LAS VEGAS—'Tis the season to be charitable, right? And guess what? That impulse is also shared by adult companies, and in Las Vegas, that includes the Déjà vu Showgirls Gentlemen's Club, which, among other things, donated dozens of tents emblazoned with the club's logo to homeless people around the city so they don't have to be exposed to quite as much rain, snow, wind and other weather effects as they otherwise might.
And it's a good thing the club chain began its charity early: the city passed an ordinance earlier this year making it illegal for anyone to camp or sleep on public sidewalks if space is available at local shelters. That's due to take effect on Feb. 1.
Sadly, whether there's space available or not, some homeless, due to mental illness or fears of government, will continue to sleep outside, so the usefulness of Déjà vu's tents will likely continue well into the coming year and beyond. In fact, The Déjà vu chain has spent around $50,000 for tents in various cities with large numbers of homeless people.
"I think it's pretty unfortunate that the city passed that ban against camping which doesn't go into effect until February of 2020, and we're always trying to do our part to help whenever we can," said Megan Schwartz, a spokesperson for Déjà vu.
But at least on local citizen has contacted news media to protest the portable shelters.
"A viewer and local mother reached out to 13 Action News because she was upset to see tents bearing the logo for Deja Vu Showgirls being used by homeless people near downtown Las Vegas," KNTV reported on its website. "The viewer, who wishes to remain anonymous, told 13 Action news that she was driving with her small children on Bonanza Road near the downtown area when her child saw the tents and asked about Deja Vu. The mother says that she was 'taken back' and described the company in unflattering terms such as 'immoral' and 'disgusting.'"
That's rich: A woman who's apparently crazy religious (see "immoral" and "disgusting") is too afraid to explain to her child what a strip club is, and for that reason would deny the charity of that strip club to individuals and families with no sheltered place to hang out and sleep.
"It was recently brought to our attention (now by multiple outlets) that some community members are upset by the fact that the homeless population in Las Vegas have clothing and tents that bear our logo," the club told KNTV when asked for a statement. "It is 100% true that we provide warm clothing and sleeping tents for the less fortunate. This just seems like the right thing to do during the holidays. While some seem to think that the solution is a camping ban, we think that the solution is one that includes decency and kindness. We hope that others can show some humanity and do their share to take care of the most needy among us."
"We're living in Las Vegas; there's billboards, there's clubs. This is an all-inclusive city where you're going to see all this stuff," Schwartz added. "Remove the tents and you're going to see somebody sleeping in a pair of shorts, barefoot but on cement, and I don't necessarily want my children seeing that either because it's sort of sad."
This is hardly the first time that Deja Vu has made charitable contributions to the community. In the past, it has donated water and socks to those in need in the Las Vegas area.
