POLICE ACTION BIGGER, COSTLIER, UGLIER THAN ORIGINALLY REPORTED …
The taxpayer-funded entrapment of dancers at at Upstate, S.C. strip club was far worse – and far more costly – than it has been portrayed in court, sources familiar with the situation tell us.
According to prosecutors, law enforcement officers spent $26,000 (money ostensibly obtained from civil asset forfeiture) on multiple visits to Platinum Plus – a strip club located in Greenville, S.C.
We’re told the real total is substantially higher.
Upstate solicitor Walt Wilkins targeted this club for closure last year – and the Greenville County sheriff’s office conducted multiple “raids” against it in an effort to shut it down.
Most of the dancers arrested in conjunction with these raids took plea deals, but one dancer – 21-year-old Aimee Joy Harms – fought the law (and won).
Harms’ victory over unjustified prostitution charges has emboldened supporters of the club – who are now stepping forward and providing us with some galling specifics of this sanctimonious police action.
According to these sources, the government’s narrative of multiple undercover deputies spending approximately $26,000 on lap dances and alcoholic drinks is a heavily-redacted version of the story.
Two dancers who witnessed the police action say Greenville deputies did much more than just “drink” – they got hammered.
“They were falling down drunk,” one dancer told us. “They were shit-faced – and totally getting off on (the dances).”
Another dancer confirmed that the deputies “would get so drunk they tripped over chairs.”
Our sources also say the deputies – in addition to deriving considerable gratification during the raids – repeatedly attempted to convince the dancers into performing inappropriate sex acts that were in violation of the club’s policies (and against the will of the dancers themselves).
“I’ve seen them trying to coerce dancers and myself into doing things we didn’t want to do, flashing their money around,” one dancer told us.
Wow …
Coercing young women into performing sex acts against their will? That sounds like borderline sexual assault to us.
We’ve been provided with some pretty graphic details of these alleged encounters but we’re saving those details – as well as the names of several of the officers involved – for a future report.
Finally, from a taxpayers’ perspective, we’re told the police estimate of $26,000 spent on alcohol and dances at this club falls well south of the actual amount of public money expended.
“They spent A LOT MORE THAN 26k trust me,” one dancer told us.
As we’ve noted throughout our coverage of this story, we oppose efforts by police to shut down a perfectly legal business simply because certain politically-connected members of the community don’t like it.
Seriously: If you don’t enjoy strip clubs, don’t go to strip clubs.
That’s an individual choice – and individuals have the right to make it for themselves. What they don’t have the right to do – at least not in this situation – is impose their choice on others.
Speaking of, we’ve long believed prostitution should be decriminalized – especially in a state as dirt poor as this one. If dancers want to sell or expose their bodies for money – they should be able to do so.
Whatever you think about that debate, though, government has absolutely no right to take the money it seizes from citizens and spend it on entrapment efforts like this.
Also, intoxicated law enforcement officers have absolutely no right to pressure dancers into doing things they don’t want to do – especially under false pretenses.
Obviously we are just getting warmed up with our coverage of this scandal. Stay tuned for much more as we dig deeper into what really happened at this club …
Comments
last comment@ shadow - what is the source of this article?
I hate abuse of power - forcing these girls to take plea deals or else for minor things probably such as exposing a boob or twerking "suggestively"; assholes.
When it comes down to it; as the article says:
"... Seriously: If you don’t enjoy strip clubs, don’t go to strip clubs. That’s an individual choice – and individuals have the right to make it for themselves. What they don’t have the right to do – at least not in this situation – is impose their choice on others ..."
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Yeah. I should have included that.
fitsnews.com
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!
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I am starting to think more and more this is a vendetta against platinum plus in particular. They supposedly have a long history of causing trouble, which is the guaranteed way to have the fees and politicians and maybe even the citizens, on your back. Multiple people have been died here over the years and multiple news articles claim constant complaints about prostitution over the years. They also got into trouble for overserving alcohol to patrons that later resulted in a fatal accident. Not to mention the various nudity/exposure laws they have been in trouble for.
thestate.com
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This is what happens when you draw too much negative attention. The prostitution and whatnot might be able to slide in some cases but the religious nuts and people suing them for wrongful deaths are not doing any strip club anywhere any favors. This has been 15 years in the making.
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I just got an erection
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I have long thought that the club should go on the offensive legally instead of trying to comply with impossible terms for staying in business. There are several options available if the facts are as reported.
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And then what, Juice?
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^^^^^ I agree with JohnSmith69 here. Most of the so called evidence would be worthless in an actual jury trial of a real defendant. All they can use it for is civil procedures to try and close the club.
Read the history and learn:
amazon.com
Jim and Artie had to fight exactly the same sorts of things, all the way to the states highest court.
I always explained that the state penal code against prostitution is a fairly minor issue because it is very hard to enforce. Rather it is these local ordinances and these civil procedures which are so harmful.
SJG
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