A viral GoFundMe has raised a massive amount of money in a short time for a Texas salon owner who was sentenced to seven days in jail and ordered to pay a $7,000 fine for refusing to shutter her establishment in compliance with government directives.
Shelley Luther, owner of Salon a la Mode, made headlines for refusing to deliver a public an apology for what Judge Eric Moye described as “selfishness” on Tuesday.
The judge told Shelley Luther she
could avoid jail time if she apologized, admitted she was wrong, and agreed to close her hair salon until it was allowed to open.This is her response…@CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/1phdNUsLme
— Andrea Lucia (@CBS11Andrea) May 5, 2020
After learning that Luther would treated as a criminal actor and placed in custody at a time when many violent felons are being released due to fears surrounding the coronavirus, concerned citizens set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe.
The fundraiser description reads, “Shelley Luther is an American Hero that has decided to resist tyranny by opening her business against an unlawful State Executive Order. Her business, SALON A LA MODE offers services for hair and nails, microblading, permanent makeup, professional event makeup, braiding and more! Shelley and her team will likely face legal action, fines, and more during her journey back to freedom.”
“She is doing what everyone else is only talking about, in a patriotic move to take back her liberty!” the description continues. “Please support Shelley, and her employees by contributing to this worthy cause. You will not just be supporting Shelley, but you will be supporting the idea that our founders put in writing in the Constitution. 100% of all donations will go directly to Shelley Luther.”
As of press time, the fundraiser has reached some $370,000 in net donations, with some 10,000 unique donors, towards the $500,000 goal.
Fundraiser organizer Rick Hire has stated that the threshold will be moved upwards if the goal is met: “People want to know if we will be raising the goal. The short answer is YES. I can assure you all of this fact: When this case gets moved up to the federal levels, it will be one of the most expensive causes out there short of Hollywood criminal cases. We will let the donors decide and raise the goal accordingly.”
The GoFundMe page for Luther can be found below.
