Turner, mayor of Houston, wants to support Miller’s Cafe after protest against mask mask

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is calling for an end to ‘stupidity’ such as protests against a restaurant where maskless customers are being denied service.

The city’s mayor ate at Miller’s Cafe on North Shepherd Drive on Monday and supported the dining room, where employees said they were just following Texas state rules.

The restaurant was targeted by protesters over the weekend after customers became upset because they were told they had to wear a face mask while in the business.

An eyewitness who recorded the demonstration in front of the business remembers the songs sung by the group.

“They chanted, ‘My body, my choice. “Something in the line. “No mask,” said Douglas Lopez, who took a video of the protest.

WATCH: Raw video of protest outside cafe in Houston

While he was in the restaurant to borrow his business, Turner called the protesters a different term than protesters.

“The people who are protesting and Miller’s Cafe are protesting because they were asked to wear a mask – they are bullies,” Turner said. “This folly must stop. Put on your mask, the pandemic is still here. ‘

According to Jessica Beer, Miller’s manager, the customers involved were offered face masks.

“We asked them to put on a mask and they tried to say that they had health problems and that they did not have to wear masks. We said they did. We tried to put on their masks. give, and it was then that they began to sing, ‘Boycott Miller’s,’ ‘Bear remembers.

She added: “We did not understand. Why us? You know that everyone has a sign. It is not even up to us. It is the responsibility of the state.”

Customers at restaurants across the state must cover their faces in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a mandate that has led to similar protests elsewhere in recent years.

RELATED: Masks Off! Protesters claim the order of the face mask is unconstitutional

In September, a video spread online of a protest in a Florida Target store where participants demanded that customers remove their masks.

While mask mandates remain in force, enforcement in Houston has not been accompanied by widespread fines or documented warnings, according to a November investigation.

“I do not think this will be our top priority,” said at the time, Art. Acevedo, Houston police chief, explains. “As you can imagine, we’re trying to influence violent crime, but this is something where you have to get a $ 250 quote.”

SEE ALSO: Nobody Gets Tickets for Breaking the Mask Mandate in Houston

Follow TJ Parker on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Copyright © 2021 KTRK-TV. All rights reserved.

.Source