Woman refusing to wear mask was arrested and tased (Opinion)

In Ohio, the governor has made it very clear that during the pandemic, attendees to sporting events must wear a mask to lessen the spread of the virus. At a middle school game in Logan, Ohio, one woman rooting for the visiting team wasn’t complying, according to authorities.

As The Marietta Times points out, hundreds of parents were attending the game and were complying peacefully with the mask rule, according to Logan Athletic Director Theresa Schultheissz. “This rule has been in effect since we were told we could play,” the report quotes Schultheiss saying. “Everyone that came through ticketing tonight was reminded, we had regular announcements over the PA reminding you that mouths and noses needed to be covered and we had signs at the bathrooms.”

This one woman who refused to wear the mask yet had one visible hanging from her pocket was asked by the school’s vice principal to put it on, according to Schultheissz. According to reports she continued to refuse and police got involved. When she continued to disobey orders, a police officer attempted to remove her and she resisted, according to authorities. A lengthy struggle was captured on bystanders’ video and the officer is seen eventually using a taser on the woman.

Someone in the video is heard questioning if the officer is “a real cop.” He is. They are also heard saying how outrageous it was for her to be arrested over a mask.

Click here to see bystander video of the incident. (WARNING: Graphic language is used in this video. Do not watch if this will offend you).

Here’s the thing. To say this woman was being arrested “over a mask” is disingenuous. The police officer is doing his job and the school’s policy is to attend the game you must wear a face covering during this pandemic. In my opinion she was disobeying a police officer’s orders, creating a public nuisance and then resisting arrest. To say it was only “over a mask” is specious. It doesn’t matter what it was “over.” Fight it in court. Not the bleachers.

For the most part, the same right wing conservatives who are the more likely to rant and rave about wearing masks are the some sort of people who hate Black Lives Matter and say if you don’t resist arrest a police officer won’t hurt you.

Where is that same sentiment in this case?

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.