In an abrupt return to mankind’s real state of normalcy, a boutique in the Beverly Hills area has banned customers from wearing face masks.
“Due to the safety of our staff and assets of the store, we do not allow the wearing of face masks. Thank you,” states a sign on the door of Kitson LA, NBC Los Angeles reported on Aug. 22.
The outlet paraphrased Fraser Ross, owner of the outlet, as stating that “a disturbing trend in that part of Beverly Hills prompted the change.”
One such instance where a white van rammed the entrance to the Chanel store in the same area before eight “youngsters” looted and fled in three separate vehicles was reported by the outlet in July.
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In an official statement, Ross stated, “We noticed a disturbing trend of individuals wearing masks to avoid identification in various situations, including but not limited to shoplifting, verbal harrassment and physical assault.”
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And added, “The mask mandate may have begun as a health precaution, but we believe it [is] now being used by some people for nefarious purposes.”
Aug. 20 reporting by Fox Business cited store employee Santos Hemenway as stating that despite the store’s high quality surveillance system, robbery investigations have been hampered because masks have left police unable to identify perps.
“Especially in the last few weeks, we’ve had multiple events where people have come in using masks and have chosen to steal or try to steal assets from our store which is very unfortunate,” Hemenway said.
“We definitely have security guards at all of our stores and we’ve installed high-security cameras, but [the mask] covers their face, the most important part of their face that we need to use when showing the police,” he added.
Aug. 22 reporting by CBS revealed that the company has also taken aim at local politicians, pointing the blame at the Mayor and the Governor for their Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) measures.
“Eric Garcetti, Gavin Newsom, and Gascon are clueless what obstacles businesses have to overcome to protect their staff and assets of their business,” the company said.
The outlet added that private shopping sessions will be provided for clientele who feel uncomfortable in public without wearing a mask.
Aug. 23 reporting by the Los Angeles Times revealed that Ross used even stronger rhetoric against area politicians, characterizing mandates as “rules for thee, not for me.”
Ross’s commentary is not without factual merit.
In one of the most high profile cases in LA politics, in December of 2020, Governor Newsom was scandalized after being caught “attending a lobbyist friend’s birthday dinner with people from several households” at a time when his administration had outlawed social gatherings for the public, reported the LA Times.
“Newsom initially told reporters the party was outside where the coronavirus is less likely to spread. But clandestine photos showed a private dining room that looked mostly inside,” the article added.
The dinner was at a venue, the French Laundry, described by the outlet as having an “elitist touch” for “being an opulent, super expensive restaurant in the Napa Valley wine country.”
But Ross made it clear to the Times, “The masks have nothing to do with politics; it’s to protect the assets…I’m protecting my employees and our assets.”
But further comments illustrated how heated the situation has become for area business owners, “I was sick of people coming into this store, and we can’t get them from a lineup,…They wear bucket hats, hoodies, and you can only see their eyes. You can’t say that’s the right person.”
“We’re living in Gotham City,” Ross added.
