Ferry riders are turning on the maskless couple. The two cops seem to be split on what to do pic.twitter.com/z0BgYdUYpu
— Jake Offenhartz (@jangelooff) September 6, 2020
A couple in New York city were seen on video getting handcuffed, and removed from a local ferry for not wearing masks. They were planning to travel from Manhattan back the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge, according to Gothamist.
The captain asked them to put on masks. They refused for an hour to get off the boat, insisting that they had the right to ride without masks. They asserted they were exempted from a state requirement because of a medical condition.
Police arrived. As seen on video, the couple continued to make their case.
“We’re being targeted. We’re being shamed.” (I spoke to the couple prior to this. They’re planning to sue, and encouraged me to film.) pic.twitter.com/SRLG6kqiqM
— Jake Offenhartz (@jangelooff) September 6, 2020
“We’re being targeted,” the man told police.
“He’s shaming us,” said the man. “Because we can’t wear a mask, we’re being discriminated against.”
The wife asserted that they were discriminated against because they were white.
“If we were fucking Black, I can guarantee you that guy would never come out and tell us put a mask on,” she said.
“Right, because Black Lives Matter,” the husband said.
Police asked to see proof they had a medical condition. They refused, and maintained they were acting under the law.
They’ve been handcuffed and removed from the boat. pic.twitter.com/jD9eO0cCnR
— Jake Offenhartz (@jangelooff) September 6, 2020
They did not seem to endear themselves to their fellow passengers. Cheers and claps ensued as police moved to grab the husband to cuff him.
The couple said they will likey sue the ferry company. The wife said they were suing the MTA for a similar incident in which they rode maskless on a bus.
The New York Police Department spokesman told the outlet the couple got a summons for disorderly conduct.
The man only identified himself as David. Police declined to give their full names.
[Screengrab via Jake Offenhartz / @jangelooff on Twitter]
