A Michigan barber intends to continue defying the state’s lockdown order and giving haircuts despite officials revoking his professional license.
Karl Manke, a 77-year-old barber in Owosso, returned to work on May 4 after the state government forced him to close his shop on March 21. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has extended the state shutdown order through May 28, but Manke has refused close his business again despite citations from the police and the threat of 90 days in jail and a $500 fine for violating the emergency order.
“I’m not closing up; I’m not caving in to this,” Manke told The New York Times on Wednesday after the state voided his professional license to be a barber. “I’m not a rabble-rouser and I’m not a scofflaw. I’m a small-town barber. I just want to make my living.”
People have driven from over 100 miles away to support his business, while Whitmer is having increasing amounts of trouble getting local police to enforce her dictate. In Shiawassee County, where Owosso is located, Sheriff Brian BeGole has said he will not enforce Whitmer’s lockdown order while the Michigan Supreme Court weighs the orders legality. – READ MORE
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