A controversial resolution that would restrict sexually oriented businesses will have a public hearing before the City Commission tomorrow at the Commission’s 7:00pm meeting. The ordinance, proposed as a follow-up to a symbolic resolution passed last August and pursued only after organizations raised money to develop a legal defense fund for the city, is going forward despite the fact that developer Mark London may sell the property on which Showgirl Galleria would be located. In today’s Grand Rapids Press, both Mayor Heartwell and Commissioner Tormala expressed some reservations about moving ahead with the resolution if Showgirl Galleria is not going to open, while developer Mark London said that he would not attend the meeting to defend his development, stating that "It's kind of like a person of color going before David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan to discuss their constitutional rights... It's not a very welcome group to go before."
Background Information on Strip Clubs, Pornography, and the Sex Industry
