the “Anti Mask Flash Mob” at the store at 3200 N. Federal Highway at 7:30 p.m.
On her page, she wrote, “We’re taking back our freedom. Join us in Ft Lauderdale on September 15th !!!! Let’s all meet up in Ft Lauderdale. It is the only way to freedom!! Who is with me ????!!!! ”
Her invitation includes a picture of White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci with a large red cancel stripe across his face.
Another post on her page before the march shows a video of a man in a red “Make America Great Again” shirt holding a face mask and screaming in the parking lot: “Who else is tired of wearing one of these when they have to go to the store!?”
Young people (one looks to be as young as about 12) gather around him and cheer as they prepare to enter the store.
“Let it be known that we are done with these effing things,” says Gomez. “No more masks! This is where the party’s at. We’re the cool kids.”
Gomez tells her followers they entered with masks to gain access to the big-box store, but then took them off inside.
“Let freedom ring!” Gomez sings as she walks in.
As they reach the middle of the store, the grand unmasking begins as they blast the classic hit “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister. Lead singer Dee Snider later blasted their actions on Twitter, calling them “selfish [bleeps]” who did not have his permission to use the song.
The flash mob appears to have stayed inside for about five minutes, causing chaos, then left on their own without being escorted out.
Interim Assistant Chief Frank Sousa of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department told the Miami Herald that officers responded to the scene and made contact with the store’s loss prevention officer, but the individuals were gone by the time they arrived. No further action was taken.
“We have worked closely with code enforcement to educate everyone in our jurisdiction on mask placement and the importance of it,” Sousa added.
Target spokeswoman Danielle Schumann told the Miami Herald that the Minneapolis-based company has a clear mask policy and the protesters were in violation of that.
“We shared earlier this summer that Target requires guests to wear masks whenever they’re shopping in our stores,” she said in a statement. “Our priority remains the health and safety of our team and guests and we communicate our mask requirement through signs in our stores, overhead announcements and reminders from team members at the front of our stores.”
The retail chain’s mandatory mask policy, which was implemented back in July, is clearly stated on the door.
Schumann added that Target was aware of the situation that occurred at the Fort Lauderdale location.
“We asked them to leave after they removed their masks and became disruptive and rude to other shoppers,” she said.
Don’t hold your breath, but there may be another mask mob soon, another protester Nathan Babcock told The Huffington Post.
“It’s your right to do what you want, like it’s my right to do what I want,” Babcock told the outlet. “If you want to wear a mask and think [it] makes you safer ... That’s absolutely your right, 100 percent. Just don’t force me to wear a mask.”