![]() ![]() The barista told him that for $20, she and the other barista would give him a show. He also was told he couldn’t order a small drink because they only served 20-ounce beverages. ![]() On a second visit, a detective was told he couldn’t have a mocha because the stand was out of chocolate. During that visit, two women allegedly engaged in a “whipped cream show” in which they sprayed whipped cream on each other and licked it off. Undercover detectives began posing as customers in mid-July.Īn Everett detective took a city prosecutor to the stand to witness firsthand the activities of the baristas. “They could have been wearing parkas and if they continued to conduct themselves that way, we still would have filed the criminal charges.” “This was about alleged conduct, not about what the women were wearing,” he said. None of those complaints have resulted in any criminal charges, sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.Įverett police focused their investigation on the stand within the city limits, Goetz said. Employees of nearby businesses have complained that the stand is a haven for lewd behavior. 21.Sheriff’s deputies also have received complaints about the Grab-n-Go Espresso south of Silver Lake. Oral arguments are scheduled before a judge Nov. The city says it won’t be focused on minor violations, such as measuring hems, but rather systemic abuses. The lawsuit says the rules are too vague and invite ogling and prodding of employees for enforcement. In addition, it created a new misdemeanor called “facilitating lewd conduct,” aimed at business owners. The city also expanded the definition of lewd conduct to include certain areas of skin. The city adopted the dress code in August, requiring baristas to wear a minimum of tank tops and shorts. The plaintiffs on Friday said that argument has “no relevance or bearing and is just fluff.” Lifschultz says a drive-thru isn’t much different than an office cubicle.Įverett has hired a psychotherapist who will argue that women working naked is bad for them and society, court documents show. Police allege the privacy of a drive-thru window creates opportunities for sexual activity that don’t exist in restaurants. Many of their legal arguments weren’t addressed in the city’s response, Lifschultz said. The baristas also say they’ve been unfairly targeted instead of other businesses such as Hooters. The city claims there isn’t much separation, saying the main plaintiff in this case is who posted bail for the “ espresso madam” who was running such a ring. “Those issues are way in the past … Prostitution has nothing to do with girls serving coffee in bikinis.” “The bad eggs have been weeded out years ago,” Lifschultz said. Only owners can stop a culture of bad behavior, absent a policy change that holds them accountable, he said. Criminal investigations into the stands are resource-intensive and require undercover surveillance footage to convince juries, Collier said. He says the drive-thru bikini stand is modeled on the strip club business in that it hires and retains young women with the allure of lucrative tips. Even the term is a misnomer, as the outfits under scrutiny usually consist of little more than stickers and G-strings.Īmong the new court filings is a 23-page declaration from Everett police Sgt. Everett’s “bikini” wars have made national headlines - many of them focused on puns and Puritanism - that often skip over the complicated history. The city agreed to put the rules on hold pending a judge’s review. ![]() The baristas and their employers have argued the ordinances violate their civil rights, including freedom of speech. He called the city’s legal strategy an “absurd use of tax money.” ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |