It was a regular Monday morning before 24-year-old American barista Lenin Gutierrez, when a woman came in without a mask. In American Starbucks stores, wearing a facemask is mandatory, so Gutierrez addressed the woman.
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He asked the woman if she was wearing a mask, but before he could explain why it was necessary, she exploded. That tells the barista CNN. She took a picture of the boy and posted it on Facebook. “This Starbucks employee didn’t want to serve me because I wasn’t wearing a face mask,” she wrote. “Next time, I’ll wait for the police and bring a medical exemption.”
Laughing at all the criticism
Instead of support, the woman’s message was widely criticized. Gutierrez came across the message on Facebook moments later. “I was surprised she actually put me on Facebook,” he told CNN. “I started to read the comments and laughed at all the criticism she received.”
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Not only was there a critical response to the woman’s message, people also felt that something should be done. A 26-year-old American, Matt Cowan, therefore created one GoFundMe-page, hoping to collect $ 1,000 (890 euros) for the barista. He doesn’t know Gutierrez but says he was stunned that “the barista was criticized for doing the right thing.”
Less than a week later, the astronomical amount of $ 80,000 (more than 71,000 euros) was raised for the barista. “I don’t know how to thank everyone,” says Gutierrez. He wants to use the money to live out his dream of becoming a dancer.
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