I don't practice Santeria, I ain't got no crystal ball.
For William Camacho, it’s an issue of religious freedom. For New Bedford, Connecticut, it’s an issue of health. A barbershop in New Bedford was closed down after officials discovered that chickens used for animal sacrifice were being stored in the shop’s basement. Six chickens, two hens and four roosters, were found in the barbershop’s basement. One of the birds was dead, but Camacho vehemently denies that his shop was the scene of bloody religious rites.
“It’s very insulting to me,” said Camacho, who practices an Afro-Caribbean religion called Palo Mayobe, which is similar to Santeria. “’Because what happens is that — where I come from, it’s very known — and this town, it’s ignorant for them, ’cause they don’t know what type of religion it is.”
Meanwhile, New Bedford mayor Scott Lang says, “His barber shop isn’t closed because of his religion, it’s closed because of health violations, and he needs to get them straightened out in a hurry.”
The animals were discovered in the basement by fire and health inspectors. As for the dead animal, no one’s sure why it died (yet), but hopefully it wasn’t stabbed in mid-haircut. Camacho may also face additional charges of animal cruelty, and he’s claiming losses of up to $700 per day due to the ongoing legal troubles, so he may be better off to cop a plea and get the cops out of his hair shop.
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