Employee Blows Whistle, Says Bellwood Clothing Store Is Flouting Stay-At-Home Order
BELLWOOD, Ill. (CBS) -- An employee of a near west suburban clothing store was supposed to go to work – but he refused.
The reason is because the non-essential store was supposed to be shut down for the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. But it was not closed, and there were long lines of people waiting to sneak in with the owner.
CBS 2's Charlie De Mar talked with the, Aldo Colunga, an employee of Tops and Bottoms in Bellwood, who said he had been working a few days a week on administrative tasks at the store. But after seeing customers flood the front doors Saturday, he spoke up and said he is now paying the price.
"It's supposed to be closed," Colunga said.
Colunga was on his way to work Saturday at Tops when he started recording a video. And he's right, under the state's order, the clothing store shouldn't be open.
"My boss was letting people in the front door," Colunga sad. "They had the parking lot filled. There was people out there were dancing like it was a regular business day."
Colunga is longtime employee of the streetwear store. But he was appalled when he saw that line in front of the front door on Saturday afternoon.
He sent the video to his boss explaining that he didn't feel safe and wouldn't be coming in for his shift.
"I made the video and sent it to my boss and I told him, like, 'Hey, this is getting out of hand. You guys are not caring about your health or about the community,'" he said.
Tops and Bottoms, as a non-essential business, is openly breaking the law.
"Why is this business still up and running? Why isn't it closed down?" Colunga said. "Why are people coming in and out of a clothing store?
But Colunga says he was retaliated against for speaking up.
He said his boss texted him, "Will call for schedule," and his phone has not rung.
"They're only doing this because I said something about it," Colunga said.
While there was no attempt at hiding customers on Saturday, Colunga says staff had previously snuck customers in through the basement door since the stay-at-home order started.
"The only way that we can stop this and reduce the spread of this is to stay home and following the guidelines," Colunga said. "Like I said, you don't need to be fresh. You don't need to go and buy a new outfit. For what?"
The Bellwood police chief said his officers have visited the store within recent days and have given them a warning to shut down and listen to the governor's order- adding that they are keeping a close watch.