ClubVelvet Strip, er Gentleman's Club to Close

The Richmond Times reports that Club Velvet, a notorious Richmond, Virginia strip club is giving up the fight after losing its license and a decade's worth of legal troubles including the arrest of its owner, Sam "JT" Moore, for, inter alia, having sex with a minor.   The "club" lost its liquor license and its failed appeal from that decision convinced Moore to shutter the venue.

I have a friend, Right-wing Chuck who often comments at this blawg.  Chuck had some involvement in the "afterhours" club scene as well as many associates over the decades who owned and operated these so-called gentlemen's clubs.  One moring he was telling the Boys at 'Bucks about his experiences with this "culture."  I had one question:  can this type of business be conducted ethically as a business without exploiting the women who work for you.  Chuck's answer was very thoughtful, and I'll paraphrase what he said.  No.

Here's the problem, these "entertainers" typically come to this job with lots of baggage, particularly drugs and alcohol.  Often they have small kids at home and abusive relationships outside of the employment itself.  The club setting inevitably permits men who intend to exploit them to be in the club no matter how assiduously the club owners try to keep them out.  The drugs, and alcohol bring all the mayhem that you would expect. Once the drugs are in the club, and believe me the drugs come through the door with the dancers--the dancers will require drug dealers who if not actually allowed in the club, will be sitting in the parking lot.  Now, in reality even if the owner isn't exploiting the "girls," the bartender is, the security guards do, the boyfirends and pimps are...you get the picture.  Then there are the customers. 

This trade is a dirty, nasty and exploitive business.  The lucky few dancers whor survive it and get the hell out are lucky and blessed. 

I can't tell you how often I see stories at local news websites where these places get shut down because it's discovered that "underage" girls are discovered "performing," seriously, wtf?!  Are you kidding, that should tell you volumes about the sort of mindset that's involved in operating adult clubs like the Club Velvet.  No logic justifies that situation.