Man Who Sacrifices Animals for Religious Purposes Says His Right to Sacrifice Animals Inside His Barbershop is Being Violated. Wait, What?

The owner of a New Bedford, Mass. barbershop is claiming religious persecution -- or something -- because city officials swooped down on his business and shut it down because he was sacrificing animals in the basement. William Camacho says he practices Palo Mayobe, an Afro-Caribbean religion similar to Santeria, and sacrifices animals, but doesn't kill the animals at the barbershop. Animal control officers removed two chickens and four roosters, one dead, from the shop's basement, after fire and building inspectors found the birds during a safety inspection. “It’s very insulting to me,” he told WHDH. “’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.” That may be true, but it's illegal to harbor livestock inside a business. Mayor Scott Lang says it best: “His barbershop 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 city is now launching a separate investigation into whether William can sacrifice animals for religious purposes anywhere in the city.


source:WHDH