Masks produced to protect Black Lives Matter protesters from the coronavirus pandemic have been seized by law enforcement across the country, Huff Post reports.
In yet another unsurprising move that does absolutely no favors to the public perception of the police, the report states that the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) spent a significant amount of money on masks to send to protestors for free. However, the items never left Oakland, California, and the M4BL was informed by the U.S. Postal Service that they were "seized by law enforcement." The cloth masks featured graphics that read "stop killing black people," and "defund police."
Four boxes containing 500 masks were mailed from Oakland to Washington, St. Louis, New York City, and Minneapolis. Shortly after they were posted, the tracking numbers informed the mailer to "contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for further information." Rene Quinonez of Movement Ink said that he stayed up late with his family to produce the masks over the past few days. He said that he's familiar with the employees at the location he shipped the boxes from, and that he's known for shipping a lot of apparel. "There was nothing out of the ordinary," he added.
Due to the seizure of the boxes, however, he's started to suspect that the government was watching him and the Black Lives Matter movement. "I just don't understand it," he said. "It's just really blowing my mind. ... We're tired, but we're going to try to rally some support and figure out how to replace these masks and support the movement. This isn't a weapon. It's about safety."
So far, law enforcement has yet to make it clear why the boxes of masks were seized. "It appears they want to ensure that people who protest are susceptible to the same deadly pandemic that they have failed miserably at stopping," said M4BL spokesperson Chelsea Fuller. "The continued surveillance and disruption of social movements under this administration is as chilling as it is dangerous. It should be roundly condemned."
