“This is a fake flag, a fake pandemic,” an unidentified man shouts on Sunday in a body camera footage worn by the code compliance officer.
“You are violating my (constituent) constitutional rights and my civil rights,” shouts the man. The video was released this week by officials from the city of Miami Beach, Florida.
The code agent was performing a routine check on Sunday at a Publix grocery store when the video was captured. It is not clear what happened just before the start of the recording or what triggered the exchange. CNN contacted Publix for comment.
Miami Beach city officials released the video, which also shows the man who threatens to file a collective action lawsuit and shouts “Six terrorists” and “There is no pandemic.”
The officer tells the man that the shop is privately owned and that he must wear a mask to enter, but the man continues to scream that his rights are being violated.
After about a minute, a patron wearing a mask intervenes and shouts to the man to leave, the video shows.
“Get away if you don’t give a sh * t. We have the right to give a sh * t,” shouts the patron. “You go away.”
The code compliance officer later sent the radios, although the man who yelled at the officer was not quoted or reprimanded in the incident, Miami Beach city officials said.
“Yelling or swearing at city workers who are putting themselves at risk and just doing their job is really unacceptable,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. “The City will not start arresting people for not wearing masks or violating the rules of social removal. But we need you to follow these procedures even if you disagree.”
Governor Ron DeSantis and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez reported during a press conference Wednesday that Southeast Florida will soon be ready to reopen. But Miami Beach officials cited other cases besides the Publix meeting of apparent resistance to rules and recommendations to protect residents.
The park rangers reported that customers said they would break the warning tape and were informed by angry customers: “Go fuck yourself,” city leaders said. A park ranger of decent Cubans was told to “go back to your communist country,” they said.
“Our inspections for face coatings and social withdrawal are not always welcome, but we are doing it for the greater good,” said Hernan Cardeno, director of compliance with the Miami Beach Code. “I am proud to lead a team of code compliance professionals who are on the front lines every day in our community simply by trying to ensure that the public respects the security measures in place during this global pandemic.”
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