People Have Raised $40,000 for a Starbucks Employee Who Wouldn't Serve a Customer Without A Mask
People have raised more than $40,000 to support a Starbucks barista who was shown in a Facebook post declining to serve a customer who didn't have a mask on.
It all started when Facebook user Amber Lynn Gilles posted a photo of a Starbucks employee, later identified as Lenin Gutierrez, and said that he "refused to serve me cause I’m not wearing a mask. Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical exemption."
The post has been shared thousands of times and racked up hundreds of thousands of comments. San Diego County, where the Starbucks is located, has required masks in public since May 1, according to NBC San Diego, and businesses have the right to refuse service to anyone without one.
"We want everyone to feel welcome in our stores. We respectfully request customers follow social distancing and safety protocols recommended by public health officials, including wearing a facial covering when visiting our stores," a Starbucks spokesperson told Delish: "More information on what customers can expect in our stores can be found on our At a Glance page."
Shortly after Gilles' post went up, a GoFundMe was established for Gutierrez, and as of this writing, it had racked up more than $40,000. “Raising money for Lenin for his honorable effort standing his ground when faced with a Karen in the wild,” Matt Cowan, who created the page wrote. When the fundraiser hit $10,000, Gutierrez sent in a video to the page thanking donors for their support.
"I just wanted to say thank you for all the love and support and what everyone is doing, it's an honor to see all this happen," he said while fittingly wearing a mask. "But I just wanted to remind everyone to be kind to one another, and to love each other, and always remember to wear a mask."
Gilles told NBC San Diego that she never threatened Gutierrez, but that she "called him out on his actions." She also said she does not believe masks are effective. “It starts with coffee but it ends with digital certificates and forced vaccinations,” Gilles said. She said she has received death threats and also is "threatening to sue" the GoFundMe page creator for "defamation and slander" and "wants some of the money," according to the outlet.
The CDC "recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission."
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