The Salem Reporter has a story about the Glamour Salon owner deciding to call it quits.
Glamour Salon, owned by Lindsey Graham, has reached out to the city of Salem about terminating the lease at its current location at 195 Liberty St S.E., according to Clint Dameron, the city’s real property services manager.
...In May last year, Graham publicly reopened her salon in violation of Gov. Kate Brown’s orders intended to slow the spread of Covid.
Following the move, Graham was lionized by business owners and others who’ve argued the governor’s orders went too far, making appearances on right-leaning media, including Fox News. She also created a Facebook page called “Lindsey Graham-Patriot Barbie” she’s used to lambaste the governor and pandemic restrictions placed on businesses. She also created a website to sell Patriot Barbie branded apparel.
But her brazen reopening caught the attention of the Oregon Occupational Health and Safety Administration, which issued the business a $14,000 citation for putting workers at risk. Graham was also criticized after armed individuals showed up to protect her salon amid racial justice protests last summer.
The Glamour Salon isn't the only Salem business that has brazenly defied Governor Brown's Covid orders.
John Miller, the owner of Courthouse Club Fitness gyms, kept his clubs open during a period when they were supposed to be closed. That stunt has cost Miller $126,000 in fines, though he is appealing the OSHA decision.
And recently Enlightened Theatrics broke Covid rules by holding in-person performances of Les Miserables that exceeded the allowed audience, along with serving indoor food and drinks, another no-no.
I guess these Salem businesses figure that doing their part to protect people from dying or becoming ill from COVID-19 is less important than making money.
Sure, they couch their decision to flaunt Governor Brown's Covid orders as a matter of freedom and of giving their customers what they want.
But it's difficult for me to see their actions as anything else but selfishness. Here's how I put it in my post about Enlightened Theatrics going its own way by ignoring Covid restrictions.
Thus it sure looks like Enlightened Theatrics has decided to follow in the footsteps of Courthouse Club Fitness -- risking a fine in order to stay open.
What's disturbing in both cases goes beyond the danger to patrons by ignoring Oregon Health Authority guidelines that are designed to prevent Covid infections.
When Enlightened Theatrics decided to put on the in-person performances, it essentially said to other theatre companies, movie theaters, and in-door entertainment venues, "Ha-ha, you're closed and we're open! We've got enough money to pay a fine and probably you don't! You're a goody-goody who complies with Covid regulations and we're an outlaw who goes our own way!"
Well, I don't think Enlightened Theatrics should be proud of that attitude, just as I don't think Courthouse Club Fitness should be proud of racking up over $100,000 in fines as it stays open while other gyms in extreme risk counties remain closed.
These businesses are willing to take the risk that people in Salem are willing to forgive and forget their decision to put money ahead of keeping their customers safe.
Maybe that's a risk worth taking. I don't know how much Salemians know or care about what those businesses did.
All I can say is that I'm not able to look upon Courthouse Club Fitness and Enlightened Theatrics in the same way. Which saddens me in a way, because I was a Courthouse member for many years and have enjoyed quite a few Enlightened Theatrics' shows.
Glamour Salon is different.
I had no idea they even existed until Lindsey Graham's antics came to light. It sounds like her plan is to move to a red state where her politics will be a better fit.
Goodbye, Ms. Graham. You won't be missed.
Comments