A Philadelphia man, and now thousands of other people, are confused and demanding answers after a baffling incident in early April of 2019.
Police ordered Brennan Jones, a barber, to stop giving homeless people free haircuts at his outdoor shop.
Jones, 30, was cutting hair in downtown Philadelphia when he was approached by a police officer and was told to “shut down immediately” without any explanation as to why or what was going on.
“I told him I wouldn’t shut down until I got more information,” Jones tells PEOPLE, adding that he was “upset” and “confused.” “The whole initiative is built around the homeless. I don’t just give them haircuts — I feed them, I clothe them and provide them with toiletries as well.”
Jones first made headlines in 2017, receiving praise from Mayor Jim Kenney for his work with this homeless.
Jones first launched his outdoor barber shop in 2017 after receiving permission from the Philadelphia City Hall. Jones sets up makeshift barber shops on local streets and has been helping the homeless population ever since.
This is why it was so confusing when the officer approached him so abruptly out of nowhere. And, since it’s 2019, of course, someone filmed the entire incident with their phone.
Since it was posted, the video of the confrontation has been viewed over 731,000 times.
https://twitter.com/_SJPeace_/status/1117373413692198912
The police officer made a few phone calls after attempting to get Jones to leave, but in the end, the barber’s project was allowed to continue – adding that he needs to make sure all the hair is cleaned up afterward.
“I was a little fearful,” he tells PEOPLE. “At the time … I was cutting my fifth person.”
Since the strange confrontation, Jones has been looking for answers but hasn’t received any explanation from the city. Now, he’s unsure if it will happen again.
The police did share with PEOPLE that they had received complaints from businesses in the city about loose hair in the streets. They also want to make it clear that the barber was not cited, moved, or shut down.
Jones doesn’t believe that the police had received any complaints at all. He says that there aren’t any businesses near where he cuts hair and both he and a helper always clean up the hair.
https://www.facebook.com/Haircuts4thehomeless/posts/831474000334337:0
“I feel as though that may have just been their excuse to clear their name,” the barber says. “[The officer] didn’t say they’d receive any complaints, he didn’t say there was hair blowing, he just said, ‘You have to shut down immediately.’ ”
Every day you can find Jones somewhere around the city of Philadelphia. And twice a month, he’s between 8th and Market streets, which is where this incident took place.
“Issues come and go. It may be the cops one day. It may be somebody else the next day,” Jones says. “I won’t let it discourage me in any way … I’m just focused on providing a service for the less fortunate.”
People weighing in on the scenario, of course, have mixed feelings about what happened, but it’s safe to say that most people are just as upset and confused as Jones. Many people called the confrontation “outrageous” and a “crime,” but others say the police were just doing their job.
What do you think about the video and what happened that day? We’d love to know your thoughts.
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https://twitter.com/_SJPeace_/status/1117373413692198912
