Santa Cruz Trader Joe's Targeted By Anti-Mask Protesters Again

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Anti-mask protesters struck the downtown Santa Cruz Trader Joe's store once again, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported.

A group of picketers marched through downtown Sunday and convened at the grocery store off of Front Street, the paper reported. But this time, Trader Joe's employees formed a line at the front of the store to prevent maskless people from entering the store, the paper reported.

Maskless protesters targeted the store earlier this month, too.

A nearly eight-minute video, uploaded to YouTube Feb. 14, shows an unmasked group of at least a dozen people entering the grocery store and eventually leaving cash for their items because workers refused to serve them. Workers stopped them at the door and prevented as many maskless people as possible from taking the items.

Santa Cruz Police Chief Andrew Mills harshly condemned the group's actions in a tweet:

@SantaCruzPolice are aware of the awful incident at #TraderJoes market. It’s unacceptable behavior by a group of anti-science, anti-vaccine #QAnonsense type conspiracy supporters. #SCPD will take action when legally possible. pic.twitter.com/Y5y3HMXGpY
— Andrew Mills (@ChiefAndyMills) February 17, 2021

Read: Santa Cruz Trader Joe's Targeted By Anti-Mask Group

Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here.