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‘Why are you afraid of calling the police?’: ‘Karen’ eggs on Black Arby’s employee after refusing to leave restaurant in viral TikTok

‘Ma’am this is LITERALLY an Arby’s.’

Photo of Clara Wang

Clara Wang

woman at Arby's

A woman was filmed repeatedly being asked to leave an Arby’s restaurant requiring masks and spending two minutes trying to explain constitutional rights.

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@charcoaldeath’s viral TikTok shows a maskless white woman trying to order from an Arby’s restaurant with a “Masks Required” sign on the door. The video got over 1.5 million views and 162,600 likes since being posted Monday.

https://www.tiktok.com/@charcoaldeath/video/7027955069454716166?

The Black TikToker appears to be an Arby’s employee attempting to uphold the franchise’s mask mandate. The woman stands in front of the ordering window without a mask.

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“Ma’am. Please leave our store,” @charcoaldeath says.

“Why did you suddenly get emotional with me talking so calmly,” the woman asks.

“Ma’am, I’m not trying to have a conversation anymore. I’m just asking you to leave,” @charcooaldeath says.

The woman continues to stand in front of the ordering window without leaving and asks to take a photo of his name badge.

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“You can all you want to,” @charcoaldeath says. “Please leave. It even says it on the door ma’am; wear a mask.”

As the woman fumbles with her phone for 20 seconds and takes several pictures (because some “are blurry”), @charcoaldeath offers to write his name and position down on a slip of paper for her. However, the woman becomes more incensed and starts to tell him how she is not contagious.

“It’s a simple thing. It’s been two years of wearing a mask,” @charcoaldeath says.

“And it’s ridiculous,” the woman replies.

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“Regardless of how you feel, it’s our company and we’re allowed to do it,” @charcoaldeath tells her.

“I have antibodies,” the woman says. When @charcoaldeath continues asking her to leave, she mockingly asks him, “Why are you afraid of calling the police?”

“The constitution does protect my right to come to this place that is open to the public,” she adds. She continues to berate him and tell him it is illegal to “out people on social media” for another 30 seconds before getting into another confrontation with a customer.

https://www.tiktok.com/@charcoaldeath/video/7028434919403703558?
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While some states have lifted mask mandates, private businesses have the right to demand customers wear a mask on their property.

The TikToker, along with some of the 13,188 commenters, referred to the woman as a Karen.

“She’s there to cause trouble. End of story,” @sinnistergrin said.

“Wait a damn minute, did she ask a black man ‘Why are you afraid to call the police?’” @hayesquire pointed out.

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“No shirt, no shoes, no service has never been a problem. Adding a mask to that for a while should not be this damn complicated,” @notmarksii commented.

The Daily Dot reached out to @charcoaldeath and Arby’s for comment.

Editor’s note: Due to a technical error, our original message to this TikToker may not have been delivered.


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