Texas restaurant owner defends decision to kick out family for wearing facemasks

A Texas restaurant owner who kicked out a family because they refused to take off their masks is speaking out – but he’s not apologizing.

Tom Blackmer, owner of Hang Time Sports Grill and Bar, says there’s plenty of signage notifying customers that protective masks are forbidden inside his establishment – so he can’t be blamed if people don’t take the time to educate themselves before coming inside. “When they put their masks on the other night, they were reminded at the front to take it off,” he says. “They didn’t want to, and so we asked them to leave.”

The ousted family – Natalie Wester, Jose Lopez and their 4-year-old son – were shown the door even though Wester explained the masks are to protect their son, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. “Cystic fibrosis is a very life-threatening genetic disorder, and if my son were to contract COVID he would need to be hospitalized,” she says.

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