Woman in California Walmart angrily refuses to wear mask

Woman in Walmart won’t wear mask

A woman in a Martinez, Calif. created a ruckus inside a Walmart when she refused to wear a mask and repeatedly told customers around her that it wasn't the law. Credit: Brian Campbell-Miller via Storyful

MARTINEZ, Calif. - A woman created a ruckus inside a Walmart in Martinez, Calif. when she refused to wear a mask and repeatedly told customers around her that it wasn't the law.

"It is the law," a customer could be heard telling her.

The encounter played out after Walmart made masks mandatory inside of its stores, but before the retail chain began enforcing the requirement.

The scene was filmed on Sunday by Brian Campbell-Miller, who was in line behind the woman and her children, none of whom were wearing masks. The woman challenges him to keep filming her, saying her entire family knows how she feels about wearing masks.

Walmart on July 15 announced a policy requiring customers to don masks while in-store. However, Walmart said the policy would not be enforced until July 20 to give it time to "inform customers and members of the changes, post signage and train associates on the new protocols."

2 Martinez residents charged with hate crime for defacing Black Lives Matter mural

On June 18, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered residents to wear masks in most indoor settings.

The woman can also be heard later telling another customer with children that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that "children should not be wearing masks." According to the CDC, this guidance is true for children under two.

The woman wasn't the only one in Walmart that day who was mask-less.

Two other women, neither of whom were wearing masks, were sympathetic to the first woman’s position.

"Stay home if you’re so scared," one of the supporters said, moments before accusing Campbell-Miller of destroying "this country." Another calls him "Antifa."

Others shout out: "Call security." The video does not show if security ever came to resolve the dispute.

Martinez has recently been a flashpoint for the Black Lives Matter movement, too.

This month, the Contra Costa County district attorney charged Nicole Anderson, 42, and David Nelson, 53, with a hate crime for allegedly defacing a Black Lives Matter mural in Martinez on July 4.