DETROIT – Nearly 100-degree heat didn’t stop East Side Detroiters from gathering in protest, calling on the owners of a newly renovated building on Whittier near Roxbury to find another use for it before it reopens as a strip club.
Neighbors gathered outside the planned location of ‘Covergirls.’ The “grand opening coming soon” sign is seen hanging outside the black building. Neighbors were holding signs and voicing concerns about the strip club reopening in their neighborhood, as close as several feet from one apartment building.
“It’s like one feet. It’s almost attached to this building,” said Pastor Alonzo Bell of Martin Evers Church, pointing to the apartment building off of Whittier.
Residents say the proximity to nearby homes, Wayne Elementary School, and Martin Evers Church is a major reason they are pushing hard against the reopening.
“Wayne Elementary School is like right around the corner,” Bell said. “And a church right across the street,” he added.
“It’s not that we don’t want business. We just don’t want adult entertainment right in front of our children,” said Keisha Brooks, president of the Haverhill Block Club.
Brooks and other residents say the building previously operated as a strip club and reopened in 2018, but they claim it was shut down shortly after.
“Within a few months, they were shut down for disturbing the peace and for other activities that come around with strip clubs in a neighborhood,” Brooks said.
Neighbors say they learned last fall that the strip club was planning to return.
Local 4 is told that the business has all the proper permits from the city.
Still, residents say they fear the same problems they experienced before could return.
“It will be a problem again. It will be. It’s inevitable,” Brooks said.
Residents say they would rather see a different type of business move into the space.
“Like a restaurant,” Brooks said. “We don’t even have major restaurants around this strip; we like to eat out.”
The attorney representing the club owner, Cyril Hall, told Local 4 the business owner is in full compliance with city requirements and has the right to open.
“He has a license to open and do business. I don’t understand what the problem is,” Hall said.
“You may not like what he’s doing there, but he has every license in the world to do what he’s doing.”
Hall said the owner understands the rules and regulations and does not intend to violate any laws.
“He recognizes what the rules and regulations are and he doesn’t intend to violate. He won’t be selling to minors or violating any laws,” Hall added.
When Local 4 raised neighbors’ concerns about previous strip clubs in the neighborhood, Hall said: “That’s not him.”
When Local For asked when the club plans to open, Paul did not provide a timeline but said he would open “very soon.”
“He had a right to be open a few months ago,” Hall said. “He’s ready to open.”
“He appreciates the concerns, but he has a license to do otherwise,” Hall said. “The drinking and dancing will not spill over into the parking lot or the neighborhood. He has to be a good corporate citizen. He will not violate.”
Pastor Bell says he hopes the owners reconsider the location and listen to the concerns from people who live nearby.
“To those guys, I just ask if they would think that they want this in their neighborhood, right smack in the middle of their neighborhood, Bell said. “And if they would be just kind enough to think about some other uses.”
Neighbors say they plan to rally again on July 21 at 5 p.m.