Owosso Barber Saga Continues

77-year-old Owosso barber Karl Manke is back to work. Again, in defiance of a democratically controlled state government set on preventing him from earning a living. The Governor claims he is a threat to the public health by returning to work before she lifts her shutdown order. The saga of the Owosso barber is now pretty long. The latest twist is a ruling from a state Appeals Court panel that a Shiawassee County Circuit Court Judge, the same one who earlier refused to approve a temporary restraining order against the Manke, hold a new hearing on the case and issue a ruling by the end of the day tomorrow. When the state pulled Manke’s barber license last week he stopped working. But he was back cutting hair yesterday and says he plans to continue. The 77-year-old telling a reporter, “Who cares? What are they going to give me? Life?”

Manke’s original return to work was solely based on his desire and need to earn a living. He made it very clear it wasn’t a political stunt and held no ill will toward the Governor, other than for her shutdown order that prevented him from earning an income that he, and he points out, so many others around the state, need.

Another protest event against Governor Gretchen Whitmer is scheduled to get underway at noon today. The Michigan Conservative Coalition is organizing the event labeled “Operation Haircut”. Organizers want to keep the spotlight on the issues surrounding the Manke case. Beginning around noon, barbers and some trained volunteers will set up on the state capitol lawn in Lansing, offering free haircuts.

A Conservative Coalition co-founder says the idea is to point out the Governor is determining that marijuana shops are allowed to stay open while barbers and hair salons are not, questioning the reasoning behind that decision. A coalition spokesperson says the situation surrounding the barber looks like something from a police state. Among the requests by the group for those attending the protest is that people leave flags or banners at home unless it is a US flag. Same with weapons. The group wants no weapons shown on site. The Coalition says anything that might interfere with the primary message of the protest gives liberal-leaning media outlets something to focus on other than the real message.

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