How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
OR: How to Get a Club Closed Down By Tom Ridge
As you know I've been leading a discussion about the continual need to upgrade
physical facilities of clubs and how clean they are in terms of physical tidiness.
To my surprise, many dancers disagreed with me. Todays attempt at pre holiday discussion is aimed at club owners and managers, but in particular the
ever highly paid Strip Club Lawyers.
With great sucess, the SCL's have batted back almost all attempts to close up clubs on moral grounds, basically using constitutional issues. In our now post 9-11 era of bacterial warfare and Patriot laws I bring up the most feared weapon against strip clubs. Yes... it is the feared Zoning and Building Inspector, along with his trusty sidekick
Health Department Technician. By carefully observing lack of sprinklers, fire exits blocked, emergency exits chained, bar area not cleaned, mold caused by roof leaks, and
bacterial counts in bathrooms and kitchens and creating a paper record trail a mile long
they could probably close up alot of clubs with sub standard facilities.
Unless your club moves to "bed dances" in which case a raid is due to hit you in my opinion, the most serious threat is health and building safety violations which have nothing to do with the entertainment and the dances or dancers.
The smart city or county would put task forces together that can take air samples, surface bacteria samples, measure the temperatures of all coolers and freezers, measure the fire systems and take pictures of the exits and doorways. The cops could stand around looking bored, but they should be prepared to arrest anyone who interferes and
of course arrest all underage teens in the place to create additional paper.
The building and zoning inspectors (who's trademark white plastic pocket protector gives them away) could be trained to yell out in a loud voice, "Health Inspection... nobody move.!" For laughs they can count the parking spots and see if it matches
the documents on file for amount, and run traffic counts and accident counts.
The owner of the strip club across the street, (who built new and has nothing to fear) can watch all this as he is watering his landscaping around the club and using polish on the new anodized copper (aluminum) door frames. (The landscaping is probably watered by underground sprinklers that are automatic.)
All you need is a few mold lawsuits from customers and you can say bye bye club.
OK. That's my present for discussion. Let me have it.
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
If they dont serve food,I dont think the health department comes in for regular inspections,nor do they really care,when they have hundreds of restraunts with dozens of violations that take precedents.
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
I won't rip you, but let me state that its a little hard for a lot of club owners to afford "capital improvements" after paying the daily operating expenses, the kickbacks to the organized criminals, the annual legal bills that would pay for a pretty decent house, yada, yada, yada.
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
Tom Ridge is the Secretary of Homeland Security....why does he care about building safety violations of strip clubs?
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emily link=board=1;threadid=5356;start=msg57283#msg57283 date=1071878225
Tom Ridge is the Secretary of Homeland Security....why does he care about building safety violations of strip clubs?
Maybe he thinks strip clubs harbor terrorists, y'know, "exotic" dancers :laughing:
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
Homeland Security is anything that effects the homeland, including health issues.
That's somewhat of a joke I guess because most health issues are state or county
related, unless the health issue gets out of hand and then the new Homeland Security could get called in. I'm not sure what authorization the Patriot Act gives them.
(Actually the week before 9-11 some of the terrorists visited a strip club.
Anyone give any thought to nightclubs and fire deaths? Last years night club fires?
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
Sorry Niceguy ,
but not according to the legislation authorizing the Department of Homeland security:
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlib...r_5005_enr.pdf
While I agree few clubs could pass a rigorous safety and health inspection, so could few restaurants. The greatest threat to safety on most clubs is fire safety. The clubs I go to are in Rhode Island, home of the Great White fire. Even though the fire inspectors are probably being paid more by the clubs, little has changed in safety practice. (this IS Rhode Island)
I always know where 3 exits are!!! This is a good practice in any group, for anyone, anywhere.
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
OK Monty. You got me. My source was newspapers. Sections 304 authorizes "certain public-health related activites" by the department. Section 505 authorizes them to conduct (in emergencies) "certain public-health related activites."
Does this mean the feds can take control of county health and close clubs no.
But why are the FBI running around the country raiding clubs then?
What the act does is create a dotted line from Thompsons Health and Human Services to Homeland security where there are alot more enforcement teeth.
I still think that cities and counties trying to close clubs on moral grounds are quite foolish, when they have a more objective and strong law in fire safety, health, and building codes. This should provide a small light bulb in the head of any owner
or owners lawyer that their weakness is physical facilities and safety practices not
being closed on moral grounds. The smart ones will tighten their buildings up.
Of course the clubs have the ultimate defense. Run clean, well organized,
fire safe, and good buildings, and do it before they throw a ton of citations at you.
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
LOL Niceguy!!
I interpret those provisions as being there so DHS can take over stuff in the event of a chemical or biological attack. FEMA is under DHS, but dirty glasses at a club don't rate an emergency in usual syntax.
I have seen some restrooms which were disasters, however.
Most of the FBI raids I have heard of were because of illegal aliens or good old fashion corruption. RICO has been on the books a long time.
As for cynical questions, let me ask you this: If you were a healthy young FBI agent, which would you rather do, check out things at a strip club (complete with stakeouts) or actually look for Whitey Bulger? (New England's long standing member of the 10 most wanted--and a former FBI informant)
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
Even if you were serious, this would have big problems ever being implemented on a national basis, since a few cities are extremely amenable to strip clubs (and the payola they provide city council members), while other cities vehemently oppose them and use local zoning laws, local anti-dance club ordinances etc. to make life as difficult as possible for local clubs.
While the slow financial bleeding effect of local laws (i.e. outlawing lap dances, establishing distance rules, and otherwise reducing customer interest and therefore club and dancer income) isn't as dramatic, it is just as effective in the long run at putting law abiding clubs out of business. However, when faced with the prospect of going bankrupt or 'bending' the law, must clubs will resort to the latter encouraging dancers to provide more than the air dances permitted by local ordinances !
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
Um, the health and zoning inspectors can be paid off just like other local officials. I'd wager a bet many of them already are.
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
Code enforcement, Fire dept. The Fire Dept here in Fl are the guys who do the majority of inspections in situations like this. These guys seem to always find something! And fines on top of fines have shut down 2 clubs i know of here.
Pamela
Re:How To Get A Club Closed Down By Ridge
Having lived, at the time, in the areas of 2 of the most deadly nightclub fires (Beverly Hills Supper club and recently Providence RI) I am off the oppinion that aggressive enforcement of both the fire codes and the anti-corruption laws on their enforcement are both VITAL.
Ignoting fire safety and Payoffs for selective enforcement BOTH kill people.
In any crowd situation know multiple ways out.