At a public hearing held at last night’s City Commission meeting, about twenty residents expressed their support for a resolution that will regulate conduct at sexually oriented businesses in Grand Rapids. The resolution, which will affect both new and existing businesses, was drafted at the behest of the Black Hill Citizens for a Better Community, a neighborhood group that has raised over $100,000 to defend the city in a legal battle that will likely follow the passage of any resolution. According to a report yesterday on WZZM 13, a majority of Commissioners support the increased regulations.
The public hearing opened with comments from Scott Bergthold, a nationally recognized lawyer that has prepared similar resolutions and defended them in courts around the country. Bergthold briefly outlined various court decisions and precedents that allow for the resolution, including court decisions that have demonstrated “secondary effects” such as increased crime, decreased property values, increased prostitution, and increases in violence against women in areas where strip clubs and other sexually oriented businesses are located. Bergthold acknowledged that while the city failed in its legal fight with the Velvet Touch, the resolution before the commission is supported by recent rulings as it does not seek to prevent conduct, but rather restrict it. He went on to describe how the $100,000 raised to defend the city will be sufficient and told the Commission that while there is the possibility for multiple lawsuits (one from each business effected by the ordinance), he believes that these could be easily consolidated. Bergthold also delivered the results of an investigation that found unsanitary conditions and violations of physical contact policies at six “adult entertainment” clubs in the West Michigan area.
Supporters of the resolution, many of whom live in the Black Hills neighborhood near where Mark London’s proposed Showgirl Galleria may open, framed their argument primarily in terms of morality and the need to “preserve the moral environment” and to keep West Michigan a “moral area.” Speakers described how pornography can have devastating effects on families, expressed concerns over what children in the area might be exposed to, and objected to Showgirl Galleria’s proximity to churches. While the majority of these moral arguments were designed to promote “a safe and morally clean city,” some incorporated concerns about secondary effects such as blight, property crimes, theft, disease, property values, prostitution, and pornographic litter. Supporters also criticized the sex industry’s intimidation efforts with threats of lawsuits, although they said the threats were fairly meaningless given that they have raised the money to defend the City in court.
Aside from concerns about morals and “secondary effects,” some speakers also cited the way in which strip clubs exploit women. One speaker read a letter she had received from Mayor Heartwell on Showgirl Galleria in which Heartwell objected to the way in which sexually oriented businesses “demean” women. Another described how the clubs objectify women and make sexual assault acceptable to men. Speakers from the Prostitution Roundtable discussed the realities of the sex industry, with Dotti Clune describing how “working in a strip club is not a choice” for women and that it is instead “a position they find themselves in when they have no other options.” She went on to discuss links between strip clubs and coercion and sex trafficking and described how club owners make money by taking advantage of women.
The opponents of the resolution, who were overwhelmingly male and numbered around five, attacked the moralistic nature of the arguments coming from its supporters. Rick Chapala, a Grand Rapids resident, said that the resolution was a product of “Puritanism” or what he called “the mortal fear that someone is having a good time” and went on to describe how he has not seen problems in clubs he has gone to in Windsor and argued that the suppression of sexuality will cause problems. He then went on to single out “liberal feminists” who claim that women are exploited yet are unable to realize that women in the United States have considerable freedom and urged the commission “don’t turn West Michigan into Saudi Arabia” by suppressing people’s desires. Other citizen opponents argued that the cost to the city was too high and that it was simply a matter of legislating morality. Two male employees of Parkway Tropic also spoke against the ordinance, with disc jockey Darren Gibson and manager Ron Buckner questioning statistics about “secondary effects” and arguing that the government has a responsibility not to infringe on “personal choice.” Moreover, as one of the proponents of the resolution said during her comments, those defending sexually oriented businesses are probably benefiting from them, and this certainly was the case with club employees and men, who due to the system of patriarchy, gain benefits in terms of privilege and power from the continued objectification of women.
While the resolution was originally crafted to prevent Mark London’s Showgirl Galleria, many speakers urged the Commission to pursue the resolution even if Showgirl Galleria does not open. Mark London hinted earlier this month that his club may not open pending sale, but in a story yesterday on WOOD TV 8, London said he does not expect the sale to go through. Recent media reports have also cited May 1 as a possible opening date for London’s Showgirl Galleria.
