MORE When Blaine Pope came across anti-mask protestors, he thought, “How do we have this kind of discussion and not want to scratch each other’s eyes out in the process? How do we talk about something that’s difficult to talk about, but do so in a respectful way?” Photo by Shutterstock. On May 3, CSUN professor Blaine Pope picked up his 11-year old daughter from school in Santa Monica, and when they were about to head home, they passed by a small group of anti-mask protesters. At his child’s urging, Pope and his daughter engaged the protestors in a calm 20-minute conversation.