A Dallas hair salon owner on Friday defied a lockdown order and opened her business.
Although Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins sent a cease and desist letter, salon operator Shelley Luther said that despite the threat of being fined, she will not close Salon A la Mode, according to WFAA.
“I’m not closing,” she told KDFW.
“Because all of the small business owners need to have some sort of voice, and we need to stand up for what’s right or we’ll continue to get our freedom taken away,” she said.
The letter she received to close told her that “a violation of this order during a pandemic may be punished criminally as a misdemeanor or enforced by civil action pursuant to the order.” Although some Texas businesses are being allowed to reopen on a limited basis, hair salons are not among them.
One worker at the salon said the right to make a living has been infringed for too long.
“Have you ever heard of the right of assemble? The right to work? The right to pursue happiness?” Kristi Parker said. “And I don’t appreciate the long arm of the government telling the blue-collar workers that we can’t work.”
Luther was asked what she would say to businesses that are suffering as they obey the rules.
“I say open up businesses and this will stop happening,” she said.
Luther, who wore a face covering, required all customers to do so as well, WFAA reported — and everyone entering had his or her temperature taken as a precaution against the coronavirus.
The shop had been open about four hours when the citation arrived from Jenkins, whose position as county “judge” is similar to what would be called a “county executive” in other states, according to a separate Fox News report.
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Luther said she does not plan to pay any fines.
Even before she opened, Luther said she was “prepared to take on whatever it is that comes.”
“I don’t want to cause any problems, but when you’re out of money, someone has to stand up and say that they’re not helping us by not letting us work,” Luther said earlier last week, according to WFAA.
Although disobeying the order could put Luther’s license at risk, she noted that, “It won’t matter if I have a license because I won’t have a business.”
Luther made no secret of her plan to reopen her business, which brought her some criticism, according to WBAP.
“I’ve even had someone say they want to burn the salon down but I knew that would come with the territory,” she said Thursday, WBAP reported. “But I’m going to stand up for what’s right.”
She said she will not give in to pressure and close.
“That defeats the purpose of opening in the first place and it lets them know that anytime someone stands up, they can just shut you down,” she told WBAP.
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