Every so often I come across some tattoo related news that makes me blood boil. The most recent news that I’ve come across that has got me good and pissed off is certainly nothing new here on the Tattoo Blog. Our good pal Dr. Hook has been following the case of Eric Anderson, a tattoo artist from Zipp’s Tattoo and Museum Shoppe in Edmonton, Canada, for quite some time now. Check out the Doc’s past posts about it here and here.
The long and short of it is that Anderson had his 21-year-old shop closed back in June of this year after health inspectors learned that Anderson did not keep customer records, improperly discarded needles and probably most disturbing of all, re-used unsterilized tattooing and piercing equipment on his customers. Gross. The shop was also closed down back in 2007 due to infection control and unsanitary conditions.
Well this coming Tuesday, October 27th, Eric Anderson will appear in court with 21 charges against him. He faces a maximum fine of $42,000 CDN ($39, 935 US, £24,479 GBP) for his stupidity. His shop has since been closed.
Personally, I think that morons like this who stupidly and needlessly endanger the health and lives of the public should be banned from ever being able to tattoo again, in addition to being slapped with any other criminal charges that are applicable. Not only is Anderson potentially spreading disease through his lazy, idiotic ways, but he’s also completely destroying the responsible and credible image that professional tattoo artists have to work so hard to uphold. What’s more, Whyte Avenue, where Zipp’s tattoo shop was located, is the most trendy area in the city of Edmonton. It’s not some obscure, dirty back alley somewhere. So when tattoo shops in heavily trafficked areas like this one get a bad image, where do all the good tattoo artists have left to go to in order to give their business credibility?
No doubt about it, an example needs to be made of Eric Anderson. Here’s hoping that come Tuesday he gets everything that’s coming to him.