The Liberty Walmart, Aldi and Taco Bell closed early Friday amid an expected protest.

The protest is set to begin at 5 p.m. at the O'Reilly Auto Parts on Belmont Avenue.

The protest is in response to Denzel Skinner's firing from the Belmont Avenue Taco Bell.

Skinner told 21 News he was fired Monday after he came to work wearing a black lives matter mask and a manager told him to take it off. He refused and lost his job.

After the incident, Taco Bell corporate released the following statement:
"We are working with our franchisee that operates this location to understand what happened. We are committed to fighting racial injustice and are hosting open forums to give restaurant teams an opportunity to discuss racism in America. Our priority is to be an inclusive brand while keeping our team members and customers safe.” 

Taco Bell corporate added that they introduced masks in the restaurants in April for the safety of team members and guests. Due to supply restrictions, they have allowed team members to bring in their own alternative facial coverings. As this is a fluid situation, they say they're in the process of considering the need to revise mask and uniform requirements to address recent concerns.