A DeLand police officer was dispatched to the Social Security Administration office in DeLand on a sunny December morning.
Seems two individuals in the lobby had declined to wear masks, as is required by the agency. They were also refusing to leave.
When the police officer arrived, a security guard directed him to a 32-year-old man that the guard said was “causing a disturbance because he was refusing to wear a mask.”
The 32-year-old Mask-NoThanks’er “stated that he did not see the policy/law requiring him to wear a mask and felt it was a violation of his civil rights.”
In his report, the lawman mentioned that signs “on the entrance and exit doors” declared that a mask was required.
Mask-No-Thanks’er “also requested a facial mask that accommodate[d] his beard … which they did not have so he declined to wear a mask.”
The police officer told the fellow “law enforcement was not there to enforce the policy of the mask, rather to abide by the employees of the establishment who requested [that the guy] be trespassed.”
The lawman “explained this concept several times,” but Mask-No-Thanks’er “began to [video-]record the incident because he felt it was unlawful.”
Then the fellow “requested to step outside” and, out there, he let the officer know that he, the officer, “would be the subject of a civil suit.”
Mask-No-Thanks’er “was advised that he was being trespassed and asked to leave.” “After several attempts to get [him] to comply,” he still wouldn’t go and was finally placed under arrest.
By the way, in case you were wondering, Mask-NoThanks’er lives in Orange City. So why was he challenging a mask policy in DeLand? Couldn’t he find a single business or agency in Orange City that had a mask policy that he could defy? (If not, how hard was he looking?!)
— By Keith Allen, based on local police-agency reports. If you have information about a crime, call Crime Stoppers, 1-888-277-TIPS. You could be eligible for a reward.
