French Quarter strip club employees face mandatory training
New Orleans LA March 3 2018 The Louisiana Office of Alcohol & Tobacco Control has released details of the consent orders reached with nine French Quarter strip clubs after January raids discovered prostitution and illegal drugs at the businesses. They include security camera upgrades, and new training requirements for all employees. Plus, two clubs will have to search employees’ property at the start of their shifts.
Eight clubs lost their liquor licenses under an emergency suspension following the sting operation. The ninth, Lipstixx, closed shortly before the raids.
The mandatory training will include twice-yearly sessions on how to recognize human trafficking and its victims. ATC officials have acknowledged there were no human trafficking-related arrests in their raids, which dancers affected by the raids have frequently pointed out. The New Orleans Police Department has said it continues to investigate reports of human trafficking in the French Quarter.
The consent orders call for separate training to cover “rules of conduct,” which includes familiarizing employees with “the definition of prostitution, solicitation for prostitution, narcotic activities and lewd acts” under Louisiana law. The clubs must also begin using “mystery shoppers” to check in on the businesses once a month starting April 5 to see if any illegal activity is taking place. The clubs will be required to submit proof that a third-party company was hired to conduct the mystery shopper program.
NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison described the stings as a human trafficking operation.
Mystery shop reports must be submitted to the state once a month for a year. If there are no violations observed, the frequency of mystery shopper visits can be reduced to quarterly for an additional year.
Security cameras must also be installed in all public areas, VIP rooms, private rooms and stages. Recordings from these cameras must be kept for 30 days and “made available to ATC immediately upon request,” according to the orders.
Additional terms in the orders include a zero-tolerance policy on illegal activity, which requires the business to fire employees or independent contractors involved in prostitution or drug sales.
There are now eight strip clubs barred from serving liquor in the French Quarter; a ninth closed before the raids.
Hustler Barely Legal Club and Hunk Oasis, both owned by the same ownership group, have consent orders that differ slightly from other clubs. In addition to security cameras, security guards are required to check the bags of employees, dancers and entertainers at the start of their shift. They are also required to hire additional security to “regularly patrol the floor and VIP areas.”
Asked why the two clubs were treated differently, Ernest Legier, chief of staff to ATC Commissioner Juana Marine-Lombard, said in an email that each consent agreement was negotiated individually.
“There may be variations based on negotiated terms,” he added.
The club formerly known as Lipstixx will reopen under a new name, Bourbon Vibezz. Its consent order requires the business to “cease operating as an adult entertainment establishment and shall prohibit any activities related to exotic dancing, removing of clothing and other common activities related to or specific to strip clubs.”
A ninth club, Dixie Divas, had its permit revoked and as a result there was no consent order.
Here are the clubs cited in January’s raids, their suspension and fines, which were also outlined in the consent orders. The active suspension references the period of actual closure; most clubs received a deferred suspension in addition to the active portion.
Rick’s Saloon, 14-day active suspension, $5,000 fine
Rick’s Cabaret, 10-day active suspension, $5,000 fine
Stiletto’s, 14-day active suspension, $5,000 fine
Score’s, 21-day active suspension, $7,500 fine
Hustler Barely Legal Club, 13-day suspension, $3,500 fine
Temptations, permit surrendered, $2,500 fine
Hunk Oasis, 11-day active suspension, $3,500 fine
Lipstixx, ordered to stop operating as strip club, $3,600 fine
Dixie Divas, surrendered license, no consent order
NOLA
