A Kelowna business owner said she was cursed and molested by three men while holding her baby after they refused to put on masks in her shop.
Jennifer West, owner of Bean Scene North coffee shop on Ellis Street, said the confrontation, which occurred at around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, rocked her.
Jennifer West says she was holding her six-month-old baby Calliope when she was molested by anti-maskers in her Kelowna cafe.
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“It was pretty shocking … I was pretty shaken,” she said.
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West was feeding her six-month-old baby in the back of the store when her husband walked in to pick up the phone and call 911.
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He said the three men tried to order coffee, but when he asked them to put on a mask, they refused and got excited.
Coffee shop owner Jennifer West says she was molested by anti-maskers on Saturday while holding her six-month-old baby.
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“They said ‘we’re not mask wearers’ and he said ‘then I’m sorry, I can’t serve you’ and then they immediately got their laminated copy of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and they got their phones out and with the recording started, ”she said.
West said the store is displaying a sign stating that the company requires masks to be worn in all indoor public spaces, as per BC’s mandatory mask policy announced Thursday.
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She said a box of customer masks is available for anyone who doesn’t have their own.
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The men were asked to leave the premises but refused.
Then West showed up holding her baby.
“I kind of expected that when I came out with the baby they would just let go of it and go. I thought this was something normal people would do, but they didn’t,” she said.
Masks and hand sanitizer are offered to customers at the Bean Scene North Coffee Shop in Kelowna.
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“He tried to wrap his face around our plexiglass barrier and unfortunately one of the men I found to be a semi-annual customer was quite disappointing.”
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After the five-minute confrontation, the men finally left on their own.
The police arrived a short time later and circled the block, but could not find the anti-maskers.
“They were looking for a fight and they ended up getting one, which I wouldn’t have liked to do but I wasn’t prepared for that kind of reaction,” West said.
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West said she shared her story so that other small business owners could be prepared for the inevitable knockback they will receive for enforcing the mask wearing policy.
“I want other companies to be prepared for this to happen to them and for them to be prepared for it and prepare their employees for how to deal with it,” she said.
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The signage in the cafe indicates that masks are required.
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She also urged customers to be aware of the fact that they are entering private property and business owners have the right to refuse service for violating business policies.
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“As a business owner, I have the right to make rules that protect myself, my employees and my customers, as I can say, if you are not wearing a shirt or shoes, then I cannot serve you. “
She said Kelowna RCMP told the couple they did the right thing by contacting the police.
“When we called the police, they said ‘yes, call us and report such things’ because then it is on file and it shows that we may need more resources and support in this area.”
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The three men wore dark jackets with yellow anti-COVID buttons on the front, West said.
The mask mandate is part of a broader range of new efforts to reduce community transmission of COVID-19 as Metro Vancouver records daily case numbers.
The mask order applies to all indoor public spaces and retail stores. There is an exception for children under two years of age and everyone who cannot put on or remove a mask themselves.
Across BC, businesses are being asked to support the province’s mask mandate by informing customers of the guidelines.
The province says patrons can be denied service if they do not wear a mask and if staff feel unsafe or threatened they should call the police.
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“The majority of customers are willing to wear a mask. I’ve heard between 95 and 99 percent of customers [are] I have absolutely no problem with it. That being said … having a client, even if it’s only one on that day, can really affect overall business morale, “said Muriel Protzer, senior policy analyst for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Business groups urge the public to support local businesses by meeting the mask requirements.
“They went to extreme lengths and costs to keep the public safe. So our primary concern is to ensure that they continue to be able to run and support their families, ”said Dan Proulx, general manager of the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce.
– with files from Megan Turcato
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
