Texas mayor under investigation after viral photo shows her in nail salon despite stay-at-home order

[brooklynite]

Source: New York Daily News

A longtime mayor in southern Texas could face charges and a fine after she was caught breaking her own stay-at-home rules to go to a nail salon last week.

The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office confirmed over the weekend that it’s launching an investigation to determine whether Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames committed a crime when she ignored local and statewide rules against non-essential services to visit The Nail Bar last Tuesday.

The incident came to light after a photo went viral on social media showing her sitting inside the shop and soaking her nails in a bowl.

The mayor claims she was just soaking her fingertips in acetone to remove her artificial nails, according to the Beaumont Enterprise.

Read more: https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-texas-mayor-under-investigation-after-nail-salon-visit-20200427-bn37siawwfbvnbe6huaaa7mrb4-story.html

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. She could have ordered her own polish remover from Amazon

and soaked her fingertips at home. But when you're the mayor it's legal, right?

[jimfields33]

5. Her bank account is going to find out it's not legal.

At the end, a pretty expensive nail appointment.

[IronLionZion]

11. Ain't no laws when you got claws

er...nails

[Dustlawyer]

21. She was set up by a local Republican operative.

I live here and know the other side of the story. She called her nail salon owner to ask how to get her nails off as she has always had them done. The owner told her and said she would set out a bottle for the mayor to pick up by coming in the owner's back door. When she arrived the nail remover was in a bowl with a note to soak her nails in it. She did so and the owner came in and snapped the picture. The owner sent the picture to the Republican operative who sent it to the media stating she was violating her own orders.

The salon owner has now crawfished to say that the mayor was alone and she has security cameras to confirm it.

Really nasty politics here Trumpistan!

[Hekate]

22. You may have to post this more than once, because people are running away with it

Gods, I hate Republicans.

[Dustlawyer]

27. We have a group of Republicans here that not only attack Democrats, but other Republicans they do

not like. In this instance the man behind the set up wanted to be the city attorney, but the mayor named a black attorney to the post. This Republican attorney has set up a local judge he didn't like and a few others that held offices that the attorney's group had wanted for themselves. I went to law school with this asshole 30 years ago and know that there is not much he would not do to obtain what he wants.

When there are no Democrats in office to target, they eat their own. Our mayor has done a great job here. She focused on drainage control projects that have long been needed. When hurricane Harvey hit us with 67 inches of rain in 3 days my own house would have never remained dry had she not done these expensive projects for our community.

[scarletwoman]

34. I also hate how fast most DUers on this thread made a rush to judgement about this woman.

If you read the original story with a close eye, you can see it's all based solely on a photo - not to mention, isn't the NY Daily News something of a tabloid?

Even at the end it says:

The mayor claims she was just soaking her fingertips in acetone to remove her artificial nails, according to the Beaumont Enterprise.

Everyone is so quick to pile on because she's a woman, and we know how vain women are - they absolutely must get their nails done!

A critical news consumer would at least look for the original source (linked in the Daily News article), the Beaumont Enterprise, instead of relying on a tabloid recap with a scandal-mongering headline.

But the Mayor is a woman, so no further investigation is needed in order to pass judgement and castigate her.

It pisses me off no end.

[hlthe2b]

36. Bullshit.

Be pissed off if you want, but there are tons of vain MEN & WOMEN that are reacting this way. NYDaily News may be a tabloid, but it is NOT a Republican-friendly tabloid AND your fellow DUers were responding to what was posted. Expecting DUers to do full research above and beyond the article on an inconsequential posting is ridiculous. What were we supposed to do? Call up the mayor to get her side of the story--each and every one of us?

This isn't like the Biden accusations where it would be warranted to chastise those who took an article at face value. This was an inconsequential report of someone (and it wasn't even clear what party) who appeared to be acting irresponsibly. Hardly a trait reserved for one gender, one race, one ethnicity, nor limited to members of one party, quite frankly. Correcting it with the reported explanation is fine. But, honestly, that isn't more than a second-hand report from someone who supposedly knows her. I have no reason to doubt that either and appreciate their attempts to set the record straight, but again this is all second hand and far less consequential than you are making it. If this person is being set up then maybe the key is to expose it within the community with phone calls to newspapers, local broadcast news, editorials, complaints to the business, etc. Not redressing DUers.

[LisaM]

35. Yeah, I thoiught there was more to the story. Thanks for the explanation.

Also, for those who don't know, a lot of people get gel or similar treatments on their nails, and you can't just remove it like you do with regular nail polish. You need a special remover or heat treatment.

[Renew Deal]

37. That's ridiculous

What is wrong with people?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. She could soak at home. . . . nt

[Cartaphelius]

6. She did....

then after drying her hair she realized her nails looked like shit.

[jimfields33]

3. Do as I say, not as I do. Ugh!!!!

And her excuse is ridiculous. Taking off fake nail? At least say, yes I’m special And regular people aren’t”. She’s a repug obviously.

[scarletwoman]

32. You don't know the real story. See post #21 in this thread:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2480529

[oldsoftie]

4. Funny how we never had nail salons back in the 70s-80s

At least not in my area. Now theres one on every block & in every WalMart

[brooklynite]

7. You had it as a feature of the basic beauty salon

[underpants]

12. Madge was on that.

Didn’t women used to get their nails done while getting their hair “done”?

[marybourg]

13. Nowhere near to the extent that they do

now. Nowhere near. Thousand to one. Difference is stand alone nail salons on every corner, mostly opened by vietnamese entrepreneurial immigrants. And now the bar has been raised and all .professiional women need to have professional - looking manicures.

[underpants]

14. Okay. Yes they are everywhere

I’m just remembering back to when women went and had their hair done and probably did their mails themselves.

[marybourg]

15. Yes. Most women cared for their own nails

to varying degrees. I myself have never had a professional manicure.

[underpants]

16. Funny

I have.

[RobinA]

19. Not In My Area

either. No way would anybody but the rich have had somebody do their nails. I have never had my nails done. I can't wait until this style of having claws is over. I don't like them at all. Brows, too. I hear lots of lamenting about shaggy brows. People don't know how to tweeze their brows these days?

What can you do? The female look now is just very fake. This too shall pass.

[Lars39]

20. How it got started here in the US...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_salon

"The prevalence of Vietnamese women in the nail salon industry dates back to the Vietnam war, which saw large numbers of Vietnamese immigrants arriving in the United States. Tippi Hedren, a Hollywood actress, was involved in a charity which provided vocations to Vietnamese refugee women.

The goal of the charity was to help its target demographic integrate into U.S. society. Hedren invited her personal manicurist to teach a group of 20 Vietnamese women the craft of doing nails.[2][3][4] The training required for nail salon work is short and inexpensive, the work itself does not require high English proficiency, and the work hours tend to be flexible enough to allow immigrant mothers to attend to family obligations. During this era, the costs associated with opening and operating nail salons were low."

[oldsoftie]

24. Learn something new every day!! Thanks for that.

I mean, most of them are obviously owned by Asians, but I didnt know there was a charity that started it

[Lars39]

26. I didn't either until another DUer posted it

awhile back.

[hlthe2b]

8. And I ask... how could a professional manicure be THAT important?

Even under normal times, I scarcely have the patience to sit still to have my hair cut, much less styled or colored or permed. And nails? No thanks, I'll do my own. I see nail salons and all I can think of is nail fungus or inhalation of noxious chemicals. I understand the urge to look nice, but some of those who, I think, do so the best, do so themselves.

[Igel]

17. A mayor getting her hair trimmed was essential.

Nobody cared about that.

In fact, pointing it out was both partisan and racist and sexist.

[hlthe2b]

25. who was that?

[scarletwoman]

31. It had nothing to do with getting "a professional manicure." Please see post #21 in this thread:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2480529

[hlthe2b]

33. I hope the salon owner gets tremendous blowback for that.

[keithbvadu2]

9. Essential

[mwb970]

10. The article does not mention her political party, so I dug a bit. Have a guess.

DING DING DING! You're right!

[scarletwoman]

30. Did you miss the part where she was set up?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2480529

[Renew Deal]

18. Is the Nail Salon supposed to be open?

[scarletwoman]

29. It wasn't open, see post #21 in this thread:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2480529

[Hekate]

23. New title: "Dem Texas mayor set up by GOP operative." See post 21, this thread.

Remember Gary Hart and the boat Monkey Business? I always thought he was guilty of the grossest stupidity until last year or the year before, when the whole story came out. He was set up for that photo, start to finish.

I hate the GOP.

[scarletwoman]

28. She was set up! How about adding a note to your OP. See post #21 in this thread! (nt)