DEFIANCE: Michigan Barber Vows to Stay Open ‘Until Jesus Walks In or Until They Arrest Me’
Shane Trejo
|
A barbershop owner in Owosso, Mich. is defiantly disobeying the shutdown edicts issued by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and says he will not close his store until the state forces him to do so.
77-year-old Karl Manke opened his barbershop on Monday, flouting Whitmer’s executive order forcing his store and thousands of other businesses across the state to stay closed.
“I don’t need the governor to be my mother,” Manke said. “I have one. God bless her, she’s gone now. I don’t need another mother. I can make these adult decisions myself.”
“I can … run my business how I feel I should run it,” he added. “To tell you the truth, I am scared but I didn’t really have any choice. I need to work through that fear and open up.”
Ryan Jarvi of the Attorney General’s office has made it clear that Manke is operating in violation of Whitmer’s orders and that he may be subject to fines or criminal sanctions because of his unwillingness to submit.
“Violations should still be directed to law enforcement agencies overseeing the jurisdiction in which the offense occurred,” Jarvi said. “We are confident those agencies will use their discretion and authority appropriately in enforcing the Governor’s orders.”
Manke is very aware of the possible consequences but is operating in spite of what may happen to him. The devoted Christian believes that his stand is about something bigger.
“I’ll be open until Jesus walks in or until they arrest me,” Manke said.
The community is receptive to his stand, with patriots from throughout the state gathering outside of his shop to show their solidarity with the heroic business owner.
“We came out here to support him,” said Kathy Tran, who drove hours from Milford to demonstrate her support for Manke’s defiant stand. “Our main goal is to support the community and small businesses. I feel like every business should be open and they can do it safely.”
On Thursday, a mass of protesters gathered outside of his store to show their support for Manke and give him their business as Michigan residents get restless about the shutdown that keeps getting extended by their political opportunist of a governor.
Liberty-minded attorney Nicholas Somberg has offered to represent Manke for free if necessary as the patriot continues to push back against Whitmer’s executive orders.
“He’s a patriot and we need more people like him. There is a lot of people out here supporting him,” Somberg said as he livestreamed the protest on his Facebook page.
Civil disobedience is taking hold throughout the country as Americans are unwilling to accept another great depression over coronavirus panic.
Share: