Armed supporters stand guard outside Dallas salon defying COVID-19 stay-at-home order

On Thursday, Shelly Luther, the owner of Salon A La Mode in North Dallas, told WBAP radio that she’s been struggling to pay her bills amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s when she made the decision to reopen her shop despite state and city stay-at-home orders still in place for non-essential businesses.

“I’m having to make a decision on whether to pay for my mortgage or to pay the salon lease,” she said. “I chose to pay the salon lease because my nineteen stylists are more important.”

On Friday, Luther opened her salon doors to customers at 9 a.m.

Some supporters who had gathered outside the salon to show their support “were carrying guns while Luther welcomed customers into the salon,” according to a report from WFAA Channel 8. Luther had security guards at both doors of the shop to managing the flow of customers, who were required to wear masks, the TV station reported.

Dallas police arrived on the scene after receiving multiple calls complaining about social distancing violations in front of the salon. Officers and Dallas Fire-Rescue came and went multiple times until 1 p.m., when police issued Luther a citation, WFAA reported.

North Texas has more than 6.000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and Dallas County reported 71 new cases and 5 additional deaths on Friday.

Protests have been happening all over the country of people defying the “stay-at-home” state orders in an effort to reopen the country. But most Americans oppose the protests and are worried that lifting the restrictions could result in a spike of new coronavirus cases, polls show.

In Fort Worth, some businesses like PR’s Saloon and Basement Bar are planning on opening May 1 to “stand up for freedoms,” according a Facebook post. And they’re not the only ones looking to do this in the North Texas area, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Luther also told WBAP that she had applied for federal small business loans, but was denied, and hasn’t received her stimulus check yet.

“I have received zero income from the government and I applied the first days possible that we were allowed to,” according to the radio station.

Luther was also sent a cease-and-desist letter by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, WFAA reported.

She told WBAP that if even she faces a fine or jail time, she wouldn’t shut down.

“That defeats the purpose of opening in the first place and it lets them know that anytime someone stand up they can just shut you down,” WBAP reported.