Protesters Target Hamden Sub Shop Over Face Mask Policy

HAMDEN, CT — Members of the community group Hamden Action Now protested outside of DiBella’s Subs in Hamden over the weekend after an employee said he was sent home for wearing a Black Lives Matter face mask.

The New Haven Independent reports Andre Alexander went to work Friday wearing his Black Lives Matter mask and his manager told him to change it. Officials said the company policy requires employees to wear face masks that don’t have symbols or words on them.

Alexander said he wasn’t going to change his mask and that they would have to send him home, leading to the manager telling him to go home, according to the Independent. Alexander went outside the sub shop on Dixwell Avenue and went on Facebook Live to explain what happened to him.

WTNH News 8 reports the Hamden Action Now group joined Alexander and held three different protests in front of DiBella’s Subs and the shop closed early twice.

Alexander, a shift manager at DiBella’s, told WTNH that his next shift is on Friday, and he plans on wearing the Black Lives Matter face mask.

A DiBella’s spokesman said the incident had nothing to do with the Black Lives Matter message, but was keeping in accordance with a company policy.

“DiBella’s Subs feels very strongly about equality and social justice, and we take this accusation very seriously,” AJ Shear, director of marketing, said in a statement to Patch. “This incident has nothing to do with the Black Lives Matter message on this individual’s mask. Employees are not allowed to wear ANY masks other than the company-issued masks.

“DiBella’s Subs requires all employees to wear company-issued uniforms, including company-issued masks. The original company mask policy was implemented in April 2020, which allowed employees to wear their own masks as long as they did not have symbols or words. In June of 2020 we were able to source enough masks to consistently provides them to all employees as part of their uniform. Our mask policy of company-issued masks is critical to ensure that every mask is clean, safe and hygienic.

“This employee was asked to switch his personal mask for the company-issued mask. This same policy applies to other pieces of the uniform for all DiBella’s employees, such as company-issued shirts.

“Unfortunately, this weekend we’ve been seeing misinformation spread.

“We pride ourselves on inclusive values, and we have already launched several Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives with employees across our entire footprint this year.

“DiBella’s COO Bill Kressner – who has had several conversations with Andre in recent months as DiBella’s worked to launch new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives – reached out to Andre and offered to talk with him about his concerns. Andre has been a strong leader and a valued employee. They spoke Saturday and Bill approved the day off for Andre to protest.

“As a family-owned company, with vested interest in Hamden, Connecticut and all of the communities we serve, DiBella's Subs strives to foster a familial culture throughout all of our markets. We value our employees' perspectives, and we are committed to their continued growth. We encourage an open dialogue, and believe conversations drive positive change.”

Read more about the protests at the New Haven Independent here and WTNH News 8 here.