- A South Florida woman was kicked off an
American Airlines flight last week for wearing aface mask the airline said was "offensive," the Miami news outlet WPLG reported. - Arlinda Johns told the outlet that she complied when she was asked to cover her face mask — which said "F--- 12," an anti-police slogan — but was later escorted off the plane.
- The airline told Insider in a statement that Johns "refused to follow crew member instructions to remove or cover a face mask with offensive language."
A South Florida activist was kicked off an American Airlines flight last week for wearing a face mask with an anti-law-enforcement slogan, the Miami news outlet WPLG reported.
Arlinda Johns had boarded the plane to Illinois when she was asked to cover her face mask, which said "F--- 12." Johns told the outlet that she's an abolitionist who believes in defunding the police.
She said that after a flight attendant confronted her, she put on a new mask. The plane was about to take off when the flight attendant walked up to Johns in her seat and said, "I better not see that other mask," Johns told WPLG.
"I said, 'Leave me alone, lady,'" Johns told the outlet. "She stood there. She said, 'OK, I got you.'"
Minutes later, the plane returned to the gate, and airport officers escorted Johns off the aircraft, WPLG reported. Johns recorded the incident.
"I think I got taken off the plane because I'm Black," she said.
The airline told Insider in a statement that Johns "refused to follow crew member instructions to remove or cover a face mask with offensive language."
Though Johns "initially complied," she "later continued to display the inappropriate language," the airline said. "After arriving at the gate, the passenger was asked to deplane."
The airline also said it refunded the "unused" portion of her ticket.
Johns told WPLG that she had to drive to Illinois and had since reached out to an attorney.
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