But 10 minutes after he flicked on the red "open" sign Wednesday afternoon, police led him away in handcuffs, placing him under arrest for violation of an executive order.
Myers, 38, said he knew his act would get him charged, but under Cooper's order, he is losing so much money that he fears he will lose his new house and won't be able to feed his three children as soon as June.
He said neither he nor any other small business owners he knows have received any small business loans or federal Paycheck Protection Program money, and he only got approval for insufficient unemployment payment after 13 attempts to sign up.
"I hope this will inspire other people to do the same," he said, shortly before his arrest. "You can arrest one person, but you can't arrest all these people."
BACKED-UP WORK WAITING
Myers, of Broadway, has been joining ReOpenNC protests in downtown Raleigh, and his Apex Tattoo Factory has both a copy of the Constitution on the front door and a Don't Tread On Me flag in the window.
He said his business, like all tattoo parlors, is inspected by Wake County health workers, and he has gone beyond normal levels of sanitation by limiting who can come inside and disinfecting every 1.5 hours. He has several months of backed-up work waiting, he said.
"If people are willing to take the risk," he said, "it's their body and their choice."
Apex Tattoo Factory sits at the back of a small strip center on N.C. 55. Nearby, Apex Wings and a Hempko hemp/CBD store were open, allowable under Cooper's order.
Told of the arrest, Wake County Commission Chair Greg Ford said, "Each of us is responsible for the choices we make, and those choices have consequences. One way or another, we're always held accountable. I wish him well."
As police led him away, a spectator filmed Myers and said his forefathers would be proud.
"My father is proud," he said.
Reader Comments
Soooo many good folks trying their best with the little that they have., getting screwed left right n centre.
From now on... we can only strive for and manifest HEALTH.
Vorwärts MARSCH [Link]
[Link]
The little mini-nazi from GVR actually came screaming at my wife and I, "YOU HAVE TO STOP NOW OR I'M CALLING THE SHERIFF!!!" just because we said to ourselves, "Screw this nonsense", and went out to play a little outdoor shuffle board on the courts just a hundred yards from our front door, with NOBODY on the courts besides ourselves. Ridiculous.
So it ain't no paradise here, freedom-wise, either (but if they raise the lockdown on May 15th, I'll be pleasantly surprised.)
Bet they extend it. Politicians, blue or red, are 100% assholes. Anyone who thinks any of those scum are on the side of the citizens is seriously deluding themselves......
My wife and I have loved it down here in GV up until this Covid-19 plannedemic, but we're pretty pissed off that lock-down is continuing despite the triple digit temps we are currently experiencing, and which are predicted to remain for the forseeable future. Still, it's funny how we see various old farts (like ourselves, I must admit) getting out and walking the community paths and 90% are just like us, i.e., they don't give a damn about social distancing or masks. But then we see the folks wandering around with their heavy masks and sunglasses at dawn or dusk, who won't say "Hi!" for fear of, well, something the media told them to fear. It takes all kinds, I guess.........
GGG is Pres of the Indigenous Peeps of the Americas
I hate to see that in NC. Way too close to home for my taste.
Remember, though, back when courts had the gonads to make real rulings, every time that they ruled a statute unconstitutional, it had gone through the standard process of approval. (An example, Brown v. Board of Ed. ruled unconstitutional. a separate but equal statute.)
R.C.