Some Marin County soccer players are crying foul over citations issued Sunday for not wearing masks in the park.
They claim racial bias while police contend they're just starting to crack down on mask scofflaws.
Piper Park in Larkspur is a popular weekend spot for pick up soccer. It’s also right across from the Central Marin Police Authority headquarters, which is why Santiago Perez thought it was unusual for officers to suddenly show up issuing citations for not wearing a mask and not being six feet apart.
"You can play soccer with a mask, but there’s no way you’re going to be at a six feet apart difference," he told KCBS Radio. "It’s a contact sport."
Police told the Marin Independent Journal that someone walked into the station to complain about a large group of soccer players who were not complying with the county’s public health order. Officers have issued warnings just like surrounding jurisdictions, but this time, Perez and his group of Latinx friends got cited and face fines of up to $500 each.
To him, it smacks of discrimination.
"That’s when I kind of got furious and mad," Perez explained. "I said like 'How come you guys aren’t approaching anyone else in the park that has no mask and they’re not keeping six feet apart?' And their excuse was like 'Oh, well. We’ll go talk to them.' I guess they went to talk to them, but they didn’t get cited. How come we got cited and they didn’t? That’s what I don’t understand, you know?"
Police insist the group was not racially targeted but acknowledge that no one else in the park got cited.