Trader Joe’s in north Fresno closes in wake of protests over mask mandate

The Trader Joe’s market in Fresno closed early Saturday night after several protesters showed up as part of a campaign against requirements to wear masks inside stores during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Officers responded to a disturbance, the Fresno Police Department confirmed, at the Trader Joe’s off Friant Road, where a group of people protested the grocery store chain’s mask requirement for customers.

At one point, police said, demonstrators blocked the store entrance. There were no reports of arrests.

One video posted on social media shows a bearded man without a mask confront a Trader Joe’s employee in front of the entrance doors that were closed.

The bearded man, who is positioned closer than six feet from the masked employee, belligerently reads a list of alleged rights that he believes the store is violating by not letting him shop without a face covering on.

All the while, several protesters who also do not have masks on surround the two men.

Some could be seen recording the interaction with their cell phones, while others cheer on the bearded man.

A separate video that appears to have been shot later on shows the large crowd dispersed, though several people who were without masks remain positioned just outside the store. Some speak to police officers who have masks on.

The store’s entrance appears unblocked during this video clip, though potential customers would have had to walk past several mask-less people before entering the market.

Fresno Police said the decision to close the store was made by Trader Joe’s corporate office — not by the police.

Protesters ignore CDC guidelines

Local, state and federal guidelines — including from the Trump administration’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — state that evidence supports community masking to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

California requires everyone in the state to wear a mask or some other type of face covering when outside their home, with limited exceptions.

Still, protests against mask-wearing, or any attempt by government agencies or merchants to mandate and enforce their use, have erupted since the pandemic’s earliest days.

And scenes of mask-less groups entering stores appear to be on the rise in recent days.

Fresno region under stay-home order

Aaron Dermer posted on a Facebook group called “Coalition for Individual Liberties” and stated: “We the people ... have decided Trader Joe’s is non essential. So we shut them down. And we will shut down anyone who takes away our liberties!”

A manager at the Trader Joe’s in north Fresno declined to comment, even to confirm if the store had closed, directing questions to the corporate office in Southern California.

Fresno County and the rest of the San Joaquin Valley are under an extended regional stay-at-home order because of a surge in COVID-19 cases this winter, with counties reporting few or no intensive-care unit beds available.

People have been advised to avoid gathering in large groups and to limit in-person interactions to one household.

Since the pandemic began in March, Fresno County has had 711 deaths among 67,484 cases of the coronavirus — including 1,042 more reported Saturday by the state.

Trader Joe’s, on the chain’s website, requires customers to wear a face covering while inside the store.

“In California, during the current Regional Stay Home Order, due to limited capacity, we will require all customers wear a face covering that meets the standards of applicable health authorities while shopping in our stores, without exceptions,” the website states. “Customers with disabilities who are unable to wear a face covering will be offered reasonable accommodations (please ask at your store for more information).”

The local protest appears to be the latest stunt in a national “Burn the Mask” movement.

Tuesday in Los Angeles, a mass of mask-less demonstrators forced their way into a grocery store.

Video showed several people without masks amid shoving to get inside the store.

This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 11:00 PM.