Lauren Moye, FISM News
A popular Los Angeles store has banned mask-wearing for the public safety of its clients and staff, signaling yet another negative effect and subsequent complete reversal of Covid-19 pandemic measures.
Kitson, a clothing boutique with multiple storefronts, banned masks on Aug. 17 after multiple incidents within the Beverly Grove location led the owner to believe they were contributing to an unsafe environment. A sign posted on the window now reads: “Due to the safety of our staff and assets of the store, we do not allow the wearing of face masks.”
The statement sounds ironic after mask-wearing first became mainstream due to public safety concerns. In the early stages of Covid-19, health officials globally advocated for the use of masks to prevent the spread of the virus. This led many states and counties, including Los Angeles County, to issue mask mandates.
New infections have steadily been dropping in California since June 22, which was the peak of the latest surge for Sunshine state residents. The 7-day average is currently at 3068. Los Angeles, specifically, is considered a “medium-tier” threat assessment.
In light of this news, Kitson believes that masks are now primarily used for “nefarious purposes,” primarily to hide the identities of lawbreakers. Their official statement noted a “disturbing trend” of masked individuals shoplifting, using verbal harassment, and physically assaulting others. Because of that, the store has elected to enact its “own mandate, of sorts” by completely banning them in the Robertson Blvd. location.
“They come in the store with a mask on. You know they’ve got a bucket hat, a hoodie, and a mask and you can’t see their eyes,” Kitson owner Fraser Ross said to Fox News. “In a lineup, you’d never be able to identify them.”
Ross described being strangled and pepper-sprayed by one assailant in the interview. He added that other employees had been threatened with scissors.
While the store ban marks a return to a previous normal, when masked customers usually marked incoming trouble for a business, it also highlights the crime wave residents are suffering under.
Violent crime – which includes homicide, rape, assault, and robbery – saw an 8.6% increase in Los Angeles from mid-2021 to mid-2022 according to a recent FISM report. This is notable when 2021 already saw a huge surge in violent crimes from 2020 levels.
Meanwhile, suspects committed a smash-and-grab robbery by driving a van through the front windows of the Chanel store located down the street from Kitson on Wednesday. A few days before, a similar incident occurred at the Neil Gaiman store just 6 minutes away.
The Los Angeles Police Department reissued a community notice to help prevent “follow home” robberies within the city also on Aug. 17.
We are sharing this community alert in an effort to increase awareness of a series of robberies occurring in the City of Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/qRyyB9ZT9n
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) July 17, 2022
Residents have grown increasingly irate with mounting crime. This has led to two recall attempts on District Attorney George Gascon, whose liberal “soft-on-crime” policies have led to repeat offenders walking free. An examination of petition signatures on this second attempt found duplicates and invalid voters, dropping the total to 520,000 votes when 566,857 votes were needed to oust Gascon.