Barber Carl Mankie tells oversight panel he faced fines, license action and legal costs after defying COVID orders

Carl Mankie, a barber from Owasso, told the Oversight Subcommittee on Weaponization of State Government that he reopened his shop during the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown and was later targeted by state enforcement actions.

Mankie said he first heard of the shutdown in March 2020 and initially closed his shop, but decided to reopen because he believed the governor was overreaching by issuing continuing executive orders. “I needed to go back to work,” Mankie said, describing barbering as his livelihood. He testified that he was visited by local police, state police and health department staff, and that he received citations and cease-and-desist notices.

Mankie told the committee he was fined $1,500 after health officials said they had seen a comb in his pocket, and that a separate $6,000 penalty followed for cutting hair on the Capitol steps; he said the combined fines were about $9,000. He said the fines ultimately were upheld on appeal by courts that reviewed the health department decisions.

Mankie said he did not receive notice or a hearing before his barber license was suspended and that he learned through later court rulings that the Michigan Supreme Court restored his license in a 7–0 decision. He also told lawmakers that the health department pursued enforcement after seeing him on television and that no inspector had entered his shop to cite him for the comb he described.

On the personal toll, Mankie said threats and stress followed the enforcement actions and that he spent substantial sums defending himself. When asked how much he had paid in legal fees and fines, Mankie said “$90,000 altogether.”

Committee members questioned Mankie about notices, the inspection process and the courts’ subsequent treatment of his case. Representative Pohotsky asked whether the courts had revisited his case after 2020; Mankie said appeals and health-department actions continued, and that courts ultimately supported the health department’s decisions on the fines. Representative Wolford asked how the state’s response affected Mankie’s ability to worship; Mankie said it strengthened his prayer life but that he missed receiving communion.

Mankie characterized his actions as standing up for constitutional rights. He told the panel, “I am the storm,” a phrase he used to describe his resolve to resist orders he believed were unlawful.

No formal committee action was taken on Mankie’s testimony during the hearing; members expressed sympathy and said they would pursue additional review of enforcement practices.