Oregon county mask order exempts people of color due to profiling concerns
Some people of color have expressed concerns over wearing face coverings in public.
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSPeople wearing protective face masks take part in a protest following the death of African-American George Floyd. Brooklyn, New York City, May 29, 2020(photo credit: SHANNON STAPLETON / REUTERS)
Lincoln County, Oregon has exempted people of color from having to comply with a directive on wearing face masks in public, due to concerns that they may be racially profiled.The county has recently seen a spike in coronavirus cases, from ten confirmed on May 31 to 206 confirmed cases two weeks later. In response, the Public Health Administrator issued a Directive ordering all individuals within Lincoln County must wear face coverings over their noses and mouths in public spaces. Acceptable coverings included shields, paper or fabric face masks, scarves and bandanas.But people of color "who have heightened concerns about racial profiling and harassment due to wearing face coverings in public" need not comply, the Directive stated.People with illnesses or disabilities that preclude them from wearing the masks, and children under 12 were also exempt.The Directive states that "all persons in Lincoln County are expected to adhere" to the terms of the directive, but adds that violation is not grounds for anyone, including law enforcement officials, to stop or detain a person, nor can they undertake any other enforcement action. "No person shall intimidate or harass individuals who do not comply," it adds.The Directive was issued in part due to guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that cloth face coverings be worn in settings where social distancing is difficult to maintain. The guidance advised that cheap coverings could be made by people from household fabrics.However, some people of color have expressed unease at the measure, saying that covering their face could exacerbate racial profiling."We have a lot of examples of the presumed criminality of black men in general," Trevon Logan, an economics professor at Ohio State University told CNN. "And then we have the advice to go out in public in something that ... can certainly be read as being criminal or nefarious, particularly when applied to black men." Wearing a home-made face-covering "seems like a reasonable response unless you just sort of take American society out of it," Logan said. "When you can't do that, you're basically telling people to look dangerous given racial stereotypes that are out there."This is in the larger context of black men fitting the description of a suspect who has a hood on, who has a face covering on," he added. "It looks like almost every criminal sketch of any garden-variety black suspect."
Aaron Thomas, an educator from Ohio, drew huge support on Twitter for a similar opinion."I don’t feel safe wearing a handkerchief or something else that isn’t CLEARLY a protective mask covering my face to the store because I am a Black man living in this world. I want to stay alive but I also want to stay alive," he tweeted. The tweet gained 123k likes and 18k retweets.But others have criticized the Directive; among them, Donald Trump Jr. who tweeted: "Oregon county imposes face mask requirement targeting only white people, minorities exempt over racism fears. *which would seem to anyone with a brain the definition of racism."
