Animal sacrifices close barbershop
A Massachusetts barber is cutting more than hair, say health officials, who closed his shop after finding evidence of ritualistic animal sacrifices.
How to properly sacrifice a chicken.
Boston’s NBC affiliate reports William Camacho purports his religious freedoms have been violated.
Camacho practices Palo Mayombe, a Caribbean religion that has been called “the dark side of Santería.”
Tuesday, two chickens and four roosters, one dead, were removed from the New Bedford shop’s basement.
“Well it’s very insulting to me,” Camacho told the TV station. “’Cause 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.”
Camacho could face animal cruelty charges. He says the shutdown is costing him $700 per day.
“I’m losing money and I’m waiting for the city to reopen me,” he told WHDH-TV.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
67 comments Add your comment
Old Geezer
August 18th, 2011
1:40 pm
$700 dollars a day my white speckled wrinkled ass.
Greedo Gadfly
August 18th, 2011
2:25 pm
Ask for the Palo Mayombe at Coco Loco. (Cool kids only order off-the-menu items.)
Paw Paw
August 18th, 2011
4:41 pm
I see a big problem here. The City ord. was violated by killing a chicken…..maybe it was how the chicken was killed. His right to kill the chicken is covered under the Constitution under the Freedom of Religion. Good Luck Boston
Christina
August 18th, 2011
4:43 pm
What kind of barber shop clears $700/day? Either he is laundering money or his tax adviser needs to give him a call.
All American
August 18th, 2011
4:46 pm
Have you been to boston lately? a haircut is 15 – 25 dollars and if he owns the shop and charges booth rental he can easily clear $700 a day. Stop being judgemental you losers.
Chicken Farmer
August 18th, 2011
4:57 pm
If he batters and fries the chicken, serves it with mashed potatoes, green beans and cole slaw that’s a religious experience all to itself. Then if he boils the rooster and serves it with some dumplings, lawd have mercy! Say the blessing and pass the biscuits…………………
bigdawg
August 18th, 2011
5:06 pm
Religion is the opiate of the masses!
“Those christians are so poor, they can only afford one god!!”
-Comicus
TrishaDishaWarEagle
August 18th, 2011
5:08 pm
Ah diversity, animal sacrifice from 3rd world sh*tholes, and the yearly west nile outbreak in dekalb county..I am told this is our strength..haha
My Two Cents
August 18th, 2011
5:11 pm
Only the tip of the iceberg! There will be more like this one. George, make sure you give us an update on this story.
Lynn
August 18th, 2011
5:30 pm
Chicken Farmer – you gave me the first good laugh of the day!! Although, myself, I’d prefer some broccoli instead!! On a serious note, forget the cruelty to animals (which I don’t like but….), from a health standpoint to the public, this to me is unacceptable. If this was his own home, no customers, etc….it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Animals are better than you will ever be
August 18th, 2011
5:38 pm
take your ignorant sick ass back to the sadistic country you came from. should never have allowed your stupidity to come here, let alone set up a business. i hope the violations you get in jail make you cluck like a chicken too!
ND
August 18th, 2011
6:31 pm
I suppose if he had eaten the chicken it would have been fine. Typical white cultural imperialism and hypocrisy.
alpharettan
August 18th, 2011
7:24 pm
7 doors down from me, in Alpharetta, is a house that practices santerian ritual animal sacrifices. Chickens, even a goat, I think. Police says they can’t do much. Freedom of religion, and all that. Thank god they are moving. At least one good thing from this lousy economy.
Eating Boogers For The Protein
August 18th, 2011
7:35 pm
And how is this more bizarre than Christianity and their stories of talking snakes, men who live inside big fish and a guy that managed to build a large boat and capture two of every species on this planet?
What if Jack and the Beanstalk was a bible story?
August 18th, 2011
7:37 pm
Amen
blacksheep
August 18th, 2011
7:51 pm
Religion (any of it): just an excuse to be stupid.
Benzetto
August 18th, 2011
7:53 pm
Have you been to boston lately? a haircut is 15 – 25 dollars and if he owns the shop and charges booth rental he can easily clear $700 a day. Stop being judgemental you losers.
alpharettan
August 18th, 2011
8:45 pm
like it or not, the US was founded and built primarily by Christians. The rest of you are “guests.”
SheShe
August 18th, 2011
8:47 pm
If the chickens could have just made it across that damn road……….
SheShe
August 18th, 2011
8:54 pm
Why do people find it so difficult to believe that it was possible to round up 2 of each animal in Noah’s day? Two wolves would have replaced all dogs, two lions for all cats…..we are the ones responsible for all these domesticated off spring versions. Noah would have been smart enough to toss pit bulls out of the ark and into the rising waters.
Marilyn
August 18th, 2011
10:19 pm
SheShe you are embarrassing to your family of goats. Apparently you were tossed off that boat too. Head first.
ND take your non-white chicken eatin trailer to She She’s trailer park. And quit blaming your stupidity on religion or constitutional rights.
Keon
August 18th, 2011
11:12 pm
He has a constitutional right to practice his religion through sacrifice…but he has to do it in accordance to the law. I’m thinking he’s not allowed to do it in the store which may present a health hazard.
tom
August 19th, 2011
2:52 am
go back to your land of freedom and kill whatever pleases you.
Just Asking?
August 19th, 2011
7:56 am
Ask the IRS how much he’s declaring?
Ghost
August 19th, 2011
8:16 am
Thank you All American!
You have way too many people thinking they know what the hell they’re talking about when all they’re doing is spouting ignorance! Haircuts aren’t $25 only in Boston, they’re the same price here in Atlanta!
The Big Bopper
August 19th, 2011
9:17 am
“Stop being judgemental you losers.”
Spoken like a true douche.
GRAY GHOST OR WHITE KNIGHT
August 19th, 2011
9:19 am
Take your mother and your brother and your tacky friends and
Take your love and put it where the sun don’t shine,
You won’t be missed.
HAHAHA
August 19th, 2011
9:33 am
Being a born in the USA Christian I don’t know whether to think this is sick of LMAO at Chicken Farmer’s remark! It appears he is the only one that noticed the KFC Bucket next to the story with the caption “How to properly sacrifice a chicken”
joe
August 19th, 2011
9:36 am
And here comes the ACLU to his defense in 3, 2, 1…
EMad
August 19th, 2011
9:46 am
Animal cruelty is against the law. Authorities need to understand this(I believe they do here) and not so much his “religion”, whatever the hay that is.
CGordon
August 19th, 2011
11:24 pm
Quote: “Well it’s very insulting to me,” Camacho told the TV station. “’Cause 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.”
Camacho: GO BACK to your degenerate 3rd world country if you think it’s OK to do this crap. We don’t need – or want – this garbage in the name of ‘religion’. Do you believe for one moment that if my religion says I can behead YOU, that makes it acceptable? We don’t need YOUR perversion of our American Constitution.
yakofujimato
August 20th, 2011
3:13 am
Just to let you geniuses know that Boston and New Bedford are two very different places in different parts of Massachusetts! They are dissimilar across the board.
Baby Chick
August 20th, 2011
11:02 am
I’m guessing the spirits of dead chickens finally got even and surmounted the black magic the barber was stirring up in the basement between hair cuts.
Do you guys like the pickles they have at McDonald’s?
Gabrielle
August 20th, 2011
1:46 pm
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. You are now in the jurisdiction of the United States where ritualistic sacrifice is illegal. You can believe anything you want; you just can’t practice it.
Gabrielle
August 20th, 2011
1:49 pm
Animal sacrifice typically involves a slow death where blood is collected. We do not support unnecessary torture of animals, even chickens.
steve
August 20th, 2011
2:17 pm
this is america not poco loco
jeffrey dickerson
August 20th, 2011
3:03 pm
we kill chickens every day, whats the big deal-was he charged for not eating it.lol.
Unbelievable
August 20th, 2011
3:13 pm
This is humorous and the photo of KFC as a proper way to sacrifice a chicken is supposed to be funny? Oddly, I’m NOT from a 3rd world country; I’m a very well educated professional from the US and I practice this religion. No, I find no humor in your little story here or in the way this situation was handled. Perhaps there needs to be a good washing of the necks in your area, they’re all RED.
kcsparky
August 20th, 2011
4:40 pm
Mutilation of animals may be well known and popular where he came from, but is against the law and is disgusting here. If you wish to practise an ignorant, superstitious religion that involves murder in this country….think twice and stay home.
Jim Parker
August 20th, 2011
5:39 pm
Why did the chicken cross the road?…To prove to the armadillo that it could be done..
the_dude
August 20th, 2011
6:14 pm
My religion allows me to go around killing people. I sure hope the police dont violate my religious freedoms.
ganton
August 20th, 2011
7:40 pm
always wondered what was in those homemade hair growing tonics. Be weary of barbershops with a basement and down feathers on the floor.
American Rights Not comunistical socialism
August 20th, 2011
7:54 pm
This is America, He has the right to practice his Religion, And why did they stop him from operating his business, he wasn’t mixing them. the religious practice was in the basement and he cut hair upstairs. As for animal cruity, give me a break, Go to any chicken processing plant if you want to see real cruity ( hang them from thier feet, slice their neck, then into the furnace to burn the hair off, then a dip in scalding hot water, then gutted, hopefully thier dead by now!!!!! ) Thats animal cruity !
America beware, wether your a foriegnor or born and bread here, our rights are being takin from, right under our noses, wakeup, its time we band together, after all its American the land of the free and brave, its past time for a “Boston Tea party’
Steve
August 21st, 2011
8:15 am
“religion” is such a waste. God (the One and Only Living God), didn’t create ‘religion’, people do that in order to keep from having to fully truth God and to try to attain power.
Cow
August 21st, 2011
8:24 am
Eat more chikin’
sammy
August 21st, 2011
9:50 am
Now, imagine how well this 3rd world primitive treats his wife and children … especially little girls. The fact is that this country NEVER needed people like that, we strove 300 years ago to not be people like that. Multiculturalism and “diversity” are simply a lowering of the moral boundaries of decency. More maggots like him here means this once great country has come full cycle. Please don’t tell me U.S. taxpayers not only gave this bozo entry into our country but also SBA loans and lots of free govt. cheese.
brian
August 21st, 2011
10:01 am
Isn’t that the kind of bloodlust that this “god” character demands? The bible seems to endorse animal torture to please this “god”. I think this guy is a good christian – he’s uneducated, violent, and delusional!
Kitty
August 21st, 2011
10:08 am
I support the man’s freedom of religion, but I also think it is a health hazard to keep the rotting animal carcasses in your place of business, especially if you work intimately with the public. And I think that, if and when he re-opens, he may have gained some new customers who are curious, but more than likely it seems to me a lot of his regular clientele might switch to a different shop after finding out what he was doing. I also hope he is wearing gloves, washing up well, and killing the animals quickly and humanely. And I hope he stops keeping the carcasses in his BARBERSHOP.
sumtrim
August 21st, 2011
10:30 am
…just a little off the top please…ooops!
carl
August 21st, 2011
10:37 am
be glad he’s not a pet groomer. talk about a religious experience!
John Doe
August 21st, 2011
2:09 pm
When sacrifice or killing is involved of any kind or type. there is no religion. You just can practice something out of no where and start doing weird stub such as sacrificing animals or humans and called religion. They should be held responsible sometimes you learn the hard way.
John Doe
August 21st, 2011
2:12 pm
it is wrong barber should be held responsible there is no such religion. cults are criminal acts.
susan
August 21st, 2011
3:12 pm
There is no reason to have sacrifices anymore. The Lord Jesus is our sacrifice. Praise God!!!
Mike
August 21st, 2011
4:55 pm
I going to the islands to get my haircuts from now on. All You get in the states is scalped and they still look at you funny if you don’t tip.
jim
August 21st, 2011
8:24 pm
it might be freedom of religon to kill chickens…. but not in a barber shops basement… he should lose his barbers license for this health code violation… I wonder if he shaves people with the same razor that he dispatches chickens with
fostermama
August 21st, 2011
9:04 pm
ChickenFarmer….too Funny!
KDR
August 22nd, 2011
1:58 am
http://abcnews.go.com/US/alleged-animal-sacrifice-involved-massachusetts-barbershop-closing/story?id=14334388
Here is a link to the article with details about the situation. He was killing chickens so dead spirits could eat them and not go hungry. OK, that’s sensible; nobody wants hungry spirits hanging around their barber shop. The shop, btw, is called Bad Boyz Cutz. Again, no red flags there. The article says that there were bird feces on the floor, flies everywhere, no running water, and nothing to seal the basement from the customer area. The chickens were being kept in small cages and cardboard boxes. Still not seeing the problem…what’s a barber shop without feces and a few flies? And…if he cleans up the place enough to pass a health inspection, officials say he can reopen. Whoa there—he has to pass a HEALTH INSPECTION?? No wonder he’s playing the discrimination card, and I think it’s high time we ALL apologize to him for violating his religious freedom!
Kiana
August 22nd, 2011
10:33 am
I am LOVING that photo/caption
Paddy O
August 22nd, 2011
11:50 am
welcome to the 3rd world.
Me
August 22nd, 2011
12:02 pm
If that is your religion in the Carribean and you want to practice it, then go back to where you came from and practice it there! We here in America do not approve of such religion and will not tolerate such actions.
Mizaun
August 28th, 2011
3:29 am
Um, its wrong for him to kill some chickens & Roosters yet its acceptable to kill millions of them a day to feed the FAT HOG NATION OF AMERICA!! I say if he bought the birds, and plans on eating them after his said religious thing, then why is this a problem? Also, he is worried about losing $700.00 a day. Wanna bet he will be losing A LOT MORE now that his costumers know whats going on downstairs. “So, that was not the TV left on downstairs after all, eh?”
Barber closed after evidence of animal sacrifice found – msnbc.com — Today News Now
September 3rd, 2011
5:51 am
[...] Camacho disputes the claim, saying he practices Palo Mayobe, an Afro-Caribbean religion …Animal sacrifices close barbershopAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog)New Bedford officials deny trampling on religionBoston [...]
AirForce1985
September 10th, 2011
7:01 am
The liberals would say he is just practicing his “religious” beliefs and should be allowed to do so. When in this country you have to obey it’s laws. I’m surprised he is not claiming racism, discrimination or prejudicial treatment. As is so typical with “people of color”.
John
September 10th, 2011
10:28 am
@airforce we know your kind have no respect for the constitution and anyone who does is a liberal or n***** lover; Freedom of religion is a punchline for you but the founding fathers thought it is important enough to make part of the constitution….People like you claim to love America but you cannot grasp the Idea that is “America”. Save us from your ignorant drivels and just go away. God bless America….To Freedom!
Brother Bill
September 10th, 2011
6:10 pm
As long as he says a prayer before killing the chicken, what is the difference from a Rabbi who says a prayer before killing the chicken. Killing the chicken is how a pious person cleanses himself of sin. So, if I rob a store, can I absolve myself from prison by killing a chicken?
Marcus
September 11th, 2011
2:33 pm
Those of you that question his statement of shutdowns costing him $700 per day obviously never owned a business, regardless of wheither or not his doors are open to customers, he must still pay the overhead (rent, utilities, business taxes, etc) and without customers, all those expenses are coming out of his pocket.
c e campbell
September 12th, 2011
2:02 am
It’s ok if he practices his religion, BACK where he comes from? AND do not call us ignorant because
your in our country! lets see if you can make $700 a day, where you come from( with your DARK side of santeria religion) that you can take back with you.