A Starbucks barista who denied a San Diego woman service after she refused to wear a face mask has received more than $30,000 thanks to a GoFundMe "virtual tip jar" that was set up in the wake of the incident.
Per the Independent, earlier this week the woman in question shared a photo to Facebook which showed Starbucks barista Lenin Gutierrez.
“Meet Lenen [sic] from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I’m not wearing a mask,” she wrote on the social media site. "Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical exemption.”
Matt Cowan set up the GoFundMe for Gutierrez. In one early update on the fundraiser's progress, Cowan wrote on the site;
"Incredible to see that this campaign has raised over $3,000 so far. All the money will be going to Lenin for him to do with it as he wishes. This truly is a virtual tip jar for him."
At the time of writing, the total amount raised stands at $30,060. Earlier this week on Wednesday, Gutierrez shared his thanks for all the "love and support" he had received.
“It’s been so helpful and so shocking to see something get so big that only happened within a few minutes,” he said, before detailing his version of the events that took place on the day in question. He said the donations will enable him to pursue a dream of dancing and teaching dance to children.
Amber Lynn Gilles, the woman behind the Facebook post, has since spoken to NBC San Diego about the backlash she has received in recent days. "I never threatened him, I just called him out on his actions. I never threatened him and I’ve received death threats, thousands, it’s very upsetting. It’s very scary,” she said.
Per NBC San Diego, face coverings are mandatory inside business in San Diego County. Medical conditions that could be inhibited by wearing a mask are an exemption.
