Dallas Salon Owner Briefly Jailed For Defying Order To Close Says She Would Do It Again
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther, who was briefly jailed for refusing to close her doors, said Friday morning she would do it again. "Absolutely, I would not change anything."
Luther welcomed U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who said he flew from Houston to Dallas because he said he couldn't think of a better place to get his first haircut in three months than her Salon A'La Mode.
Earlier this week, Dallas County Judge Eric Moye sent Luther to jail after she ignored his for seven days after she refused to close her salon.
She had opened it before she was allowed to under Governor Greg Abbott's executive order.
The Texas Supreme Court ordered her release Thursday.
After his haircut, Cruz praised the Texas Supreme Court's decision and Governor Abbott's decision to amend his executive order so that no one could go to jail for complying with it.
Standing outside her salon, he offered her support. "You stood for Texans all across this state, and you stood for Americans all across the country who believe in liberty. "
Democrats have expressed their support for Judge Moye.
Luther said she appreciates Senator Cruz's visit. "Senator Cruz coming is something I would never have dreamed of. It's overwhelming in a great way."
She said the case is more than just about her.
"This isn't about opening a salon. It isn't about a haircut. This is about all of us coming together and saying we have rights," said Luther.
Some other salon and business owners who followed the Governor's executive order and had remained closed, have said
Luther shouldn't be rewarded for doing the wrong thing.
Luther said, "I respect any kind of opinion anyone has. I'm not living in their shoes, I don't know what they're going through. That was their right to do whatever they wanted to do."
Luther isn't alone.
Two beauticians in Laredo were arrested last month after an undercover police officer found them soliciting customers on social media.
Senator Cruz said while he very much appreciates and supports law enforcement, he criticized what happened in Laredo.
"What the hell are we doing when there's a police sting trying to go after beauticians for trying to earn a living? Last I checked, there are some real criminals in the world."
Luther's gofundme account has surpassed $500,000.
She said she plans on paying her legal bills and her mortgage and that she also wants to help others.
"We have already planned as spreading some of that gift today in South Dallas. I've already reached out to try to get in contact with the two ladies in Laredo and I would like to pay for any of their attorneys fees, any citations they have and maybe give them a little head-start money."