ST. JOSEPH, Mo.—It didn’t take long for police in Missouri to test whether strip clubs in the state are abiding by a new law that went into effect late last month. The answer, apparently, was no.
An undercover sting Monday at a club in St. Joseph, a suburb of Kansas City, resulted in the arrest of the establishment’s owner and on-duty manager.
Police said “a club called Blondie's ran afoul of the law Monday during a male revue ‘Hunks: The Show,’ by offering nudity and booze,” reported the Kansas City Star.
The paper reported that four male performers also were cited for not having city licenses required of adult entertainment performers.
The new law imposes draconian restrictions on clubs in the state. Among other requirements, it prohibits full nudity and the serving of alcohol, forces semi-nude dancers to remain on a stage and at least six feet from patrons—rendering lap dances impossible—prohibits closed-door booths for the viewing of movies, requires that patrons remain within the clear view of employees, and mandates that adult businesses close by midnight.
Late last month, a Cole County Circuit Court judge ruled against a motion by a group of business owners seeking to overturn the law to delay the activation of the law. In denying a temporary restraining order, Judge Jon Beetem cleared the way for the law to go into effect on Aug. 28.
Despite those actions, the business owners promise to continue to battle against a law they see as having one purpose only: to drive them out of business or out of the state.
"We're not going down without a fight," Nellie Gruender, a former board member of the Free Speech Coalition, told the Daily RFT. "We are going to aggressively fight this. We are going to file a federal appeal.”
