During the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors imposed a mask-wearing ordinance, a group of citizens formed the Anti-Mask League, which demanded a repeal of the ordinance and the resignation of the mayor and health officials. They cited a lack of scientific evidence and violation of their constitutional rights. Upon his arrest, one League member told the judge he was “not disposed to do anything not in harmony with my feelings.” Sentenced to five days in jail, he responded “That suits me fine. I won’t have to wear a mask there.” Read more about the deadly Spanish flu pandemic a century ago in On the Shore (1917-1925), a tale of conflict between generations in a Lower East Side immigrant family (see NOVELS).
