Felony Friday: Strippers Sue San Diego Police Over Privacy Violations
In March of this year we reported that police officers in San Diego had descended upon Cheetahs strip club and forced the dancers to pose for nearly-nude photos. The officers claimed that the shakedown was a necessary licensing inspection that ensured all of the club’s dancers had the required paperwork and were in compliance with local codes.It turns out that Cheetah’s was not the only strip club subjected to invasive searches and privacy violations by the San Diego Police Department. Club Expose dancers were treated in a similar fashion when raided by police officers.The LA Times reported this week that thirty strippers from the two nightspots have responded to the demeaning treatment by filing a lawsuit seeking damages from the city of San Diego and the police chief for allegedly violating the stripper’s rights during licensing inspections.In both cases the strippers were “nearly nude” when they were forced to have their pictures taken. The lawsuit alleges that officers made “arrogant and demeaning remarks” throughout the licensing inspection. Officers also detained the dancers against their will by preventing them from leaving the premises, the lawsuit alleges.From the Los Angeles Times:
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for "emotional distress and pain." The damages should be sufficient to "punish and to make an example" of the city and Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman and to deter others "from engaging in similar conduct."The lawsuit followed a claim filed with the city in March, which was rejected.Nude entertainment establishments require a city permit, which gives police the right to make "regular inspections" and requires employees to show their identification cards, according to police spokesman Lt. Kevin Mayer.Taking photographs of the employees, including of distinctive tattoos, is a routine part of the inspection process, Mayer added. Inspections are meant to deter the employees from engaging in illegal acts."The San Diego code mandates we make these inspections," Mayer said. "This is not a criminal matter, this is a regulatory matter."
This case is a clear violation of individual rights. Holding individuals against their will and forcing them to pose for nearly nude pictures sure sounds like a violation of individual rights to me.The San Diego Police Department should compensate the victims for their direct involvement in rights violations, but there is another, less obvious, group that should be held accountable for their indirect involvement in these crimes. The people of San Diego that agree with the law, which requires strip clubs employees to be subjected to individual rights violations in order to satisfy licensing inspections, are in the wrong.It is perfectly fine to be opposed to strip clubs or any other entertainment that does not align with your personal ethics or morality. No one is forcing you to attend. But it is not ok to use government to force others to comply with your chosen moral code.This is not a principle dreamed-up and taught exclusively by libertarian scholars. Jesus warned against our tendency to judge others in a well-known New Testament verse, Matthew 7:1-6.
“Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.“Don’t give what is holy to unholy people. Don’t give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. “
Using government as a vehicle to invade the rights of individuals in the hope that it will discourage participation in a certain behavior is wrong in accordance with natural rights and biblical principles. Christians ignore these teachings when supporting government initiatives such as the War on Drugs, licensing restrictions on “immoral” businesses, and many other instances.It is not a hard concept to understand, but it is lost on people who continue to turn to government to mold the world into the shape they desire.Check out our past editions of Felony Friday!The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
