The City of Dallas is already being sued after yesterday’s vote to restrict the hours of operation for sex-based businesses, including strip clubs.
A federal lawsuit was filed hours after the unanimous city council vote. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson says stopping sex-based businesses from operating between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. should help with the city’s effort to curb overnight crime.
"This is about public safety," Mayor Johnson said during yesterday's meeting. "It's not about shaming anyone's career choices."
The propsal was spearheaded by the Dallas Police Department, which reports there being a dispropotionate amount of crime near sex-based businesses during those hours.
But the decision is proving controversial.
Lawyers representing a handful of sex-based businesses say the restrictions are unconstitutional, and filed a federal lawsuit seeking an order to temporarily halt the enforcement of them. It argues that the restrictions infringe on freedom of expression and will have a heavy impact on business revenue, which could cause workers to lose their jobs.
The Association of Club Executives of Dallas, a local branch of a trade association that includes sex-based businesses, filed the lawsuit. The businesses named in the suit are Silver City Cabaret, PT Men's Club, Bucks Wild, The Men's Club of Dallas and New Fine Arts branch in East Dallas.
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