Blue Cities Contemplate Mask Bans

Guest Post by Martin Armstrong

Blue cities across the US are contemplating banning masks. A few years ago these cities would not allow people to enter public establishments without a mask. But now, after Soros-backed DAs blindfolded themselves to the drastic uptick in crime, cities such as Philadelphia, Atlanta, and New York are banning face masks to prevent criminals from evading police.

Balaclavas or ski masks have become a popular fashion accessory among urban youth. Far-left fashion publication Vogue even published an article in February 2023 entitled, “All the Cool Kids Are Wearing Balaclavas.” If someone walked into the bank with a ski mask on, it would have been considered a threat. Now, civil rights groups claim that these masks represent freedom of expression.

Executive Director of Violence Interrupters Tio Hardiman believes the normalization of facial masks has emboldened criminals. “If a person is not going skiing, they should not have on a full face ski mask,” Hardiman said. “Full face ski masks appear to give criminals an edge… It’s making the criminals emboldened. Almost like they’re invincible.”

Philadelphia is proposing a law that would impose a $250 fine on anyone wearing a face mask in public. “The Philadelphia Police Department can’t tell who’s a criminal and not a criminal, which makes it difficult for crimes to be solved in Philadelphia,” council member Anthony Phillips told CNN. Philadelphia Police Department Deputy Commissioner Francis Healy believes that the pandemic changed the public’s perceived risk. “There was a time not so long ago when any average police officer would see a person donning a mask before entering a convenience store or a bank and they would believe a robbery was about to occur,” Healy said. “However, the pandemic changed that mindset where people were actually more fearful of people without masks than with masks.”

Crime has risen drastically in every blue city since the pandemic. Those who claim banning masks is an infringement on human rights or even racist do not realize that facial coverings were regulated in the 1800s due to the Ku Klux Klan using white hoods to commit atrocious crimes undetected.