Selin Hekimoglu / Edge columnist

February, 2021, a heated argument broke out in a pizzeria between two customers and an employee. The confrontation was held over the mask mandate. The vancouver pizzeria shop, Pizza Pizza, required their customers to wear masks in order to receive service. James Henry Davidson, and Brenton Thomas Woyat, the two men who attempted to order pizza, were upset over the mask rules given by the pizza shop. One of them unwilling to wear a mask, were refused service. They were even offered free masks by an employee, but still denied wearing one.

In the process of being turned down service, Davidson and Wyatt were extremely upset and shouted improper words to the staff. A recording shows the men yelling words at them like, scumbag, idiot, and even called them Nazi’s. In the clip, it also shows one of the men yelling out, “You guys are complete morons. COVID is a joke. You are completely brainwashed.”

After exiting the pizza joint, the two men assaulted a teenage boy who was waiting in front of the store, by pushing him around and grabbing for his mask. Tania Vistin, a member of the Vancouver Police Department, referred to the two mens actions as “ridiculous” and “embarrassing.” She also says, “This young man was just outside a pizza joint trying to eat pizza and he gets assaulted by two grownups.” The men attempted to drive away from the incident, but were very quickly tracked down by police and were arrested and charged for assault. One of them may even potentially face charges regarding impaired driving. Woyat’s court date takes place on March 17, while Davidson is set for April 9.

Tistin pointed out that there has been an increase in the amount of mask conflicts by customers who wish to not act accordingly towards mask guidelines. “It’s unfortunate because these shop owners or store employees are just doing their job, they’re just making a living and following the rules.” she added on. It’s hard to fully understand nowadays why people have such a problem with equipping themselves with a mask. Afterall, it isn’t just for the safety of those around them, but for themselves as well.

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