VICE CITY STRIP CLUB FREE

Because the dancers covered their breasts with pasties or liquid latex, the clubs maintained they were not sexually oriented businesses and therefore not subject to the ordinance. The clubs - or rather, their lawyers - found a way around many of the restrictions. It also prohibited a dancer from touching a patron вЂњwhile engaging in entertainment.вЂќ

In addition to banning topless lap dances - strippers had to stay three feet from a customer while performing - the law required clubs to maintain sufficient lighting вЂњof not less than one footcandle as measured at four feet above floor level,вЂќ an effort to prevent clubs from using the darkness to conceal illegal activity. The 1997 ordinance, known as the Sexually Oriented Business Law, regulated the clubs at a micro level.

VICE CITY STRIP CLUB FREE

Liquor, beer and wine sales at the 16 clubs totaled nearly $25 million in 2012, including $4.1 million at one club alone: Treasures, a two-story venue that claims to be the biggest strip club in Texas and offers a free buffet and a shoeshine stand.

One lawyer for the city said a primary source of criminal activity was not the 16 clubs, but smaller вЂњrogue clubsвЂќ that have an anything-goes atmosphere and have exploited and prostituted girls as young as 11 and 12.Д«oth critics and supporters agree it is a booming industry. The city is home to one of the largest concentrations of strip clubs in America, with more than 100 believed to be operating at varying levels of legality. This is about the settling of a 16-year lawsuit and actually getting something for that settlement.вЂќДЄs HoustonвЂ™s economy, population and national reputation as a tourist and business destination have grown, so has its tawdry night life. вЂњThis is not about the adult entertainment industry, how I feel about it or not. вЂњI think a lot of the discussion out in the community is from people who simply do not like the adult entertainment industry,вЂќ she told reporters. Mayor Parker defended the arrangement, describing one of the stipulations - that the owners eliminate all private rooms, often viewed as sites for prostitution - as a victory for the city. We certainly do not want these clubs to dictate the terms of a surrender.вЂќ вЂњPeople donвЂ™t want to come out against the mayor, but indeed theyвЂ™re very happy to say that this is not the deal that we need in this city. вЂњThe mayor is very popular,вЂќ said Bob Sanborn, who leads the advocacy group Children at Risk. Parker, a Democrat who recently won re-election to a third and final term. The controversy has the potential to hurt Mayor Annise D. The Houston Area Pastor Council is considering suing the city over the agreement. They said it sent the wrong message about HoustonвЂ™s tolerance for such entertainment, and allowed the 16 clubs to buy their way out of complying with the law.

But a number of religious leaders and advocates for sex-trafficking victims have opposed the deal. The new agreement freed the 16 clubs involved in the lawsuits from abiding by the 1997 law and required the owners to contribute $1 million annually to a unit in the Houston Police Department devoted to fighting human trafficking.

Vice city strip club