Video taken in Bloomington gym demonstrates citizen frustration with local COVID mask mandate

Deputy Mayor Don Griffin Jr. was confronted in a Bloomington gym recently by a constituent who complained the city official allegedly was violating a local health mandate by not wearing a face mask while he was walking on a treadmill.

A shaky video of the incident shows Griffin using expletives to get the constituent to back off.

Bloomington resident Austin Crouch, who said he shot the video, told The Herald-Times the deputy mayor’s behavior exemplifies the hypocrisy of government officials who institute rules but fail to follow them. Crouch said like many people at the gym, he never wears a face mask either, but pointed out he is not a government official, and people in leadership positions should comply with local mandates if they expect other people to follow them.

Bloomington Deputy Mayor Don Griffin walks on a treadmill at the Iron Pit recently as he is being confronted by another patron over the local mask mandate in this image from a video by Austin Crouch.
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The noncompliance of Griffin and Crouch appears to be part of a growing trend.