Do you remember the old cartoons that always pictured bank robbers wearing masks?
Well in 2021 people who don’t wear masks are considered criminals.
A woman in Galveston, Texas has just been arrested for refusing to wear a mask inside a bank.
The arrest comes one day after the state of Texas lifted all mask mandates.
Why was she arrested then?
Well, Texas still allows businesses to refuse service to anyone that does not comply with their masking policies.
BREAKING VIDEO: 65-year-old Texas woman arrested after REFUSING TO MASK UP or leave Galveston bank…https://t.co/UBceyG1nsx
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) March 13, 2021
The woman was taken down by force by the police officer for refusing to comply with the bank’s mask policy.
Check out the police body camera footage:
ABC 13 News covered the story:
Just a day after Texas rolled back COVID-19 restrictions, including those mandating face coverings in public, a woman’s arrest has emerged stemming from her refusal to wear a mask.
Body camera footage released by Galveston police shows officers confronting the woman inside a Bank of America branch on Central City Boulevard.
The footage, taken on Thursday, begins with an officer being directed by a bank manager to the woman. The officer encounters the woman who expresses frustration over being told to wear a mask, invoking the state’s lifted mandate.
However, the officer is heard reminding the woman that businesses can refuse service to anyone that does not comply with masking policies, which is something that Gov. Greg Abbott still allowed.
With the woman giving pushback, the officer says, “Ma’am, listen, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“What are you going to do? Arrest me?” she asks. “That’s hilarious.”
The confrontation escalates with the woman raising her voice at other bank customers, and that’s when it becomes physical.
The woman is taken down to the ground and arrested.
Bodycam footage shows the woman being confronted by officers after she refused to leave a bank where she was told to put on a mask.​ https://t.co/MbO15BmiWY
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) March 13, 2021
Fox News shared the details of the incident too;
A 65-year-old Texas woman found herself tackled and handcuffed after refusing to leave a Galveston Bank of America branch that requires customers to wear a coronavirus mask inside.
A Galveston police officer arrived at the scene and told the woman, whom Fox 26 Houston later identified as Terry White, the situation.
Even as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has lifted a statewide mask mandate, private businesses are still allowed to implement their own mask rules, capacity limits or other safety guidelines.
“Businesses have the right to refuse service even if you’re not wearing a mask,” the officer explains. “You need to go and get a mask and then take your money out.”
She accused the officer of “taking away people’s human rights” in bodycam video of the arrest.
She accused the officer of “taking away people’s human rights” in bodycam video of the arrest.
Her charges are resisting arrest and criminal trespassing.
So ultimately she’s being arrested for resisting arrest to a “crime” that actually isn’t a crime.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!