Stripper Pictures on the Outside of the Club

[detroitsgwenivere]

I was pulling out onto 8 mile from Charleston this morning when I happened to notice [[u couldn't miss them) a bunch of tall photos of half naked strippers that went up over night on the building formerly known as "The Booby Trap." The neighbors had just remarked to me how lucky they were to not have to deal with the 20 ft tall mostly naked white woman [[in a majority black, church going retiree community) that is displayed in bright red lingerie on the facade of the Penthouse Club , and now this. I know there are arguments about free-speech regarding signs on private businesses, but I can't help but feel bad for the folks who live in the area [[of several races mind you) with kids and elderly folks around and feel blatantly offended by this type of signage, if that's what you could call it. Not to mention the fact that pretty much everyone on Exeter st. was supportive of that particular business because of it's current renovations. The neighbors on both sides of 8 mile have asked me what they can do to get the signs taken down if asking nicely doesn't work, and I had no answer. Thoughts on this?

[R8RBOB]

I thought City Council banned those racy pictures from being displayed at clubs like Penthouse.

[Meddle]

Thoughts on this?

Tell the neighbors not to be prudes and go on in and support the business.

[East Detroit]

Have a church leader call a councilperson.

However, the comment about "mostly naked white woman in a majority black..." sounds stupid. Does the fact that she is white make it that much more upsetting?

[SWMAP]

I wonder if what digital technology allows is becoming encouraged. My neighborhood was first inundated with forever fresh plastic signs affixed to every utility pole for blocks: We Buy Gold. Those signs still going strong after five or more years. They are an abuse but you have to carry around a ladder in your car and a pry bar to get them down. Now long-lasting mattress sale signs; River Rouge school signs and others have joined the party on every corner. I take them down as I can. Then the clubs began taping garish signs on every utility pole on Vernor every week. I guess they prefer that vertical litter to paying for a radio ad or putting it in the Latino weeklies. We have a crew that takes them down on Vernor/Junction as they appear.
Now the barbershop has a photo banner as big as a good-size sign affixed to the outside of the shop showing 6 or 8 of the hip- hop or gang- style haircuts available inside.
Visual blare has always been an option, and now it's so much easier and cheaper - but ordinances against it used to exist - and staff to enforce them.
As to the offensive girls - can they be defaced?

[Meddle]

As to the offensive girls - can they be defaced?

You're advocating vandalism?

[English]

Thoughts on this?

Tell the neighbors not to be prudes and go on in and support the business.

Um, I know that DetroitYES tends to be a boys' club, but I'd be willing to wager that quite a few of the neighbors are straight women. Some [[of course not all) of us see strip clubs as pointless -- they don't do a thing for us. Personally, I'd rather not look at some naked woman, and I'm a couple of generations younger than the women in question. One shouldn't have to go completely libertine at 80 years old.

[SWMAP]

I used to sometimes see billboards of a glamorous black couple in SW Detroit encouraging drinking Remy-Martin. I thought how out-of-place they were and odd that someone was paying for the image and the placement in a neighborhood that would never see Remy-Martin as an aspirational drink.Seemed a bad investment of funds.

Perhaps Detroit's Gwenivere is simply making a similar comment.

[Novine]

Does Detroit have zero standards when it comes to zoning and building codes? I don't care what color the people are or whether they are clothed or not, most suburbs don't allow you to splash giant signs on the sides of your buildings. I know that enforcement is pretty lame in Detroit but aren't there any standards for signage?

[GUSHI]

How about paint balling the sign.

[Meddle]

^^ How about not committing vandalism.

[GUSHI]

How about not forcing little kids and seniors going to church to have to witness such a billbard.

[j to the jeremy]

Does Detroit have zero standards when it comes to zoning and building codes? I don't care what color the people are or whether they are clothed or not, most suburbs don't allow you to splash giant signs on the sides of your buildings. I know that enforcement is pretty lame in Detroit but aren't there any standards for signage?

They hassle downtown businesses pretty hard. 3rd Street Saloon and Bob's Classic Kicks are 2 that come to mind when I think of signage drama...

[GUSHI]

Detroit should desginate a certain part of the city for strip clubs. And only allow these type of clubs in that area, from now on. Hey you wanna open a stripclub, heres were you can do it, and thats it. And then give these other club tax breaks to relocate to a such area. There is alot of vacant land on the eastside, Delray etc...

[Goose]

this thread is useless without pictures of the offending signs for us to consider......

[j to the jeremy]

Detroit should desginate a certain part of the city for strip clubs. And only allow these type of clubs in that area, from now on. Hey you wanna open a stripclub, heres were you can do it, and thats it. And then give these other club tax breaks to relocate to a such area. There is alot of vacant land on the eastside, Delray etc...

They tried that in the 1950s and it decimated the Cass Corridor and Chinatown. Boston also tried that in their downtown and ended up reversing the policy because it created an area no one wanted to go to.

[DetroitPlanner]

Detroit should desginate a certain part of the city for strip clubs. And only allow these type of clubs in that area, from now on. Hey you wanna open a stripclub, heres were you can do it, and thats it. And then give these other club tax breaks to relocate to a such area. There is alot of vacant land on the eastside, Delray etc...

Detroit's zoning ordinances were set up to percisely do the opposite! This was changed in the 1970's and Detroit was considered the model that all other cities followed. Some cities only allow them in industrial areas which keeps them almost entirely out of the view of housing. The only instances I know of in the US where this has been tried are in New York and Boston. Both were dismanatled due to the problems associated with confining these activities to one area. Just imagagine a whole area of the Cities full with bars like Mandees as was discussed in a thread earlier this week. You are just asking for trouble. Lets just face it these types of establishments bring in the wrong crowds all together. How many times have you heard of people being gunned down in front of these types of bars in the last few years? Too many times? Yep.

[detroitsgwenivere]

Hmmm, I own a paintball gun too...

Personally, the racial aspect of the conversation wasn't my issue, but the folks discussing this thought that the picture on the Penthouse club was a slap in the face to the residents living there, so I didn't want to leave that aspect of the discussion out of the thread.

My problem is that the owners of these clubs are putting up these pictures with no regard to and little respect for the people whos communities they're setting up shop in. I'd be willing to bet that the owners of these places wouldn't want these types of signs going up in their neighborhoods. I know the area around this club is hit, and there's much worse going on around it's perimeter, but that doesn't make it right.

Bottom line, these photos are unnecessary to communicate to the public the type of service that the establishment is providing.

[Meddle]

How about not forcing little kids and seniors going to church to have to witness such a billbard.

Forcing? Is anyone grabbing their head and propping their eyes open?

Why should people be 'forced' to look at crosses in front of the storefront churches on nearly every corner?

[Meddle]

My problem is that the owners of these clubs are putting up these pictures with no regard to and little respect of the people whos communities they're setting up shop in.

Bottom line, these photos are unnecessary to communicate to the public the type of service that the establishment is providing.

So Burger King shouldn't put up signs with pictures of hamburgers?

[Meddle]

Detroit should desginate a certain part of the city for strip clubs. And only allow these type of clubs in that area, from now on. Hey you wanna open a stripclub, heres were you can do it, and thats it.

Detroit should desginate a certain part of the city for churches. And only allow churches in that area, from now on. Hey you wanna open a church, here's were you can do it, and that's it.

[artds]

Detroit should desginate a certain part of the city for churches. And only allow churches in that area, from now on. Hey you wanna open a church, here's were you can do it, and that's it.

Good call. These days, churches are filled with more perverts than strip clubs. Especially the Catholic variety.

[eno]

Good call. These days, churches are filled with more perverts than strip clubs. Especially the Catholic variety.

I'm not Catholic but I resent you painting all Catholics with a broad brush accusation. Wouldn't you resent it if someone did the same to you?

[SWMAP]

Hamburgers? That was a Freudian slip . Half- naked girls just more meat to you? A commodity for somebody to drool over and chew up?

[Meddle]

I'm not Catholic but I resent you painting all Catholics with a broad brush accusation. Wouldn't you resent it if someone did the same to you?

I don't see where they said ALL Catholics.