Dear Community,

Apologies for the short notice, but this is to let you know that there is another Police Permit hearing on the Strip Club issue on Wednesday this week, at 2:30pm at Parker Center downtown.

Last month’s nail-biting hearing resulted in a shocking outcome — it took several minutes before any of the Police Permit Review Panel were able to finally make a “reluctant” motion to grant the permit, and then another full minute of silence before the Chair realized that there was no second to that motion. It appears the panel are very reluctant to rubber stamp approval given all the pressure we have raised, and all the questions we have asked.

Our hope is that the panel are finally beginning to understand what we have been arguing all along: that the permittee, Mr. Woo Suk Yang, might just be a straw man standing in for his son, Stanley Yang, who runs the troublesome club Silver Reign in West LA.

Because Stanley Yang and his partners are currently facing a Red Light Abatement by the City of Los Angeles for “running a brothel disguised as a dance club”, it might have been difficult for them to obtain a new permit to start a new operation in our neighborhood. And with the possibility of losing Silver Reign hanging in the air, they definitely needed to start a new operation. And so, the SKIN club police permit application was made in the name of Stanley’s father, Woo Suk Yang, who doesn’t have a history in the strip club business, and is therefore a clean slate. This is the theory we are arguing.

Because of these significant questions about ownership, the panel have now subpoenaed Woo Suk Yang, the father, to appear before them to answer some questions directly. As you may know, Mr. Yang has always been represented by his attorney Roger Jon Diamond until this point, and this will be the first time we hear from, or see him, directly. If he comes.

So, as always, those of you who are available are invited to join us at Parker Center downtown for the hearing. Details below.

Police Permit Review Panel Hearing
Wednesday 19th November
2:30pm
Parker Center
150 N. Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

If you are interested in attending, and need a parking spot, please email the following information to victor.durazo@lacity.org no later than Tuesday 11/18.

Subject: Strip Club Hearing 11/19, 2:30pm

Name of Driver
Type of Car
Year and Color of Car
License Plate Number

The City Hall Parking is at 201 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 90012. Entrance is across the street from Parker Center.

Thank you for your continued messages of support and all of you who have approached us at community events this last month. We’ll let you know what happens.

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Dear Community,

It’s been a while since we updated here on the website, but from your emails, calls and face-to-face meetings at neighborhood events, we know that this topic is still one that generates strong feelings and determined resolve on your parts.

As those of you who have reached out to us know, our efforts continue and we know that your vigilance continues also.

What follows is a long and comprehensive post bringing everyone up to speed:

It’s now been almost one year since our community began this fight. And despite early predictions from the club’s representatives, our opposition hasn’t blown over or been forgotten.

The overwhelming sentiment we are hearing expressed time and time again is that people feel that their reasonable requests for restrictions on the club’s operating permit should be heeded. There is enormous concern that the findings of the Hearing Examiner’s report be upheld.

Among suggested restrictions, those that we hear time and time again as being most important to you are:

1. That hours of operation should be restricted from 7pm to 12am on weekdays and from 4pm to 1am on Saturdays and Sundays
2. That there be NO SIGN on the property indicating the Club usage (suggestions of a small, brass plaque by the door have been made)
3. That the minimum age for a patron be raised to 19
4. That the SKIN Club police the surround area each morning to remove condoms and other paraphenelia
5. That the SKIN Club hire a bonded, licensed, independent private security firm to provide regular security patrol of the area during business hours and up to 1 hour after the club closes
6. That the Club engage in active dialogue between the owners and community leaders

We continue to advocate for these reasonable requests, and want you to know that your voices are being heard.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Below are some answers to your most frequently asked questions:

What happens now?

On Wednesday October 15th, there will be a further hearing on this matter in front of the Police Permit Review Panel.

The hearing will be held downtown at Parker Center, as before, and begins at 2:30pm. Parker Center is located at 150 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 90012.

If you are interested in attending, and need a parking spot, please email the following information to victor.durazo@lacity.org no later than Tuesday 10/14 at Noon.

Subject: Strip Club Hearing
Name of driver
Type of car
Year and color of car
License plate #

The City Hall Parking is at 201 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 90012. Entrance is across the street from Parker Center.

What is this hearing about?

As posted below, the Police Permit Review Panel recommended at the last hearing that the Hearing Examiner, Mr. Mac Neil, should conduct an additional hearing into the specific concerns about crime and ownership that were raised by the community attorney, Mr. Pat Harris.

A small group of community leaders and our attorneys attended this additional hearing, and spoke on the community’s behalf. Complete details of the hearing can be found in Mr. Mac Neil’s second report. You can download that report here.

As you will see, Mr. Mac Neil agrees that there are significant questions about ownership and has recommended that the club’s owner, Mr. Woo Suk Yang, present himself in front of the panel on October 15th to answer questions.

We continue to be hopeful that we may eventually actually see or hear from the owner of this business, although to date the club has only ever been represented by his attorney, Roger Jon Diamond, and by his son, Stanley Yang (owner of Silver Reign on the WestSide) who attended the Hamilton Hearing.

What seems to be the issue? Is the panel asleep at the wheel?

This is a question we are hearing time and time again. We share your concerns, and find ourselves equally amazed that the Panel has not yet acted in accordance with the recommendations of the Hearing Examiner they themselves have appointed to hear the case and make recommendations. Our concerns have been well documented and supported, and we know that the club continues to have a history of behaving with a “selective” approach to city codes and rules.

We wish we had a better answer to this question, and remain hopeful that the Panel and the City Attorney will do the right thing in this case.

Has the club been breaking rules?

• In July, many of you called and emailed about the giant illuminated moving billboard advertisement that the club has been using, particularly when it was parked in front of the club at Earl Scheib, clearly circumnavigating city codes that require permitting for temporary signage, and causing significant additional distraction to drivers at a DANGEROUS intersection.

Thanks to your vigilance and efforts and a concerted writing campaign to Earl Scheib, we were able to ensure that the billboard is no longer parking in front of the club.

• Also in July, we heard from a number of you that the club was illegaly housing staff in a building they lease on Ellis Avenue (to the rear of the club.) Upon checking City records, we were able to verify that the certificate of occupancy for this building did not allow any residential use. The club was cited by Building & Safety and ordered to stop all residential use and undo the un-permitted dwelling unit they had created on the second floor. We agree with you that a “dwelling unit” which can be accessed through the back door of the club without ever being seen is not a good idea for an all-nude establishment, particularly one which has close and questionable ties to other clubs where prostitution has been a repeated problem.

We thank the hundreds of vigilant eyes, ears and cameraphones that continue to watch the club and inform us of their activities.

• The neighbors immediately surrounding the club in Regent Square continue to regularly complain about finding used condoms and other adult materials on their sidewalks. Several reports have been made to Pacific Police Division, and we continue to monitor these incidents closely.

Neighbors tell us that they have found three times as many used condoms in the last year than in the 10 years prior to the club’s opening. Why should these residents pay the price?

• Female employees who work at some of the businesses on Ellis Avenue behind the club have complained of being sexually harassed by club patrons on their way to and from their cars.

In one incident, a woman and her young daughter were the recipients of this unwelcome attention. Needless to say this is also of serious concern to us all.

So what happens next?

We attend the hearing on October 15th, and continue to put faith in the system which was created to protect and serve us.

BUT, we also acknowledge that this may be a long war, and although battles may be lost along the way, our proximity to the club and widespread level of continued concern makes us strong.

We’re not going away, and we’re not going to stop watching, listening, documenting and reporting.

With the economic downturn and impending recession, we’d be surprised if the club manages to stay in business over time, particularly with the poor reviews it receives online.

Can we picket the club?

Many of you have repeatedly raised the option of sustained, organized protests with Police protection outside the club.We know that many of the religious communities in our neighborhood have expressed interest in organizing their congregations for this purpose.

While this has not been our first choice of approach to date, it may become our strongest card moving forward. It’s hard to sustain a successful business in the face of such public protest.

Is there legal recourse open to us?

If we have reason to believe the the City of Los Angeles has not carried out its responsibilities as it should, this is always an option, and one that we continue to discuss with our attorneys.

Why are you so worried about this club and not all the other problems that we face?

We’re worried about those too. And we’re active in the community across the board. Many of us form part of your neighborhood council, and spend many hours volunteering on a monthly basis to address safety, crime, blight, “broken windows”, education, health, outreach and many other avenues of community concern. It’s not that we’re only concerned with this club, but we proudly admit that we tremendously concerned about our community, and that it should continue to grow and flourish in the best possible way. We feel this club poses a threat to that goal, and our collective efforts are a measure of the commitment we have all made to be proactive in our communities.

What can I do? I’m not prepared to give up on this…

We hear you, and agree with you. Here’s the good news:

This election year has brought out a strong sense of community responsibility and engagement in people across the country. People feel activated and determined to write their own destinies, not accept status quo. As community activists, we feel this on a daily basis. And we encourage you to get involved. It’s very, very hard to continue to deny the power of a motivated and activated community who is not afraid to raise its voice, or fight for its sanctity.

Our community remains galvanized on this issue, like no issue before. From our collected efforts to date, untold new connections and partnerships have been formed between residents, business owners, parents, teachers and neighborhood groups and as a result, we are stronger than ever before.

If you’d like ideas for how you can become more involved on this issue, and others facing our community, please email us.

Thanks for reading to the end. As always, we look forward to hearing from you and seeing you speak out to protect the place that you call home.

Dear Community,

A big thank you to those of you who were able to arrange to attend the hearing at Parker Center. We know it took a big chunk out of your working day to attend, and we give you our heartfelt thanks for coming.

For those of you who were not able to attend, the hearing was inconclusive. Our attorneys brought some new evidence to light that had not been looked at, and the panel asked that the Commission Investigations Division go back and re-examine the new evidence before they felt comfortable making a ruling on the permit.

This is currently in process, and we’ll let you know as soon as we hear more. While it is frustrating to do more waiting, the door hasn’t closed and the permit has not been granted, which is still a very positive result.

We’d also like to send our deep and heartfelt thanks to Councilman Herb Wesson, Councilman Jack Weiss and CD-5 candidate Paul Koretz who all attended the hearing and spoke strongly to support the community. We know how busy you all are, and your constituents appreciate your time and dedication. Thank you all for coming. Thank you also to all the dedicated staff at CD-10 and CD-5, and to Stephen Cheung from the Mayor’s office for attending and continuing to work with the community on this matter.

Stay tuned…

We hope you will attend the hearing on Wednesday, April 30th at 2:30pm. We need you there. You will have received emails and calls regarding how important this hearing is. Please don’t just rely on others to show up. Inconvenient as the timing may be, it is critical that our community represents.

RESERVE YOUR BUS SEAT NOW:
Please send an email to action@NoRobertsonStripClub.com if you would like a seat on the free bus. We need to hear from you to make sure we can accommodate everyone.

The bus will leave at 1:30pm sharp on Wednesday April 30th.

Palms Westminster Church
2908 Robertson Place
Los Angeles, 90034

1 block east of Robertson at Cattaraugus, just opposite Hamilton High School.

The bus will leave at 1:30pm so please make sure you are there in advance. There will be some available parking in the church lot, off Cattaraugus. The bus will return when the hearing is finished.

RESERVE YOUR PARKING SPOT DOWNTOWN NOW:
Free parking will be provided at City Hall, courtesy of the Councilmen.

If you’re interested in a parking spot, please email the following information to victor.durazo@lacity.org no later than Tuesday 4/29 at Noon.

Subject: Strip Club Hearing
Name of driver
Type of car
Year and color of car
License plate #

The City Hall Parking is at 201 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 90012.

Parker Center is located at 150 N. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 90012. The hearing will be held in the Auditorium.

Please allow yourself ample time to park and find the auditorium. Downtown can be confusing.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND:
Please write a passionate letter (even if you’ve written before) and let the Permit Review Panel that your absence from this hearing does not mean that you don’t care. Paint a picture for them of what the neighborhood means to you and your family, and why you object to the club. Help them feel what you feel. Let them know that even though you’re not there, your voice still counts.

You can fax your letters directly to us at 310-837-3325 and we will present them to the panel, or you can mail them directly to:

Police Permit Review Panel
Commission Investigations
150 N. Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

If you have any questions about the hearing or transportation, please email action@NoRobertsonStripClub.com

Dear Community,

The Police Permit Review Board hearing has now been set for Wednesday April 30th at 2:30pm.

If you follow the news, you’ll know that Roger Jon Diamond is fresh off his defeat in the “Black Widows” murder trial. Now that the jury has spoken, we anticipate no further delays to the Strip Club hearing.

The Police Permit Review Board wants to hear YOUR VOICE. Despite the difficult date, time and location, we’re asking you to attend. We’ve been told that the panel places GREAT WEIGHT on the voices of the residents and community members.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Time: 2:30pm

Location:
Parker Center Auditorium
150 N. Los Angeles Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90012

To help make it easier, we’ve organized the following:

FREE BUS TRANSPORTATION:
LAUSD has offered us one bus, and the SORO Neighborhood Council has authorized funding for a second bus if we need it. Community leaders want you to attend.

If you are interested in taking the free bus, please email action@NoRobertsonStripClub.com with an indication of how many people in your party. In order to be able to accommodate everyone, we will need a clear headcount. We will post more information about how to get the bus in the coming days, so please check back. The bus will leave from the Hamilton High area.

FREE PARKING DOWNTOWN:
Councilmember Herb Wesson’s office is helping organize free parking at City Hall (across the street from Parker Center). If you’re interested in a parking spot, please email the following information to victor.durazo@lacity.org no later than Tuesday 4/29 at Noon.

Subject: Strip Club Hearing
Name of driver
Type of car
Year and color of car
License plate #

As you can imagine, trying to organize this is a logistical challenge, so we appreciate your help in committing to attend, and letting us know as soon as possible so we can make adequate provisions for everybody.

Bus seats and parking spots will be on a first-come-first-serve basis and we cannot guarantee that there will be a spot for you if you are not prompt or do not rsvp.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND:
Please write a passionate letter (even if you’ve written before) and let the Permit Review Panel that your absence from this hearing does not mean that you don’t care. Paint a picture for them of what the neighborhood means to you and your family, and why you object to the club. Help them feel what you feel. Let them know that even though you’re not there, your voice still counts.

You can fax your letters directly to us at 310-837-3325 and we will present them to the panel, or you can mail them directly to:

Police Permit Review Panel
Commission Investigations
150 N. Los Angeles Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

* We’re still experiencing some email problems, so we encourage you to bookmark this site and check back regularly. Our email updates may not be getting through to everyone.

Dear Community,

The Police Permit Hearing regarding SKIN strip club that was rescheduled for 2nd April 2008 has just been canceled again.

The Police Review Board have confirmed, per our request, that they will not reschedule the hearing for April 16th out of respect for our Jewish community members and their preparations for Passover. The earliest it would be rescheduled would be April 30th, but we will confirm as soon as we know.

While this is very frustrating for us, it gives us more time to get the word out and try to rally our community attendance at this CRITICAL hearing. We had not received a lot of emails confirming attendance for this date, and so perhaps we can do better for the next date. Our community has made such strides in this case, and so far we’ve been very successful. It’s a shame to drop the ball at this late stage, so we’re hoping the extra time allows us to turn out a larger crowd.

The reason for the cancellations is that Roger Jon Diamond, attorney for the strip club, is involved in a complex and lengthy murder trial and has requested another continuance. You can read more about that trial here.

Please spread the word to your community and ask people to sign up for email updates for continuing information.

N.B. Please, please, please remember to re-register your email address with the new email server we are using in order to continue receiving updates. Our old server was blocking emails from being sent out, and we’re now building a secure list at the new server. Simply re-enter your email address on the right hand side. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

Because our subscriber list has grown so rapidly, we’ve had to upgrade to a more reliable email system.

If you have already signed up for email updates, you should have recently received an email asking you to reconfirm your address. Since we are shutting down the old system, it’s important that you click the confirmation link in the email.

Please do this ASAP, as news is changing rapidly and we want to keep you up to date.

If you haven’t received the confirmation email — or if you haven’t yet signed up — you can join the new list by entering your email in the column at right.

The Police Permit Review Hearing has been rescheduled for Wednesday April 2nd at 2:30pm. As before, the hearing will be held at Parker Center Auditorium, downtown.

Wednesday 2nd April, 2:30pm
Parker Center Auditorium
150 N. Los Angeles Street, 90012

As a reminder, this is a crucial hearing in front of the Police Permit Review Board who will consider the Hearing Examiner’s Report (download) and make a final decision regarding the club’s operating permit.

Please scroll back a few posts to read highlights of the report and more information about why our community’s attendance is critical at this hearing. We know that the club will be fighting each and every recommendation and arguing for a full permit with NO RESTRICTIONS. We cannot let that happen. We need the Panel to continue to hear our strong and unified voices.

As you know, the hearing was rescheduled much sooner that we anticipated. As such, we’re under considerable pressure to get the word out as quickly as possible. Your help is essential. Please send this information to your friends and neighbors. If you (or they) are unable to attend, please write a brief letter addressed to the Police Permit Review Panel indicating your endorsement of the report’s findings. We will be happy to deliver all correspondence to the Panel at the hearing on the 2nd. You may mail your letter, no later than Thursday to:

Reynier Village Neighborhood Association
1800 S. Robertson Blvd., #107
Los Angeles, CA 90035

or fax to (310) 837-3325.

Please check the site regularly over the course of the next week for further updates and information about transportation to Parker Center from the neighborhood, and free parking downtown at City Hall. We are working hard to make both these things happen.

We’ve just heard that the Police Permit Review Panel hearing date has been moved. The hearing on 19th March has been canceled, and will be rescheduled for April.

As things stand, it will either be April 16th or April 30th, but this has not been confirmed. As soon as it is, we will let you know.

Please keep checking the website regularly as we will post news as soon as we have it. Thank you.

The Hearing Examiner for the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Permit Review Panel has turned in his report. This report is a result of all the letters you’ve written and all the statements you made at the hearing on January 28th.

And we can hardly have hoped for more…

Our community’s concerns were heard and comprehensively reflected in his report (click to download the report).

As you will read, the Hearing Examiner recommended that the 7-member Police Permit Review Panel deny the club’s operating permit. Furthermore, if they decide that the permit cannot be denied, he recommends numerous stringent conditions on the permit, including:

• Limited operating hours: 7pm-12am weekdays and 4pm-1am on weekends.
• Adequate on site parking
• No sign on the property indicating usage
• ID scanners with cameras
• Entertainers to be classified as employees
• Club to provide adequate clean-up of area
• Club to engage security firm to patrol during business hours and up to one hour after closing
• Minimum age requirement of 19 to enter
• Move entrance of the club to the side of the building
• Club provide Commission with names and addresses of all owners of the club
• Name and phone number of manager be posted prominently in the club
• Club to provide insurance policy naming City of Los Angeles as additional insured and/or bond to cover any damage or injury that may occur
• Patrons and staff to be given Breathalyzer (PAS) test prior to entering.

On Wednesday 19th March at 2:30 pm the 7-member Police Permit Review Panel will consider this report and hear arguments from both sides at Parker Center in downtown Los Angeles. To ensure that the Panel thoroughly considers each of the Examiner’s recommendations, including outright denial of the permit, our community’s attendance is critical.

Wednesday 19 March, 2:30pm
Parker Center Auditorium
150 N. Los Angeles Street, 90012

This hearing is where the decision will be made, and although the report appears very favorable, we can absolutely count on the fact that the club’s lawyer, Roger Jon Diamond, will fight each and every restriction for all he’s worth. If you were at the hearing on January 28th you will have heard him tell the Examiner that he expects the permit to be granted with “NO RESTRICTIONS.”

We cannot afford to sit back at this critical final stage. Although the time and location of the hearing may be inconvenient, this is a standing panel meeting that we cannot change. However, we’re working hard to see if we can provide free buses from the neighborhood to the hearing, and to help organize carpooling and free parking downtown.

We’re doing everything we can to get the word out, but your help is essential. Please send this information to your friends and neighbors. If you (or they) are unable to attend, please write a brief letter addressed to the Police Permit Review Panel indicating your endorsement of the report’s findings. We will be happy to deliver all correspondence to the Panel at the hearing on the 19th. You may mail your letter, no later than March 15th to:

Reynier Village Neighborhood Association
1800 S. Robertson Blvd., #107
Los Angeles, CA 90035

or fax to (310) 837-3325.

We’re in the home-stretch now, and we’ve done so well. Let’s keep up the pressure and bring this home.

We’ve just heard that the date has been set for the 7-member Police Permit Panel to rule on the operating permit for SKIN.

The hearing will take place on Wednesday 19th March at 2:30pm.

The hearing will be held downtown at Parker Center. Although it is during the work week, we strongly urge everyone to attend. It is vitally important that we’re there in force to continue to represent our position. Based on the turnout and extent of community opposition at the last hearing, the Police Commission have cleared the schedule of all other items that day, and moved the hearing to the Auditorium to accommodate 200-300 people. We expect a lot of media coverage and we need to turn out a crowd. We will have the opportunity to comment directly to the panel before they make their decision. Let’s not forget what impact we had the last time our community turned out.

The Hearing Examiner has made his report and recommended restrictions, but we can count on the fact that Roger Diamond will be fighting each one. At the January 28th Hearing, we all heard Diamond state that he expects the permit to be granted to his clients with no restrictions at all. We need to be there to show the panel that our community is not giving in.

We’ll be posting more information in the coming weeks. We’re working on arranging parking for the community downtown, setting up carpooling from the neighborhood and disseminating information about what the Hearing Examiner has recommended. As soon as we know more we’ll be posting it here.

In the meantime, please make note of the following information and share it widely with your friends and neighbors.

Police Permit Hearing
Wednesday 19 March, 2:30pm
Parker Center Auditorium
150 N. Los Angeles Street, 90012

And if you haven’t yet signed up for updates, please do that now. With the clock ticking on this fight, it’s important that we are able to reach you all as quickly as possible whenever there is news.

We got lots of news coverage at last night’s meeting, thanks to the amazing turnout our community showed. South Robertson, you did yourself proud.

Click the links below to see the highlights.

Watch video of Channel 2 and 9
or click here to listen

Watch video of Channel 11
or click here to listen

Read coverage at popular Los Angeles blog, LAist.com

And finally, check out our newest neighbors, courtesy of Fox 11 News.

What a shame that none of them were brave enough to stand up and introduce themselves to the enormous crowd who attended the hearing. Frankly, they didn’t do themselves any favors by leaving their PR up to Roger Jon Diamond.

Interestingly, out of the approximately 600+ people who attended the hearing, the one and only person who spoke in favor of the club can be seen sitting at the end of the row of owners (on the far right).

It’s true: sometimes pictures speak louder than words.

Monday, January 28, 2008 - - Tonight was a proud night for this community. You turned out in unprecedented numbers to voice your concerns about SKIN to the LAPD Hearing Examiner. In the three short months since our first community meeting in October, we’ve all done a tremendous amount of work. Last night was our payoff.

From every corner of our extended neighborhood, people poured into the auditorium at Hamilton High. South Robertson residents, Palms residents, Pico area residents, Beverlywood residents, La Cienega Heights residents and many more. The long line outside was a indicator of the true scale of turnout. By the time the hearing got going, it was standing room only inside. Residents, business owners, religious leaders, community leaders, parents, educators, children and elderly citizens all came together to fill the entire Hamilton High Auditorium (which seats about 600) and to make their voices heard on this issue. The hearing went on for over 3.5 hours.

We thank each and every one of you who attended the hearing, particularly those who publicly spoke to the issue in front of the examiner. It was truly inspiring to hear the passion and commitment we all feel for our community. We thank each of you who has taken the time to walk flyers through the neighborhood, put up yard signs, write letters or donate money. According to the LAPD Community Advocate, the turnout was larger than he had ever seen at any other similar hearing. Add to that all the letters you’ve written — over 650 letters with 900 individual signatures — and it’s clear that our community has spoken with a loud and unified voice.

In the coming days, we’ll post more about next steps. We had a great night and gave the Hearing Examiner our recommendations, but the fight isn’t over. In the meantime, we encourage you all to sign up for updates from the site. It’s our absolute best tool for informing everyone as things move forward. You’ll only hear from us when we have something new to say, and we won’t share your email with anyone, ever. Help us keep you informed.

And thanks again, from the bottom of our hearts.

This evening at 7pm at Hamilton High School is the community’s chance to be heard.

SKIN may have been open since December, but they have not yet been granted their final permit from the Police. Because of the hundreds of letters that you’ve written, the police have scheduled this special hearing. It’s been scheduled for one reason only: to hear your concerns.

Over the past four months, many of us have volunteered literally hundreds of hours to educate ourselves on how we can respond. The No Robertson Strip Club steering committee and many others have worked tirelessly to research and present the best arguments on behalf of the community-at-large. We’ve met with Councilmen, talked to neighborhood prosecutors, met with Vice detectives, raised money, retained lawyers and poured energy, talent and funds into reaching out to the community.

Tonight, we’ll be handing the hearing examiner the fruits of our labor: a comprehensive report outlining the reasons we believe SKIN’s permit should be denied, as well as the extensive restrictions we recommend if the permit is granted. Restrictions we believe will best mitigate the nuisance they pose to our community.

Tonight is our chance to make a difference. The truth is that businesses like SKIN hold most of the advantages; they are well funded and well represented by slick lawyers, and they count on the fact that communities won’t stand up against them. They thrive on our apathy.

Let’s show them that our community is different. Let’s take a stand. Let’s show up tonight in force. Let’s overflow the auditorium at Hamilton. Let’s put up a fight. We may or may not be successful, but let’s give it all we’ve got. Let’s make ourselves hard to ignore.

Tonight is our chance to have an impact. Let’s not take it for granted.

We really hope to see you there. Bring your kids, bring your neighbors, bring your friends. Rain or shine, we’re counting on your voices.

Don’t let us down.

Thank you for your help in getting yard signs out around the neighborhood. It’s wonderful to know that the community is working together on this important issue.

It has been brought to our attention that as a result of community zeal to get the word out about the Hearing on Monday night, some yard signs may have been posted in places they should not have been.

Signs should not be posted in public parkways or on public property. We’ve also heard that some signs have appeared in front of elementary schools, where parents find themselves in the uncomfortable position of explaining what a strip club is to their young children.

No doubt, this is a demonstration of how much the community cares about this issue. And it’s a measure of how important it is to get the word out about the Police Permit Hearing, tomorrow night (Monday) at Hamilton High (7pm).

Let’s remember to stay within the boundaries of the law. This issue has clearly motivated many people into action, and that’s wonderful. The most important thing we can focus on now is turning out tomorrow night in force. We look forward to seeing you there.

Dear Community Members,

The Police Permit Hearing is on Monday at 7pm at Hamilton High. These are our last few days to get the message out as widely as we can so that we represent in LARGE NUMBERS on Monday night.

Here’s what YOU can do to help:

1. Mark you calendars, clear your schedules, book your babysitters -or better yet- bring your kids. Whatever you need to do to, please BE THERE.

2. Tell your friends and neighbors. Send an email around. Knock on some doors. RALLY A CROWD

3. Help us get new YARD SIGNS out. We have about 75 more yard signs to distribute around the neighborhoods before Monday. If you have a half hour free and you’d like to help, please click on the email link to the right. We need all hands on deck to get these out there.

4. Help do a final push on FLYERS. We have plenty of them, and if you want to volunteer to walk a few more streets or distribute them at your local store, school, place of worship or book club, please use the link on the right to send us an email. We could really use the help.

5. Take a few minutes to think about what you want to say to the Hearing Examiner on Monday. If you’d like to speak, you’ll probably get 2 minutes, so think about what it is you want him to hear. Do you have a strong objection to the club? Do you want him to learn more about why this neighborhood means something to you? Do you have a specific concern you’d like to address? Have you seen or experienced anything since SKIN has been open that you feel he should know? Take a few moments to JOT DOWN YOUR THOUGHTS. It’ll come in handy on the night.

Thank you for your support, your donations, your helpful emails and your comments. Whether you agree with the club or disagree with the club, isn’t it good to know you live in a neighborhood where people care enough to do something? It sure feels good to me.

See you on Monday, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have a little time to volunteer. Trust me, it feels good to get involved.

“The location of a former meat market has re-opened as a strip club and neighbors don’t like it one bit. They’re up in arms over the club which is located on South Robertson, near the 10 Freeway. Jeff Michael was at the club’s opening night.”
Click here to watch
Click here to listen

A solid report from Fox News, although the reporter was mistaken about one key point: the Club has opened without materially addressing any of the community’s concerns.

If you’ve driven by the club lately, you’ve probably noticed that they recently put up flimsy temporary signs.

On the basis of flimsy temporary permits, today Skin opened its doors to the public.

Again this demonstrates the club’s complete disregard for its neighbors. The club owners have opened without meeting with the community to discuss their concerns and have chosen instead to speak through Roger Jon Diamond, a lawyer who has made a cottage industry of representing strip clubs.

The club’s opening underscores the importance of the Police Permit Review Panel meeting on January 28th. It is your chance to be heard before the final operating permit is approved.

The Police Permit Review Panel has set January 28 to take public comment before making a decision on the strip club’s final operating permit. The club is now operating on a temporary permit.

It is critical that the community turn out in force for this meeting. The panel examiner needs to see and hear firsthand how many people in the community are outraged that the club is opening. The hearing is our best chance to argue for operating restrictions, infraction penalties–or denial of the permit altogether. Talk to your neighbors, community groups, faith organizations and schools to spread the word.

Police Permit Review Panel Hearing
January 28, 2007
7:00pm
Hamilton High School

We will post full details on the meeting in the coming days, so make sure you are signed up to receive email updates.