A sign posted at Fiddleheads Cafe in Northern California A cafe in Mendocino, California, has announced it will charge a “cover charge” of $5 for those customers who place their order while wearing a face mask. In March, the 34-year-old owner of Fiddleshead Cafe, Chris Castleman, began offering a 50% discount for folks who were willing to throw their masks in the trash. From NBC News:
“It’s about time that the proponents of these ineffective government measures start paying for the collateral damage they have collectively caused,” the owner said.
The restaurant also planned to charge an additional $5 fee to those “caught bragging” about being vaccinated, according to a couple of the posted signs.
“The government shut everything down,” he said Friday. “Everyone wearing a mask is complicit.”
The cafe had previously posted a sign reading “Get your free COVID-19 vaccine card here.” The sign has since been removed.
I’d just go on in coughing and complaining how I don’t feel so good. Make them think a moment.
Look, I get that some folks don’t want to get a coronavirus shot. So, don’t. But Virginia C. Brown, 36, has been arrested after driving through a vaccination site at a high rate of speed narrowly missing 7 workers. From WSMV in Nashville:
Deputies assigned to assist at the site saw a blue Chrysler SUV traveling at a high rate of speed through a closed cone course and through an enclosed tent with several health department and national guard personnel working under the tent. The deputy observed the Chrysler SUV exit the tent and continue to drive recklessly through the cone course.
A deputy was able to follow Brown after she drove through the site and arrest her. She was charged with seven counts of felony reckless endangerment.
Workers in the tent said the woman in the car was shouting things about the vaccine. They told deputies they thought the woman was yelling “No vaccine,” as she sped by them, narrowly missing hitting seven of the workers under the tent.
Workers at the vaccination site told deputies they thought the driver was attempting to kill them.
Viewers noted the irony of the name of the store in the background File this under ‘Act like a fool, get treated like a fool.’ I don’t advocate violence against anyone, but I see why some folks could relate to this viral video bopping around social media showing an encounter between an anti-mask protester and a cyclist in Vancouver. According to CTV, anti-mask provocateur Alex Lasarev (who apparently spends a good amount of time acting out against healthcare guidance) was shouting his garbage via a megaphone from the window of a moving vehicle. But then a cyclist – who’s clearly had enough of Lasarev’s assholery – approaches the vehicle and begins to beat the car with his bicycle. Ultimately, the cyclist ends up smashing the passenger window. In February, Lasarev took cellphone video of while heckling employees of Kerrisdale Cameras after they refused to serve him because he wouldn’t wear a mask. Vancouver Police are recommending charges of mischief and assault with a weapon against the cyclist. Here’s the video clip. As you can see, some folks are cheering the cyclist even as they denounce the violence.
Greatest video ever! Obnoxious MAGA anti-masker spews disinformation on a bullhorn out his window, and a guy on a bike just wasn’t going to have it. pic.twitter.com/7t0lyLTbLy
I disagree with violence, but it is trying to counteract something far more insidious. So I guess he’s doing the right thing and I’d be happy to donate to a legal defence.
Stephanie Denaro of Queens, NY When an employee at Davidovich Bakery on the Lower East Side of Manhattan asked a woman ordering bagels to mask up while in the establishment, she lobbed the n-word his way. Oh, and it turns out she’s a COVID denier as well. From the New York Daily News:
A security guard tells the clerk it’s up to him if he wants to serve her — and he said he did not — the guard tells the customer: “Ma’am, he’s not going to serve you, so please leave.”
“Why, cause he’s a b—h-ass n—–?” she responded, and then repeated the slur.
The woman, who spoke to The News on Tuesday, identified herself as Stephanie Denaro of Queens. “I said, ‘You’re a bitch-ass n—-r,’ a term they use,” she said in a phone interview. “All of my children have a Black father. That’s a term I’ve heard them use all my life.”
When asked if she was concerned about the video going viral, she said, “It’s actually great, because they’re forcing people in New York City to wear masks. It’s political theater. I don’t believe in COVID-19. It’s a hoax to convince people to use absentee ballots to steal the election from Donald Trump.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMv4EaLhTCd/ That’s it. The entire planet – all the hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S., Brazil, Europe, the UK…all of that was staged in order to scrounge up absentee ballots so Trump would lose. Okay… Davidovich Bakery issued a statement expressing its strong support for the employee via social media:
We want to commend our employee on his handling of the sad incident which occurred at the Essex Market. As is true with any family an attack on one member of the family is an attack on all of us. Davidovich is a family run business and a family. We stand with all our employees for handling this situation of hate and bigotry with professionalism and grace. We intend to make it clear that this customer or anyone who uses racism and any insensitive language, simply is not welcome in our stores.
Covidiot ‘Karen’ – Terry Lynn Wright (screen captures) OMG, the police were called to deal with this woman a second time in just under a week. Terry Lynn Wright, 65, was taken into custody on Wednesday by police officers at a Texas City Office Depot when she refused to wear a face mask per the company’s policy. A mere six days prior, she was arrested on criminal trespass and resisting charges in a viral video moment at a bank in Galveston, Texas. In body cam footage, Wright was seen resisting arrest and screaming she didn’t have to wear a “face diaper.” She later told local news reporters that the pandemic is a hoax. In the video clip, she calls her treatment ‘police brutality,’ as others in the bank lobby say, “No, it’s not.”
Police were called to the Office Depot in Texas City just after 9 a.m. on Wednesday after Wright was asked to leave the store by employees for refusing to wear a face mask. No new charges were filed, but Wright was taken into custody on warrants related to the Galveston incident. She was then transferred to the Galveston County Jail. Lord, what do these people think they are going to achieve with these silly antics? Is all this really worth being detained/arrested?
Terry Lynn Wright’s arrest earlier this month was caught on camera. Now she’s accused of refusing to leave a Texas City Office Depot after refusing to wear a mask. https://t.co/uaQM5fEJzV
Landon Grier (mugshot) Meet Landon Grier, 24, who allegedly refused to wear a face mask on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Denver (as required by the FAA) on March 9 and then apparently urinated in the cabin. He’s now facing a possible 20 year prison sentence and $250,000 fine for the federal charge of interfering with a flight crew and attendants. From NBC DFW:
The affidavit by FBI Special Agent Martin Daniell III, who interviewed Grier and crew members, says Grier appeared to be trying to sleep but swatted at an attendant when she asked him repeatedly to put on his mask, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
A passenger later summoned attendants because Grier was urinating in his seat area, Daniell wrote.
The agent said Grier told him he had several beers and “a couple of shots” before boarding the flight, fell asleep on the plane and “awoke to being yelled at by the flight attendants who told him he was peeing.”
Grier later admitted to having several beers and “a couple of shots” before the flight. Journalist Jeremy Jojola reports that Grier has several previous arrests including drunk driving and burglary.
A Colorado man accused of disrupting an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Denver by refusing to wear a mask and then standing up and urinating in the cabin faces a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew and attendants. https://t.co/Jspq7Sb8fy
Fitness trainer Adrian Aguilar handles a wild Covidiot with amazing calm (screen captures) Some news items you might have missed: • LGBTQ Nation: The Mississippi state Senate passed a bill to ban transgender girls and women from competing in school sports by a vote of 34-9 late last week. Nine senators voted “present” or did not vote at all. • Instinct Magazine: I admit I’m not the biggest expert on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but watch Denali walk away with this lip-sync battle. Poor Kahmora was stuck in a tight dress and couldn’t bring much to the battle.
• Washington Blade: Following President Biden’s reversal of the transgender military ban, trans service members welcome the opportunity to serve openly. • Calendars: A new calendar, On Fire: The Firefighters of France, is a sexy homage to firefighters, spotlighting the proud members of fire squads from all over France, who have discarded their helmets and gear to flash their best smiles and flex their muscles. • AP: Dr. Anthony Fauci has been awarded $1 million by the Israel-based Dan David Foundation for “defending science” and advocating for vaccines now being administered worldwide to fight the coronavirus pandemic. • Washington Post: An Atlanta-area prosecutor plans to scrutinize a post-Election Day phone call between Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as part of a criminal investigation into whether Donald Trump broke Georgia laws while trying to reverse his defeat in the state. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Talk about COVID nutjobs… fitness trainer (and Broadway veteran) Adrian Aguilar (top photos) had this wiiiiiiiild encounter with a male ‘Karen’ in Chicago when he asked the guy (later identified as Austin Tony Myers) to mask up per current pandemic guidelines. The guy goes nutso, starts poking a very calm Aguilar, and trying to escalate things even further. The police were called, and Myers tried to say HE had been assaulted. But with several gym members recording the encounter plus security cameras, officers eventually (the incident lasted hours) arrested Myers for assault and trespassing. You can read the full account here.
Matthew Camp (image via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • NewNowNext: Porn star Matthew Camp speaks out about the recent early morning arson attack that destroyed his home. “I don’t have any enemies that I know of,” Camp says gently. “But I’m a gay sex worker who bought a house that used to be owned by a Satanist. I don’t know who did it, but it’s not hard to guess why they would.” • The Advocate: A group of eight U.S. Catholic Bishops released a statement in support of LGBTQ+ people, saying that, “God created you, God loves you and God is on your side.” A ninth Bishop later signed on as well. • Out Music: Openly gay artist J.R. Price has released a duet featuring his childhood hero, out singer/songwriter Tom Goss titled “Dance with Me”, a bluesy love song about the power dance has to bring a couple together before the world breaks them apart.
“The song chronicles that moment when a couple is fighting, and it doesn’t even make sense for them to stay together a second longer, but with a simple dance, they realize they can’t part because the attachment is too powerful,” explains Price. The track is available now.
• Gothamist: The co-owner of a pub who refused to follow COVID-19 health restrictions has avoided a felony charge of second degree assault on an officer. On December 6, 2020, he drove into a sheriff’s deputy who tried to detain him breaking both the officer’s legs. • NBC News: The Kissimmee Police Department says it verified 30 screenshots of Facebook posts made by Officer Andrew Johnson in support of the Capitol riots, and disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement. And then the department fired him. • CNBC: Funny how ashamed these folks are after getting arrested. Garrett Miller (above) has been charged with invading the Capitol on January 6 and calling for the assassination of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He’s very sorry now and he adds he was just following then-President Donald Trump’s orders.
“I was in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021, because I believed I was following the instructions of former President Trump and he was my president and the commander-in-chief. His statements also had me believing the election was stolen from him.” https://t.co/SgnrB2JWf7
Cindy Falco DiCorrado (screen captures)The Smoking Gun describes these clips as “Florida woman gives Palm Beach Sheriff’s deputies an ‘advanced Karen Masterclass’ during anti-mask meltdown at Einstein Bros. Bagels in Boca Raton.” This leopard print ‘Karen’ is registered Republican Cindy Falco DiCorrado, 61, of Boynton Beach.
While waiting for Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies to arrive, DiCorrado declared, “I’m an American and I’m allowed to breathe. And it’s against my religion. And it’s against the amendment.”
As she referenced purported legal citations proving that it was illegal to require masks inside a private business, an onlooker asked her, “Shouldn’t you be storming the Capitol?”
As you’ll see in the second clip, after being handcuffed next to the police cruiser, DiCorrado began chanting, “In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. I come against these principalities and powers…this abuse, this abuse.” After demanding to know why she was arrested, the officer informed her that she had been trespassing. “You can’t trespass in a public business,” she shrieks. Ultimately, DiCorrado was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest without violence and booked into the Palm Beach County jail. She was released the following day after posting a $2000 bond and ordered by a judge to stay away from Einstein Bros. (mugshot via Broward County Sheriff’s Office) For the record, according to Broward County Mayor Steve Geller, even though local Florida governments have mandated mask use, you can’t be arrested for not wearing a mask. BUT – a business owner can request people to leave for not following the rules, especially because a business can still be fined for not enforcing the mask mandate. The end result for noncompliance could be an arrest for trespassing. There is NO constitutional right to buy a bagel in a store. As a spokesman for Einstein Bros. Bagels noted, those who don’t want to or can’t wear a face mask can pre-order their food and have it delivered curbside. DiCorrado was arrested last May for trespassing and resisting at a West Palm Beach restaurant as part of a mask protest. In 2017, DiCorrado was forced to resign from a city advisory board after “racist,” “white supremacist” and “anti-immigrant” remarks. Wait until you see this. I’d call for a Bette Midler parody except this leopard print ‘Karen’ is already beyond the boundaries of parody. Btw – don’t white people always say ‘If you don’t resist the police you won’t have a problem?’
Registered Republican Cindy Falco DiCorrado, 61, of Boynton Beach, “was also arrested last May for trespassing and resisting at a West Palm Beach restaurant where two of her friends had been arrested a day earlier (apparently as part of a mask protest)” #BecauseFloridapic.twitter.com/UU6H9FjyFE
(photo by Maurício Mascaro via Pexels) While Atlanta Pride organizers decided to hold a series of virtual Pride events this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, there were still some unofficial live dance events where video and photos of shirtless men dancing shoulder to shoulder made their way onto social media. One party-goer died early Sunday morning at one of the unofficial events. From The Advocate:
Emergency workers had attempted to resuscitate the man, who was found unconscious at the club BJ Roosters; he had passed out in the venue’s basement earlier in the morning after consuming the drug ecstasy, said his partner. Atlanta police found no signs of foul play, but an investigation is ongoing.
The event held early Sunday morning at BJ Roosters, from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m., was Xion, a gay circuit party thrown by Ga Boy Events. The group had organized several unofficial events during Atlanta Pride weekend, including a Saturday night party at the Underground Atlanta mall with Danny Verde and an event at District Atlanta with Nina Flowers.
One of Xion’s attendees, who asked to remain anonymous, forwarded a statement to The Advocate claiming that pandemic guidelines were not being enforced at the event, which was “packed” with hundreds of guests to “overcapacity at times.”
The victim was apparently in crisis for over 30 minutes with an onlooker performing CPR before paramedics showed up. The witness also told The Advocate that he’d attended parties all over the world and never been to one without EMTs standing by.
Taken last night at Atlanta Pride. And publicly posted to Instagram. In the middle of a pandemic. People can be so shitty and selfish. Please don’t be like these people. This is appallingly gross. pic.twitter.com/SDafZ0HXfC
This doesn’t represent Queer Atlanta or Atlanta Pride… this is some selfish bullshit and greedy promoters who want to cash in on the weekend and a slap in the face to our spaces that are actually doing the work or have been forced to shut down. pic.twitter.com/09dcogipZm
