Video footage captured on an IRL (In Real Life) livestream shows a woman in a “Trump 2020” shirt being singled out and handcuffed by police in Nashville, Tennessee for not wearing a mask on an open-air. Many pedestrians can be seen walking maskless down the sidewalk throughout the encounter, leading viewers to theorize that the woman was targeted because of her political affiliation.
The incident was captured on video by popular livestreamer Timothy “Baked Alaska” Gionet, who had been detained and written a citation by police for not wearing a mask on the sidewalk moments earlier. Like the woman who was arrested, Baked Alaska is a vocal Trump supporter.
Within seconds, multiple police officers surrounded the woman, despite the protestations of her companions, and place her in handcuffs. Dozens of passerby could be seen walking down the sidewalk unmasked – just like the woman in the Trump shirt – however, none of them were wearing pro-Trump merchandise, and none were detained.
Trump supporter TARGETED and ARRESTED for not wearing mask OUTSIDE pic.twitter.com/6AqzJ3JBLA
— Yung Zoomer (@YungZoomer) October 23, 2020
Amidst the chaos, it is unclear if the woman and her companions were taken to the nearest police precinct. She was last seen in handcuffs, and when Baked Alaska returned to the scene several minutes later, the arresting officers and the woman’s companions were no longer in view on the sidewalk.
Baked Alaska had been approached and detained by two police officers just a few minutes before the woman’s arrest, and had been issued a ticket for what the officers claimed was behavior that was not in compliance with a local mask mandate.
The officers also indicated they would arrest Baked Alaska if he did not put on a mask, after the citation was written.
Baked Alaska TICKETED for not wearing mask OUTSIDE, by cop who couldn’t keep his own mask on @pawg___champ pic.twitter.com/7COxkvv2DR
— Yung Zoomer (@YungZoomer) October 23, 2020
Amidst widespread violence and looting perpetrated by Black Lives Matter supporters and far-left activists in many American cities, police departments in several American cities have been accused of placing a higher priority on enforcing mask mandates and COVID lockdown restrictions, and neglecting their responsibility to keeping taxpayers safe from violent crime.
