Feidin Santana is set to begin another chapter of his career as a professional barber less than a mile from where his life changed six years ago. Beyond cutting and styling hair, Santana knows the power of a tight-knit community, and that’s what he hopes to build at Change Up Cuts, now open at 5900 Rivers Ave.
“It’s bigger than haircuts,” he told the City Paper Friday. “We’re trying to build bridges, restoring the community together.”
Santana, a native of the Dominican Republic, was walking to work at a different barbershop in 2015 when he came upon a North Charleston officer trying to arrest a man and started recording video on his phone. The man being pursued was Walter Scott, who would be gunned down by the officer, Michael Slager.
Santana’s eyewitness video contradicted Slager’s initial account of the incident, catapulting the case into the national spotlight. Slager is currently serving a 20-year sentence in prison for violating Scott’s civil rights.
“We’re just trying to change the perspective or point of view that people have from 2015 to now. It’s a totally new chapter in my life and the lives of people who will be involved with this project,” he said.
In addition to his business, Santana is planning to use the space at Change Up Cuts as a community hub for gatherings and meetings.
“We’re setting up a platform for people in our community to talk about the issues,” he said, including monthly meetings with state and local representatives
Wading into politics is something relatively new for Santana, who was elected second vice chair of the Charleston County Democratic Party in April.
“It’s all related. We have to be determined and in action in our beliefs,” he said.
Six years after he unwittingly found himself embroiled in a local tragedy, it would be hard to say Santana isn’t determined. Weathering threats and criticism, including hours on the witness stand as part of Slager’s trial, the young father and new U.S. citizen is about to cut the ribbon on an ambitious new venture.
“I have to just understand: I didn’t do anything wrong — that I don’t have to live in fear,” Santana said. “We have to come to this life, to contribute one way or another. And, that’s the only thing I’m doing. I’m just contributing a small part … Hopefully people can understand it.”
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