On Tuesday, the City Council will consider a ban on live-sex-act businesses in the City of Peoria. If the ordinance is passed, it will make Club 307 — a sex club located at 801 SW Adams 307 Oak St. — illegal and subject to being shut down. From the council communication:
Concerns have been raised on the Council Floor by citizens complaining about the existence of a so-called swinger’s club in the City of Peoria. The attached Ordinance, based on an ordinance from Phoenix, Arizona which has been upheld by the Court there, makes it illegal to operate a business which charges admission to view and/or participate in live sex acts…. [A]ctivity unprotected by the First Amendment, which Council can find to be harmful to the health and wellbeing of Peoria, including but not limited to contributing to the spread of diseases, takes place in these establishments.
Club 307 is right next to Brown Bag Video, an adult bookstore. The council recently rejected a request from the owner to convert the bookstore into a 4 a.m. bar. The council declined to grant the 4 a.m. liquor license, although they approved a 4 a.m. liquor license four blocks north of this location to accommodate Big Al’s strip club. Many citizens expressed concern about Club 307 when the council was considering the adult bookstore’s liquor license request, and that’s what prompted this proposed action by the council.
In 2005, 62 percent of voters in a non-binding referendum said the city should “impose a ban on full nudity in new and existing adult cabaret clubs and strip clubs,” but no action was ever taken by the Council, even though the proposed ban was based on existing Indiana law that the courts upheld. City Attorney Randy Ray at that time expressed concern over any action that would impact an existing business, saying the first thing he would do if the Council acted on it was hire an outside lawyer to handle objections to the ban on constitutional grounds. The Journal Star opined, “When governments impose new rules that threaten businesses, they enter a legally dangerous area called an ‘illegal taking.'” Yet the council communication for shutting down Club 307 states there is “no direct financial impact,” and there is no indication that an outside lawyer would need to be hired. So, perhaps now the time is right to revisit the public nudity ban that was supported by the majority of Peoria citizens.
Gee, I thought the City wanted to work to retain existing business 😉
Sex Clubs In Peoria!?! That is disgusting.
C.J.,
Next time print the addresses of these establishments [and their hours of operation], and I will go tell them what I think!!!
Google is your friend New Voice…
In 1950, 62 percent of voting Peorians would oppose allowing black people to drink from the same fountains as white people. Just because the majority wants it, doesn’t mean it should happen.
Trying to regulate sex behind closed doors between consenting adults is tricky. Would not hotels that rent rooms to people who just want to have sex also run afoul of this law?
Methinks the council is pandering to the religious wackos who opposed the Big Al’s move.
Who cares what goes on behind the closed doors of Club 307? In the 5 years I have lived in the Peoria area I have never heard one news story about crime going on there. Why not address the real criminal activity instead?
Next time print the addresses of these establishments [and their hours of operation], and I will go tell them what I think!!!
Yeah, right. The old “I’ll go tell them what I think” trick.
Billy, Walk, you are dead on! From what I have seen, Club 307 doesn’t advertise, doesn’t promote swinging, and doesn’t attempt to seduce others into the lifestyle. Personal opinion, of course, but I have to agree with Walk: let’s work on the prostitution, the muggings, the robberies, and the murders before we start in on what our neighbors do in the privacy of their membership only club.
Guess they won’t have move Big Al’s after all… just shut it down.
“but wait, they aren’t a sex club”
Have you ever been in a VIP room with $100?
I think this club is be located too close for comfort (competition) for the Big Al’s location.
Trying to regulate sex behind closed doors between consenting adults is tricky.
No its not the federal and state governments try to do it all the time. Prostitution laws are a good example of that.
The ordinance “makes it illegal to operate a business which charges admission to view and/or participate in live sex acts … ”
Sounds like if a hotel lets someone rent a room, and person A has sex with person B and Person C watches, that’s a sex club and illegal. Guess what folks, this sort of thing happened every day in Peoria hotels. INCLUDING the one the city council wants to give millions to so they can renovate.
I want to know exactly how much the city spend in legal fees in the futile, doomed effort to keep people from being able to buy booze while they looked at naked breasts at Elliot’s.
We cannot afford all the police officers we need. This afternoon, I listened on the scanner as offers were pulled away from a call about a man threatening to kill people to respond to a silent robbery alarm. This morning, I listened as not enough officers tried to chase down two armed robbery suspects. They got away.
Now, we are going to spend that is going to cost THOUSANDS of dollars trying to keep people from having sex behind closed doors. Why? Because it offends the sensibilities of people who seem to delight in having their sensibilities offended.
This is Peoria. These are the people voters just re-elected.
Taxpayers are the ones getting screwed.
“In the 5 years I have lived in the Peoria area I have never heard one news story about crime going on there. Why not address the real criminal activity instead? ”
Club 307 did have problem 1-2 years ago with the City of Peoria.
They were selling alcohol without a license, and got in trouble for it.
(Club is actually located at 307 Oak Street(between SW Adams and SW Jefferson), across street from O’Brien Field.)
Strip clubs are one thing – sex clubs another. That being said, I haven’t ever heard of any trouble at 307. Not that I like it.
Sounds like it’s time for taxpayers to prepare for another six-figure legal fight ala Elliott’s…
Who cares? I mean barely 17% showed up to vote and then they all but re-elected the same bunch in and because Monty didn’t want to run and Mr Jacob is still recovering from his accident, two seats had to be filled. Both new seats were filled with Conservatives that although one likes transparency, the other will probably vote the same way this Council has voted in the past. Now with that in mind, if the Council charged an admission to it’s meetings, then they would have to shut down if they pass this Arizona made ordinance. At least after most Council meetings I feel screwed.
“Strip clubs are one thing – sex clubs another.”
They are the same thing without the economic ripoffs included in the strip club routine.
I’ve been to both, and the sex clubs are open, straight forward, no deception, adult consensual sex. Strip clubs are prostitution, drugs and confidence games…
With more 307s there would be no need for strip clubs…
The adult sex video arcades are a far greater source of STD transmission with greater societal harm than a private club with consenting membership. Surely someone from peoria’s health department could speak to that, and for that matter I’d argue that verbage should equally shut down brown bag and swingers world as well. While a swingers club is not my kind of thing I’d like to think we’re an open minded city. The fact it has been operating so long outside the general public’s awareness speaks to how well they have co-existed.
There’s no exception in the proposed city ordinance if the people who have sex are married to each other!
http://www.ci.peoria.il.us/officials/clerk/Agenda/MG72207/AS72211/AS72218/AI72278/DO72317/DO_72317.pdf
Ask yourself, after you’ve read the proposed ordinance, will the ordinance if passed prohibit honeymoon suites at the downtown hotels?
As someone who has recently dipped my toe into the “swinging” lifestyle, I have to say that this proposed ordinance is concerning. I have not yet heard a legitimate reason for what I consider to be harassment. A private club should remain that…private. No one is being forced to become a member. As for the “concerned neighbors” aspect? What neighbors? This isn’t a residential area, folks. The club itself isn’t flashing neon signs enticing unsuspecting individuals to come in so that their hard-earned paychecks can just be handed over…unlike other current places of business that the City seems hellbent of making sure stays open. Membership is required to ensure that the venue is taken seriously. This is a place where like-minded people can come together and socialize.
Hmmmmm….that vaguely sounds like most organized religious venues I’ve attended.
This is really no different than going out to a bar, getting drunk, and picking up some random stranger. Except that in this aspect, the people involved are fully aware of what they are doing and what the expectations and rules are. No early morning regrets and walks-of-shame.
Who are you (you in the broadest, governmental definition of the word) to tell me what I can and can’t do with my body?
Section 21-122 part 3 of the proposed ordinance reads “The operation of a live sex act business is inimical to the health, safety, general welfare and morals of the inhabitants of the City of Peoria.”
Morals? Really? My view of right and wrong and what is moral and what isn’t is really no concern of anyone else until such a time that my views bring direct harm to another.
And while I am not ashamed of my views and what I do in my private life, the fact that it is my PRIVATE life will keep me from speaking up in a public forum such as tonight’s City Council Meeting. Going public to voice my concerns may have reprecussions that I am just not prepared to deal with at this time. So I will watch very closely to see what those holier-than-thou hypocrites that show up in the audience and sit around the horseshoe have to say.
@notamused….by this time next year, you will be suffering a life-threatening sexually transmitted disease. No one will want to touch you–they won’t even want to touch your dipping toe.
consequences, you an ignorant bigot. You are more likely to get some disease from sharing a communion cup than from consensual sex in a swinger’s club.
People that are against and want to fight have nothing better to do!!
We have been in the lifestyle for overs 9 years we should be able to have our own rights and be who we want to be without the government getting involved in a swing club you can touch and express yourself without any ridicule from others and you do not have to swing with others to go its for all couples who wish to be themselves in public.
Wish more people would send requests to ACLU to challenge this violation of rights.
I find it interesting that the Liquor License Commissioner said he didn’t know the club existed but here the club gets a ticket over a year ago for liquor license violation….. Seems to my someone is lying.
It’s well known that O’Brian Field wants the property to use for equipment storage. Another case of big guys kicking the small guy.