American Airlines removes passenger from flight following 'offensive language' mask dispute

A passenger was kicked off an American Airlines flight for wearing an "offensive" mask, according to the airline, but Arlinda Johns says the mask was covered and that there's an underlying racial issue.

On July 29, Johns, who also goes by Tray, boarded flight 1737 heading from Charlotte to St. Louis while wearing a "Black Lives Matter" shirt and a face mask that read: "(Expletive) 12" The number 12 is a term used to mean law enforcement or the police.

In an interview with Florida's Local 10 News, Johns, who is Black, said race was a factor in the incident: “I think I got taken off the plane because I’m Black.”

Johns said a flight attendant asked Johns to cover the language on the mask with a new mask the attendant provided, and Johns did.

"(The attendant) came back and stood over and said, ‘I better not see that other mask,’” Johns told the media outlet. “I said, ‘Leave me alone, lady.’ She stood there, she said, ‘OK, I got you.’”

Johns said the attendant then "speed walked" to the front of the plane and shortly after, Johns was asked to leave the plane.

But that's not the whole story, according to the airline. In a statement to USA TODAY Thursday provided by spokesperson Laura Masvidal, American Airlines said Johns continued to display the mask's language.

“(The flight) returned to the gate before departure after a customer refused to follow crew member instructions to remove or cover a face mask with offensive language," the statement read. "The customer was offered an alternate face covering, and although initially complying, it was reported that they later continued to display the offensive language. After arriving at the gate, the customer was asked to deplane."

The statement continued: "Our team has reached out to the customer to learn more about their experience and we will continue to look into this matter. We are refunding the unused portion of the ticket."

Johns rented a car to finish the journey to Illinois and contacted a lawyer about the incident, according to the TV news outlet. At the time of the interview Monday, Johns said the airline hadn't reached out aside from a reply to a tweet.

Johns, noted as a disabled veteran on social media, tweeted at the airline on July 30 along with a link to Johns' Facebook Live about exiting the plane.

"@AmericanAir you are gonna pay for this. this is beyond ridiculous," Johns tweeted with the link.

The airline responded, "Our specialist will be in contact with you directly to speak with you about this."

Of the mask, Johns told the outlet: "I am an abolitionist."

"I believe that we need to defund and abolish the police," Johns said.

USA TODAY has reached out to Johns for comment.

Protests and discussions about the state of policing in America – and how communities could or should change it – have erupted across the country following the May 25 death of George Floyd after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes.

Contributing: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: American Airlines removes flyer after 'offensive' face mask dispute