NBC Miami reported today that Swinging Richards Moved from North Miami Beach to Pompano Beach Because of Discrimination.
OMG, WTF?
Swinging Richards’ General Manager Roman Dickerson made up a tale that’s so freaking bogus, this column just begged to be written.
The article reports, “We left North Miami Beach because we felt like that we were not really wanted there,” Dickerson said. “There were always ongoing issues and we felt there was a chilling effect that we couldn’t overcome.”
Oh, puh-LEEZE! Really, Roman? Playing the race card is bad enough, but the “gay card?” REALLY, ROMAN?
Give me a freaking break! No one in North Miami Beach gave a rat’s ass that Swinging Richards was a gay club. You have delusions of grandeur if you think we gave you that much thought.
Dickerson’s claim that the “a city ordinance prohibiting alcohol and nudity in strip clubs … was only being enforced at their club,” IS A FLAT OUT LIE!
Not only was that ordinance NEVER ENFORCED on Swinging Richards, but it was never enforced on ANY of the North Miami Beach strip clubs.
NEVER, EVER, EVER!
When Swinging Richards decided to lease the building at 172nd Street and Biscayne Boulevard in the spring of 2012, and that ridiculous ordinance was “discovered” by the self-appointed Morality Police, Swinging Richards filed the discrimination lawsuit because they assumed they were going to be targeted because it was a gay strip club. They also assumed that the other two strip clubs in the city would be exempt from compliance.
Guess what? THEY WERE WRONG! The City Council quickly spun into action and found a way to overturn that law. By the time Swinging Richards opened, they were free to serve alcohol and dance naked.
The city actually bent over backward to make sure Swinging Richards and the other clubs wouldn’t be deemed to be in violation of this archaic ordinance. By May of 2012, WELL OVER A YEAR AGO, Swinging Richards dropped the lawsuit.
Dickerson’s claim that this discrimination lawsuit has been ongoing is disingenuous.
For him to state that it was only dropped after they left for Pompano Beach last month is a complete falsehood.
NBC Miami’s decision to run with this bogus story without checking all the facts and claiming they have “new details” on a dead story is nothing but a ratings stunt. And a really dumbass one at that. (I mean, hellooooo! Sweeps month isn’t until November. DUH!)
SHAME ON THEM!
Roman Dickerson, you are hereby entered into the Gadfly’s Hall of Shame for lying through your teeth, playing the “gay card,” and sporting a Beiber.
Seriously, sweetie. That is just so 2010.
After welcoming your club into our city, changing our city’s ordinance to accommodate your business, granting you extended hours, providing off duty police officers at your convenience, and in general making sure you were a part of our NMB family, this is the thanks we get?
Talk about UNGRATEFUL! Really, Roman, that was so bitchy of you.
As far as I’m concerned now, goodbye and good riddance!
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
they went bust for the following reasons:
1. those knuckleheads were clueless business people. couldn’t run a lemonade stand. witness the constant “format” changes. they had a $55k/month lease. who on earth negotiated that deal!
2. they can’t be trusted. they get all of the tv stations riled up, filing bogus lawsuits, and promising them great video of, well, strippers, when the item is debated at council meetings. turns into a circus. hard to take them seriously when they do that.
all that said, i am willing to give the new operators the benefit of the doubt. as for the swinging richards people…. good riddance.
While the City of NMB was “bending over backwards” to accommodate Swinging Richard’s, Roman was bending over forward and missed the Council vote.
Very interesting display of righteous indignation by councilman Tony DiFillipo during the nudy bar debate at the last meeting.
the guy got a lot of campaign contributions from the industry when he ran this year. then he disses them publicly. pleeeeeze.
but the real backstory here is that his dad has designs of putting a deal together for the Dean’s gold property. put them out of business by making them close at 2 p.m. then the property is in play.
kenny D… it’s like he never left!
i have no doubt we will be hearing more about this issue.
Whether there is any truth in that comment about the property, if this club ever sells their property, after this charade, Councilman DeFillipo Jr. or Sr. will never get their slimy hands on it. In other words the owners of the property won’t sell it to anyone associated with them, I’m sure. This was a stab in the back to a business in the city with an extended licence when Sr. was serving and probably frequented. I’m glad Jr. can rest his head on the pillow at night while trying to pull the rug out from underneath someone’s business. Better to prepare the businesses the electorate has issues with, then cut them at the knees during a licence request. Year after year they get it, and then all of the sudden the powers that be will take it away? Not sure that this is the way to handle businesses in the community whether they’re acceptable to some or not.
The request for extended hours was made by Dean’s Gold, a business that I understand has been operating legally for about thirty years or so. They have always been granted the extension without problems. Whether people like it or not, strip clubs are legitimate businesses and as long as they maintain their licenses and there are no other legal problems, they have every right to continue to operate as usual. Just because Swinging Richards decided to leave, all of a sudden the strip clubs are back in the “news.” It’s ridiculous to punish Dean’s Gold for whatever other BS is going on about the old Swinging Richards location. The three council members who voted against Dean’s extended hours are playing a political game, and one that they will lose. There are so many more problems in NMB that they need to concentrate on. This new manufactured scandal is only distracting residents from the bigger picture. Even an unintended red herring has unintended consequences.
Just my humble opinion, of course.
Not sure that all are playing a political game, but what do I know. Councilwoman Phyllis Smith never votes for these clubs. Councilman Frantz Pee-air, I don’t remember. I think he used to and then became a righteous minister so now he is redeeming himself. The new guy on the block looks to be playing politics. I heard he also threw some council people out the window of a 10 story building yesterday. My advice to the four that voted to keep the clubs open…keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Something smells fishy, pardon the pun.
Coucilwoman Martell did state that because it was Dean’s Gold, they are “grandfathered in” to her eyes. However, if a new club comes in to the property, her vote will change to a no.
Please remember, this is a vote on allowing the club to be open from 4 am to 6 am, not just to operate. The City Manager had already approved the 2 am to 4 am license as is her call per ordinance. When looking at the police service calls attached to the BTR requests, 6 of the 14 calls to Dean’s Gold was between 4 to 6 am. 2 of the 28 calls were between 4 to 6 am for G5. Ms. Martell wanted to amend the G5 approval to put G5 on probation for 6 months because of the large number of calls of which 7 auto burglaries occurred on the same night. Most of those calls occurred before 2 am.
I am not the morality police as Ms. Smith, by her comments, or Mr. DeFillipo by his comments are. Mr. Pierre, by his comments felt all clubs should be treated the same with the restrictions attached (Escrow accounts for police off duty payments being one, G5’s being more than Dean’s Gold). I believe that these businesses should be allowed to operate as long as they are not breaking the law i.e. prostitution. I do know from observance as a former food delivery driver, Dean’s Gold will put a drunk patron into a cab before allowing them to drive home, so I believe they are a business that is a good neighbor.
One of the commissioners stated that there needs to be a workshop with city staff to determine what direction the city wants to go instead of waiting to bring this up when the BTR’s come before the commission. Also what happened to the BTR for Black Gold which replaced Swinging Richards as all BTR’s expire 9/30 and the new ones take effect on 10/1? Are they deciding to close at 4 am instead?
I wish this scrutiny would happen to all the Massage Parlors in the city, but the commission does not get to see these BTR’s because they meet city ordinances for a business and they are not open after 4 am.
Commentator’s are so clever with their pen name’s I just had to follow along.
TC is correct in his/her observations. These are legitimate businesses and have a grandfather status that may or may not be legit, but it is what it is. While I’m not happy they are here in NMB, I could care less as well since they don’t stand out like some strip clubs I’ve seen with neon signs depicting naked woman or the words GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS. They are not painted purple or pink and look like shacks, seen those around Miami as well. It’s 2013 and I’m pretty sure that the “Morality Police” have long since left South Florida. The council persons that try to preach their morals from the dais are just trying to placate the usual silent minority. If their morals are that high, I salute them, but they also have an obligation to businesses in the community.
As far as crime goes, why don’t we find out the crimes that are committed at restaurants, strip malls, and big box retailers. The crimes and the frequency I’m sure are worse then the adult entertainment establishments.
Looks like the old gang is back playing their silly games, hoping to feel relevent again. Ray Marin, David Templer, Kenny DeFillipo. They have a willing front man in D Jr. Ms. Smith faces a very tough re-election because she has alienated just about everyone east and west of Biscayne Blvd., so she is on board, too.
Try to embarrass the council over an issue no one cares about. More interesting, these same defrocked members of the old guard allowed the strip clubs to operate illegally for years, all the time collecting goodies from them!
The hypocrosy is just too much. Let’s move NMB forward by focusing on issues people actually care about.