An Oregon business owner who reopened earlier this month in defiance of Democrat Gov. Kate Brown’s lockdown order says she was paid a visit from the state’s child protective services.
Standing by her decision to reopen last week, Glamour Salon owner Lindsey Graham was issued a fine of $14,000 by the state’s Occupational Safety Health division (OSHA) for daring to generate revenue during the pandemic that has decimated small businesses.
“I’m risking going to jail to do it. That’s how important it is to my family,” Graham told KPTV in early May. “I’m deciding that it’s more important for me to feed my family and pay the bills that are going to keep our home and our family alive than take the risk to remain being shut down for an undisclosed amount of time.”
She says the fine will be assessed next week and she’ll have three days to close or face additional fines.
To make matters worse, Graham says her children were targeted by the state after she vowed to open her salon.
“If you can possibly believe this, on May 7 Child Protective Services showed up at my home. They questioned my husband and I, they questioned my child without me present, they searched our home,” Graham said at a press conference late last week. “And I’ve never expected such a violent, aggressive, vindictive thing could have ever been done to me or my family.”
On Friday, Graham released a statement through her GoFundMe donation page indicating she planned to hire a lawyer and fight the fine.
“I will be FIGHTING this citation and fighting their case. I’m retaining my attorney to take this to court!!!! The government cannot find their own loopholes to punish me for trying to earn a living,” Graham wrote, in a plea for donations.
According to Willamette Week, salons in “low-risk” areas in Oregon were allowed to reopen on May 15, however CNN reports Marion County, where Glamour Salon is located, was not approved.
In an interesting turn of events, a county circuit judge in Oregon tossed out Gov. Brown’s lockdown restrictions Monday, “saying she didn’t seek the Legislature’s approval to extend the stay-at-home orders beyond a 28-day limit, reports the Associated Press.
In a seven-page opinion, [Judge Matthew] Shirtcliff wrote that the damage to Oregonians and their livelihood was greater than the dangers presented by the coronavirus. He also noted that other businesses deemed essential, such as grocery stores, had been allowed to remain open even with large numbers of people present and have relied on masks, social distancing and other measures to protect the public.
“The governor’s orders are not required for public safety when plaintiffs can continue to utilize social distancing and safety protocols at larger gatherings involving spiritual worship,” he wrote.
Gov. Brown vowed to take the fight up to the state’s supreme court.
“The science behind these executive orders hasn’t changed one bit. Ongoing physical distancing, staying home as much as possible, and wearing face coverings will save lives across Oregon,” Brown said Monday.
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