A Black Taco Bell manager was fired on June 8 after refusing to take off a face mask with "Black lives matter" written on it.
The manager, identified as Denzel Skinner, recorded himself on Facebook Live going back and forth with another manager at the fast-food restaurant in Youngstown, Ohio, WKBN reported.
Skinner, 29, opted to wear his Black Lives Matter mask instead of the surgical masks provided to the team. He said it was difficult to breathe with the surgical mask on, prompting him to wear his personal mask.
After a manager asked him to take the mask off, he refused and walked out of the door before being threatened with the loss of his job of eight years.
According to Skinner, Taco Bell has a policy requiring all employees to wear face masks, but the policy does not explicitly prohibit masks with messages on them.
"All it stated was [the mask] had to be clean," Skinner said.
In the Facebook Live, which comedian Elijah Daniel later reshared, Skinner explained why he refused to take the mask off.
"I'm not bringing politics in, this is what I stand for," he said during the clip.
"You don't get it," the woman said.
"You don't either because if you did this wouldn't be a problem," Skinner responded.
Taco Bell manager firing an employee for supporting BLM :/ #RIPTacoBell
pic.twitter.com/pFd6Wn4u2f— elijah daniel (@elijahdaniel) June 18, 2020
Taco Bell responded to the situation saying the company was disappointed by the incident.
"We believe Black Lives Matter. We were disappointed to learn about the incident that took place in Youngstown, OH," Taco Bell said in a statement to Newsweek. "We take this very seriously; we have been working closely with our franchisee that operates this location to address the issue."
In its statement, the company said an executive has apologized to Skinner and that it is working to "clarify our mask policy so this doesn't happen again."
Despite the fast-food chain's statement, Twitter swooped in to declare Taco Bell canceled, using the hashtag #RIPTacoBell.
I can completely emphasize with the young man at Taco Bell. As an operating room nurse I was told by my managers that I couldn’t wear this mask at @BonSecours so I left as well. Stand for something or fall for anything ✊????. #RIPTacoBell
pic.twitter.com/7uwvWEUeDV— Ms. Harris (@Devoted2MeONLY) June 18, 2020
Hey @tacobell nice PR move but you’re as fake as they come #RIPTacoBell
pic.twitter.com/6W0NC3LGRN— papa (@theogpaps) June 18, 2020
Oh no how will I live without my bagged warm water meat #RIPTacoBell
pic.twitter.com/TZNPEPQ50M— Method Manny Pacquiao???????????? ????????#BaltimoreProud (@DaKontradiction) June 18, 2020
On June 2, the company tweeted in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which some people said was disappointing.
Read the full letter from our CEO, Mark King.
We're muting our channels for the rest of the week to reflect, learn, and listen.
— Taco Bell (@tacobell) June 2, 2020
So @tacobell y’all tweeted this on June 2nd & today an employee was fired for wearing a #BlackLivesMatter mask becuz it goes against company policy? Explain. #RIPTacoBell
pic.twitter.com/ynYOk4F4gb— Amber Dawn (@HollaBlackGirl) June 18, 2020
nahhhhhh sorry we sad about it but y’all goin too, i have your name tatted on me, been in commercials and y’all unfollowed me for just asking you about it lmfao. it’s also been 2 weeks since your statement and you haven’t done anything? disappointing. #RIPTacoBell ???? https://t.co/rwFbXWwxi6
— elijah daniel (@elijahdaniel) June 18, 2020
Skinner said he would not be asking for his job back and would not return if asked, WKBN reported. He said during his time at Taco Bell, he worked less than 30 hours a week and was ineligible for paid vacation time, so he will be spending this with family.
