YEAR
YEAR FOR
YEAR FOR SMALL
BUSINESSES ACROSS IDAHO. WE'VE WATCHED AS
LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND
RETAIL STORES SHIFTED
THEIR BUSINESS PLANS TO
PROMOTE COVID SAFETY.
SOME B USINESSES ARE
NOW REQUIRING
CUSTOMERS TO MASK UP
BEFORE THEY CAN SHOP.
IN BOISE -- MAYOR
LAUREN MCLEAN
RECENTLY PUT A NEW
EMPHASIS ON ENFORCING
THE CITY'S MASK
MANDATE -- WARNING
THAT VIOLATORS COULD
BE TICKETED AND FINED.
SOME -- WHO OPPOSE
THE ORDER -- PROTESTED
OUTSIDE THE MAYOR'S
HOME OVER THE
WEEKEND.
OTHERS WENT MASKLESS
TO SEVERAL BOISE
BUSINESSES.
THOSE BUSINESS
OWNERS SAY THEY WERE
HARASSED FOR THEIR
POLICIES INSIDE THEIR
OWN SHOPS.
OUR JOE PARRIS SPOKE
WITH ONE STORE
MANAGER-- WHO SAYS
SHE WAS CONFRONTED BY
THE GROUP OVER HER
STORE'S MASK POLICY -- A
POLICY THAT THAT SIMPLY
ADHERES TO THE CITY'S
PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER.
HE WAS ALSO ABLE TO
TALK WITH BOISE POLICE
ABOUT THEIR RESPONSE
TO THESE INCIDENTS.
"IT
"IT WAS
"IT WAS A
"IT WAS A VERY UNSETTLING AND SCARY SITUATION."
REBECCA ROGERS IS THE
MANAGER OF DRAGONFLY
IN DOWNTOWN IN BOISE.
THE CLOTHING AND GIFT
SHOP WAS TARGETED BY A
GROUP OF ANTI-MASK
PROTESTERS OVER THE
WEEKEND DURING SMALL
BUSINESS SATURDAY.
ROGERS SAYS THE GROUP
CAME INTO THE STORE
WITHOUT MASKS TO
HAND THEM PAPERWORK,
THE GROUPS SAID THEY
WERE THERE TO SERVE
THE BUSINESS BEACUSE OF
THEIR ILLEGAL MASK
POLICY
"WE TOLD THESE PEOPLE
THEY NEED TO PUT MASKS
ON OR LEAVE. THEY
REFUSED TO LEAVE THEY
REFUSED TO LISTEN TO
US."
ROGERS SAYS SHE AND
THE STORE OWNER
REPEATEDLY ASK THE
GROUP TO EAVE.
"AND
"AND THEY
"AND THEY DIDN'T, THEY DECIDED THEY WERE GOING TO STAND AT THE
COUNTER. CREATE A
SCENE, INTIMIDATE US,
THREATEN US."
DRAGONFLY WASN'T THE
ONLY PLACE TARGETED,
GROUPS TRAVELED TO
ABOUT
ABOUT 20
ABOUT 20 BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN TO HAND THEM PAPERWORK. LIVE
STREAMS WERE POSTED
HERE
HERE ON
HERE ON THE PUBLIC FACEBOOK GROUP CIVIL
RIGHTS
RIGHTS MASK MOVEMENT. NAT FROM FACEBOOK
VIDEO
VIDEO "THIS IS A LEGAL SUMMONS."
SUMMONS."
"I
"I DON'T
"I DON'T KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE A BUNCH OF JUNK MAIL."
THIS IS THE PAPERWORK
THE GROUP DROPPED OFF,
AGAIN THREATENING
LEGAL ACTION IF THE
STORE CONTINUED THEIR
MASK POLICY.
"WHEN PEOPLE AREN'T
LISTENING TO YOU AND
THEY STAND THERE IN
FRONT OF YOU NOT
DOING WHAT YOU'RE
TELLING THEM TO DO IT'S
INCREDIBLY INTIMIDATING
AND WE WERE STARTING
TO GET A LITTLE SCARED."
I REACHED OUT TO BOISE
POLICE WITH QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE SERIES OF
INCIDENTS ON SATURDAY,
THEY TELL ME:
"ON SATURDAY, BPD
RECEIVED 19 CALLS FROM
BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN
ABOUT A GROUP OF
PROTESTORS GOING INTO
STORES WITHOUT MASKS.
AFTER RESPONDING TO
MULTIPLE OF THESE CALLS,
OFFICERS WERE ABLE TO
CONTACT A PORTION OF
THE GROUP AND HAVE A
CONVERSATION WITH
THEM ABOUT THE PUBLIC
HEALTH ORDER AND THEIR
ACTIVITIES. BPD IS
FOLLOWING UP WITH
BUSINESSES AND THE
PROSECUTORS
REGARDING THE
INCIDENT."
NO CITATIONS WERE
ISSUED SATURDAY, BUT
BPD TELLS ME THERE STILL
COULD BE CITATIONS
STEMMING FROM WHAT
HAPPENED ACROSS
DOWNTOWN BOISE ON
SATURDAY.
ROGERS SAYS ASIDE FROM
CITATIONS THOUGH, THEY
WERE WORRIED ABOUT
THE HEALTH AND SAFETY
OF STAFF AND
CUSTOMERS WHEN A
LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE
WHO WON'T WEAR A
MASK AND CLEARLY
AREN'T TAKING COVID
SERIOUSLY COME INTO
THEIR STORE.
"THE HEALTH OF OUR
CUSTOMERS WAS PUT AT
RISK. PEOPLE CAME INTO
THE STORE AND DID NOT
EXPECT
EXPECT TO
EXPECT TO HAPPEN. IT'S BEWILDERING AND INFURIATING."
BOTTOMLINE FROM THE
TEAM AT DRAGONFLY,
THEY SAY THAT WANT
PEOPLE TO BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE FOR
HARASSING AND
THREATENING THEM
WHEN THEY WERE SIMPLY
ENFORCING A PUBLIC
HEALTH ORDER DESIGNED
TO KEEP THE COMMUNITY
HEALTHY.
"IT'S LIKE THEY ARE
COMING INTO OUR
HOMES BECAUSE THIS
PLACE MEANS A LOT TO
US AND IT IS SO
PERSONAL."
"THESE PEOPLE SHOULD
BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE
FOR WHAT THEY ARE
DOING AND HOW THEY
ARE BEHAVING IT'S
UNACCEPTABLE.
ABSOLUTELY
UNACCEPTABLE. ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE."
ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE." SO WERE POLICE
RESPNDING
RESPNDING TO CALLS SATURDAY DOWNTOWN?
SATURDAY DOWNTOWN?
AND
AND WE
AND WE SHOULD
MENTION
MENTION THAT PAPERWORK THAT WAS LEFT AT THE BUSINESSES
HAD THE NAME PEOPLE'S
RIGHTS NETWORK
ATTACHED TO IT.
IT THREATENED LEGAL
ACTION IF THE
BUSINESSES CONTINUED
TO DENY MASKLESS
CUSTOMERS SERVICE.
AS WE REPORTED WHEN
MAYOR MCLEAN FIRST
ISSUED THE MASK
MANDATE -- BUSINESSES
HAVE THE RIGHT TO
REFUSE SERVICE TO
SOMEONE NOT WEARING
A MASK.
FORMER IDAHO ATTORNEY
GENERAL DAVID LEROY
TOLD US THEN -- A
PRIVATE BUSINESS CAN
CHOOSE TO SERVE WHO
THEY PLEASE, WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF
DISCRIMINATION BASED
ON RACE OR SEX.
SIMILAR TO THE "NO
SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO
SERVICE" POLICY.
JUST THINK OF THIS AS