Strip Club Defies City, Opens Doors

A last-ditch effort to stave off the opening of a strip club in Lincoln Heights failed Friday, as club owners ignored an emergency action by the Los Angeles City Council earlier in the day to revoke their permits and instead threw open their doors for a night of nude dancing.

Los Angeles Police Department officials issued the club, Industrial Strip L.A., a citation for operating without a permit two hours after its 1 p.m. opening. But neither that nor a stream of angry picketers gathered outside later in the day stopped the stripping.

“I would rather have these guys coming here, where they can fulfill their fantasies in a controlled environment, than out on the streets, out of control,” said “Mercy,” a 20-year-old dancer clad in a red bikini top, G-string and black knee-high boots.

Industrial Strip attorney Roger Jon Diamond said he will fight the criminal misdemeanor citation and is considering court action to demand a permit.

“We have the Bill of Rights. This is America,” Diamond said. “Do you think that some political hacks in the council can break the Constitution of the United States?”

The city’s police permit review panel reluctantly granted Industrial Strip a cafe entertainment/shows permit earlier this week, saying there was no legal reason to deny the application. Without citing any specific legal grounds, the City Council on Friday heeded the cries of neighborhood activists, church leaders, school officials and nearby business owners and revoked the permit that had been issued two days before.

Under the City Charter’s Proposition 5, approved by voters in 1992, the council has the power to overturn any decision made by the city’s 40 or so citizen commissions.

“It is our duty to determine where the community’s values can be achieved,” Councilman Marvin Braude said before the 10-0 vote. “There’s a higher standard of morality and values that we have to abide by.”

Scores of outraged residents attended the impromptu hearing Friday at City Hall, presenting the council with a petition signed by 1,200 club opponents.

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“We’re fighting liquor licenses, we’re fighting drugs, we’re fighting gangs,” Esther Rodarte of the Lincoln Heights Restoration Assn. told lawmakers. “We’re fighting too many other things without this one that’s immoral and will do nothing for our neighborhood.” About 60 opponents staged a protest near the club Friday evening.

The area around the club in the 2600 block of Lacy Street is zoned for industrial uses that include adult entertainment. But residents and their councilman, Mike Hernandez, say the club is too close to schools and are particularly upset because it is across the street from an animal shelter where high school students earn credits for their work with pets.

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“Please, please help our youth. Don’t send them the wrong message,” said Steven Schultz, who runs a home for troubled teenagers four blocks from the club. “I’m not against nudity, but please think about the young girls.”

Club attorney Diamond maintains that the business, which does not serve alcohol, could be a boon to the neighborhood by bringing wealthy patrons to Lincoln Heights and that its private security guards enhance law enforcement efforts on the crime-troubled streets.

On Friday afternoon, about two dozen men were watching an equal number of strippers, with 15 security guards on hand. Black and yellow hazard lines and a chain-link fence guarded the door.

Dancers start in tight dresses and go-go boots, but are topless by the end of the first song. By the waning chords of the second number, they are totally naked.

Patrons on Friday paid a $10 cover charge, although most had coupons. There also is a two soft-drink minimum.

“We meet all the stringent rules, regulations and laws. We’re very proud of this place,” said owner Kevin Wasko.