A Starbucks barista who refused to serve a customer not wearing a mask had more than $100,000 donated to him – and after an attempt to publicly shame him backfired, the customer now wants a cut of that money.
The Incident
On June 22, Amber Lynn Gilles visited her local Starbucks on Genesee Avenue, San Diego. According to the regulations, face masks/coverings are mandatory inside all businesses inside the country, barring very specific medical conditions.
Gilles originally posted a photo regarding this in her Facebook, writing: “Meet Lenen from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I’m not wearing a mask. Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical exemption.”
In a later video explaining what happened, Lenin said: “Before I could say anything she flipped me off and said I don’t need one and she started cursing up a storm. She started calling people sheep and she left and within a few minutes came back and she asked for my name and took a photo.”
I’ve received numerous messages asking for my side of the story. Since this seems to be the most popular thread I decided to post my personal experience here. Thank you all for the love and support.
Posted by Lenin Gutierrez on Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Of course, with face masks used to reduce the person-to-person spread of the virus, Gutierrez was well within his rights to refuse to serve her – which is exactly what he did.
His actions saw many people praise him, with some even creating a fundraiser to send him virtual ‘tips’.
People showed their support
But now the total has reached more than $100,000 (£80,200), Gilles has made her claim.
“I never threatened him.” Hear from woman who was denied service at a Clairemont Starbucks for refusing to wear a mask. She publically shamed the barista. A Go Fund Me Page on his behalf is now over $22,000. She says she’s getting death threats. #nbc7 & https://t.co/ylvk5rP6Vf pic.twitter.com/gCREw0LR5V
— Artie Ojeda (@ArtieNBCSD) June 25, 2020
