‘It’s America, right?’ Woman posts video of herself challenging mask rule in SLO store
A cell phone video shot by a defiant customer at a San Luis Obispo grocery store who refused to cover her face per store policy has gone viral, with hundreds of viewers commenting in support of the store’s employees.
The roughly one-minute video — titled “Entitled karen refuses to wear a mask in grocery store, then decides to film the confrontation” — was uploaded to the video app TikTok by a user identified as @charliezen.
The video was subsequently posted on other platforms, including in the Reddit subreddit r/PublicFreakout, a page “dedicated to people freaking out, melting down, losing their cool, or being weird in public.”
The page, created in 2013, contains similar videos of people challenging mask rules at grocery stores during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The video, uploaded to the subreddit on page Wednesday, shows the woman, Natasha Roady, 32, of Oceano, inside the Smart & Final in the 1300 block of Johnson Avenue, being confronted by an employee.
“You’re asking me to leave the store for not wearing a mask when I have a medical condition,” the woman says. “Even though yours is pulled under your nose.”
The employee asks her for a note that explains her medical condition.
“I don’t have to bring a note and your (mask) isn’t even on,” she replies.
“You just do your own thing, is that it?” the employee asks. The woman immediately turns around, says “Thank you” and walks deeper into the store.
“Is that it? You just do what you want to do?” the staffer asks.
“It’s America, right?” the woman responds.
“Get out of the store,” the employee says, following her past the registers and towards the alcohol aisle.
“Are you going to force me? Are you going to put your hands on me?” she says.
“I’m telling you to get out. You’re a loser — get out,” he responds.
Another employee tells the woman: “Please leave our store.”
“We can call the police,” the first employee says.
“Do it,” she replies.
“We will,” he says.
“Okay, I’ll be here,” the woman says. She then appears to walk toward the front door and the video ends.
Oceano woman explains her actions
Roady spoke to The Tribune on Friday about the incident at the store.
She said that she has two medical conditions, which make it unsafe to wear a mask, and believes the clerk should have respected that.
“I don’t want to disclose what my medical issues are, but I do have medical issues, and that’s why I believe I felt I needed to stand up for myself,” said Roady, a bartender. “I’m probably bothered most that my Americans with Disabilities Act rights were being violated. I didn’t expect that.”
Roady said that she understands a private business has a right to a policy, but she disagrees with the rule and believes the clerk acted inappropriately.
“I’ve been in hospitality on and off for 10 years and kicked out drunk people before, and I never treated anyone like that,” Roady said. “I’m not saying they don’t have the right to run a business as they see fit. I have a problem with the policy. People are being attacked and harassed because they don’t have a mask.”
Roady said she had a discussion with Smart & Final’s district manager, and they discussed ways the situation could have been handled differently, possibly by requesting items be brought to her outside the store.
“I realize I said things and it got more heated than I would like have liked it to be,” Roady said. “But the policy is dangerous and I want to effect change and that’s why filmed this and released it.”
She added she is a Bernie Sanders supporter, and believes some people have lumped in the mask issue with political affiliations.
Response to the video
Reddit users posting on the r/PublicFreakout page were vocal in their support of the store employees’ actions.
“Oh, so she is a professional Karen?” posted another, referring to the stereotype mockingly applied to middle-aged white women who publicly display privilege, such as asking for a manager at a restaurant or store.
“Someone needs to inform her of the difference between private and public property,” wrote another user. “Shops are private and can ask you to leave/ban you for any reason they want, you have an implied right of access which can be revoked at any point, this means the moment she is asked to leave and refuses she is then trespassing on private property just as if you walked into someone home without permission.”
A manager on duty at the store Thursday confirmed the incident with The Tribune but declined to comment other than to say that it was a work-related issue that has since been addressed by the company’s district manager.
He said Smart & Final will continue to take appropriate steps to keep its customers and employees safe, including requiring face coverings.
Face coverings are required for all customers inside Smart & Final stores, according to the company’s social distancing and safety precautions.
A San Luis Obispo Police Department spokesman said his agency was not notified of the incident and no officers responded.
This story has been updated to confirm the identity of the woman who took the video and share her response.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 3:46 PM.
