No Mask Moms Arrested at Mothers Market
Donation protected
Title: No Mask Moms Arrested at Mother's Market
Can you believe we were arrested on August 15, 2020, for trespassing while shopping at Mother's Market for not wearing a mask but charged with trespassing? We entered the store to purchase lunch and use the restroom. Yes, I am a grandmother, and Marianne is a mother of three college-age daughters. We don't wear masks for medical reasons. The manager called the Costa Mesa Police after we entered the store. Police arrived outside in force with many officers and vehicles, including a police van to transport us to jail. As we tried to leave the store, the manager refused to let us go. He had locked the front door and later locked Marianne in the back room while other customers were being allowed to leave.
At first, the police wanted to arrest us for shoplifting, except Marianne had paid for her food. Then the Police encouraged the store manager to have us arrested for trespassing. Make no mistake, we were arrested because we did not have on face masks.
We were handcuffed, escorted to the van, dragged through the store, taken to the local jail, humiliated, and booked. Rather than charging us with a minor mask violation in a city where the mayor, Katrina Foley, stresses that her goal is compliance and not writing tickets for mask violations, we were charged with trespassing, a much more serious offense.
We could use your help with our legal expenses as we fight these charges, restore our reputations, and remind our elected officials of the priorities of government! Thank you for even the smallest contribution as it confirms your support as we go forward. One day this fight might be yours, but if we stop it now, we all benefit.
Organizer
Jennifer Sterling Marianne Smith
Organizer
Costa Mesa, CA