We’ve become accustomed to passengers getting booted from flights for refusing to wear a face mask but in this case, an American Airlines passenger was ejected from a flight for wearing a face mask because flight attendants judged its message inappropriate and offensive.
Arlinda Johns, a self-proclaimed activist from South Florida, was flying from Miami to St Louis when flight attendants stopped her in her tracks over her face mask. The face-covering was emblazoned with the message: “F**K 12”.
12 is a slang term for the police and Johns who was also wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt is an ardent supporter of defunding the police. There are several theories as to why ’12’ is slang terminology for police including the fact that the police radio code ’10-12′ has seeped into popular culture.
“I am an abolitionist. I believe that we need to defund and abolish the police,” Johns says. “I think I got taken off the plane because I’m Black.”
A flight attendant apparently told Johns to cover up the mask or risk being ejected from the flight, for which she says she complied. But then, Johns says the flight attendant came back over and stood over her.
“I better not see that other mask,” the flight attendant allegedly said. “I said, ‘Leave me alone, lady.’ She stood there, she said, ‘OK, I got you.’”
At that point, Johns claims the flight attendants went to the front of the plane and within minutes she was asked to get off.
In a statement, a spokesperson for American Airlines confirmed that Johns was asked to leave the plane because she refused to remove a face mask with “offensive language” on it.
“The customer was offered an alternate face covering, and although initially complying, it was reported that they later continued to display the offensive language. After arriving at the gate, the customer was asked to deplane,” a statement from AA continued.
“Our team has reached out to the customer to learn more about their experience and we will continue to look into this matter. We are refunding the unused portion of the ticket.”
American Airlines is a supporter of the wider Black Lives Matter movement and following the August 2020 incident, the airline allowed flight attendants and other employees to wear BLM pin badges while on duty. The airline says that they believe BLM is “an expression of equality, not a political statement”.
Where is Woke Dougie Parker on this? You can’t have it both ways. As Bush said, “You’re either with us or with the terrorists.” AA still sucks but this was the right decision.
Agree
No sorry, not because you’re black; because you’re stupid. Stupidity transcends color/race.
Exactly.
Agree 100%
No, hun, it’s because you’re a raging jagoff. Sorry your only excuse is to accuse others of racism. When in fact, you prove that maybe ‘racists’ have a point. No one dislikes you because of your race, it’s because you’re a jagoff. Unless you’re claiming all black are jagoffs like you?
Agree with you and with AA for kicking you off the plane.
This story is weird. If she doesn’t understand that she got kicked off for the expletive then there’s nothing else to say. It’s even hard to determine if the expletive was spelled out on the mask or was it literally “F**K 12”? And if this happened a year ago, has the policy changed re: expletives?
Seems many of these flight disturbances involve flights into or out of Florida. Lots of restless animals there.
I think I got taken off the plane because Im a moron
the “12” is a throwback to the 70s TV cop show Adam-12
Another BML (BML = Bowel Movement Lives; remember, a Bowel Movement is a stinking black pile of excrement) gets what she deserves by being put off the plane rather than annoying other good people (white, black, Asian, Hispanic, male, female, elderly, young etc).
Dear BML: get a life.
EdSparks58
Those who make the most noise about racism are themselves the most racist. Seems I read somewhere recently where a mayor who had supported, and whose city had in fact defunded the police was either assaulted or their home was vandalized and they were calling for the police to be reinstated. And AA: Pandering to a small minority of the nation’s population that since 1965 has not exceeded 13%, is certainly not going to garner you much in the way of business.
Of course it was because she was black. What other possible reason could there be in today’s world?
I wonder why the woman was even allowed to board wearing that face mask.
F**K her!
Poor AA. Not my favorite to fly but its the policys not the people. Now the ground crews are being threatened for doing there jog. This moronic lady will now file a law suit and AA in order to appease the BLM will pay some crazy sum just to put it to sleep..So Racism does work……So sad
If you think you have a right to be offensive with vulgar language and anti-police rhetoric on a plane, but no one has a right to throw you off their plane because you’re a Black Lives Matter activist, maybe you should look for racism in the mirror.
Protest somewhere else! When you’re in a confined space with other people and there are rules,just comply or don’t fly. This incident had nothing to do with hue. It was about sheer ignorance!