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A woman who made a tirade after refusing to wear a mask at a New Jersey bank on Black Friday has become the subject of a viral video.
But it’s her specific claim that sets her apart from what has become a kind of viral mask denial:
“I’m a scientist,” she shouts. “There is no corona!”
In the video, recorded in an Englewood Citibank, the client berates a bank employee and threatens his job, promising he will become “famous”.
Although the identity of the client is unknown, it is she who can be clearly heard in the clip. In the same breath as the woman says there is no corona (virus), she appears to be worried about what would happen if the employee had COVID-19.
“Count your days !!” she screams. “Brute! What, does that give you the right to be a bully ?! Because you’ve been brainwashed ?! I’m a scientist! There’s no corona! Don’t make me wear your mask!” Are you crazy … are you trying to kill me ?? What if you have a corona effect? ”
The video has been viewed 1.4 million times since it was shared on Twitter Sunday by @FirenzeMike, who referred to the woman as “Karen without a mask.”
“Karen” videos have surfaced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They are most often characterized by white women refusing to wear masks, exhibiting legitimate or racist behavior.
New Jersey has a mask mandate requiring that face covers be worn in indoor public spaces and that they cover the nose and mouth. People are also required to wear masks in outdoor public spaces if they cannot practice social distancing, with a few exceptions, including when eating and exercising.
In July, state lawmakers introduced a bill that would violate Gov. Phil Murphy’s April executive order relating to masks in interior spaces, a disorderly persons offense, imposing a 30-day prison sentence and fines of up to $ 500 for anyone. who would refuse to wear one.
Eric Seifert, who uses the Twitter handle @ItsMrSizzle, shared the bank’s video with @FirenzeMike. A friend of Seifert’s who wishes to remain anonymous recorded the video Nov. 27 at Englewood’s bank, he says. He then shared the video with friends, including Seifert, in a group text.
“It shocked me,” Seifert told NJ Advance Media.
Seifert, a big fan of Phish, weighed in on the group’s text:
“Haven’t been to a phishing show in over a year, my daughters missed lacrosse and volleyball season … and this idiot is here doing things that will make that even longer!” he said.
Seifert offered to share the clip with @FirenzeMike, who has more followers on Twitter. After seeing the video, former NBA player Rex Chapman shared it with his 1 million subscribers.
The clip begins amid some passionate remarks from the woman.
“Because I’ll take this all the way,” she said, addressing a masked bank employee behind the counter. “I am now going to court to fight the masks and you are not going to tell me what to do!” Stand six feet from me and do your social – no, more! More! Do you want to be safe? Stand six feet from me, okay? That’s it.”
“Give me your card with your name on it because this branch will hear your name,” the woman continues. “You are going to become famous. Do it now! Do it now!”
“You work for me !!” She cries. “I don’t work for you !! I have been a customer since 1990! Were you born then ?? Shame on you!”
At one point, the woman appears to be responding to an offer of a mask.
“You’re very lucky she isn’t here,” the client continues. “Because she knows me well, your boss. Count your days! Count your days !! Brute! What, does that give you the right to be a bully ?! Because you’ve been brainwashed ?! I am a scientist! There is no corona! Don’t make me wear your mask! Are you crazy … are you trying to kill me ?? What if you have corona? Did you just say you were trying to kill me? I want to know because we are in front of the camera. Did you just suggest that I wear your dirty mask? Because I think you did. Give me your name and number now. You have finished.”
“Citi is proud of the way our frontline colleagues at the Englewood branch have handled this unfortunate situation,” Drew Benson, a spokesperson for Citi, told NJ Advance Media. “We do not tolerate abuse from our staff.”
Seifert lives down the road from Englewood to Tenafly, home to “another famous Karen,” he says – Caren Turner, the former port authority official who rushed to the scene and flashed her badge in 2018 when a car her daughter was in was pulled over. by the district police. (During the meeting, Turner told a policeman he could “shut the f — up”.) He says his friend noted that the police showed up as he was leaving the bank. ‘Englewood.
“She could have COVID. She could give it to people in the bank, ”Seifert says of the woman in the video. “I was going to post it on Nextdoor,” he said, referring to the neighborhood social network.
“Does anyone know this lady?”
NJ Advance Media contacted Englewood Police.
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Amy Kuperinsky can be contacted at [email protected] and follow-up @AmyKup on Twitter.
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