[eventusstultorummagister]

Civil rights notwithstanding...

Are they not promoting an illegal trade?

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by BBMW

The issue of panhandlers and escort card flippers on the strip never goes away. Why? Because the county can't ban these activities without violating the first amendment (this is questionable, but that how the rulings have gone.)

However, they can be regulated. You can make these people get a permit. So maybe Clark county should do this.

They can charge for this. The fee has to be reasonable, so make it $25/year. But to get the permit, the applicant would have to show that they are are a citizen or have a valid visa. If they're getting paid to do the escort card thing, their visa has to allow employment. They would also have to pass a background check. Convicted felons could not get the permit. Those convicted of serious misdeanors would be denied a permit for one year after discharging their sentence (including all parole and probation), and having paid all fines.

And a special rule for the escort card flippers. I'd make their lives bettter. I'd require a living wage for them. Whoever publishes the cards would have to pay them a "living wage", let's say $15/hr.

I think, based on what I've heard about other localities regulating these activities, these rules would pass judicial muster. They would also have the effect of reducing these activities significantly.

YOu cannot discrimiate over content. So if you want to regulate slappers you have to regulate everyone. And the evangelicals will immediately cry relegious discrimination...and, more importantly, the Casinos will have to license every front guy out there including all the time share hypers who also work the strip. Anyone who gives out passes to night clubs would be in the set.

$15 an hour would be nice but it would apply to time share hustlers who get nothing but commissions. Guess how the casinos would like that.

If it was easy it would have happened a long time ago.

The best approach may be someway to limit the location of the "free speech" corrdor. But that is also tricky..

That is what has always screwed up regulating anyone on the strip..

[PinkString]

Originally Posted by airics

$15 an hour..? there will be a line for the jobs..

For that wage, even I would do it.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by PinkString

For that wage, even I would do it.

Picture it. Pinky in a bikini with a pink tutu..

[PinkString]

Originally Posted by lvoc

Picture it. Pinky in a bikini with a pink tutu..

That would be terrifying!!!

[NLVgal]

When I did the zombie walk last year, the porn slappers wouldn't come near us. Perhaps you have to dress as the walking dead to be left alone on the strip.

Seriously though, I see an answer to this problem, and it's name is Metro. If Dougie called up all the owners of these businesses and made it clear that undercover vice would be targeting any escort service where the porn-slappers were getting out of hand, or trash was being left behind, I think the escort companies would tone it down.

[dynimagelv]

and the ACLU would have a field day......

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

and the ACLU would have a field day......

^ This.

The porn slappers run amok because the country and the resorts are worried about liability. It would be a hard pill to swallow for the porn-slappers to have their right to slap porn confirmed by the court, AND win a judgement against the city. The fact that nobody is trying to run off the slappers says that the legal departments of every strip and downtown casino has come to the same conclusion -- as creepy as they are, they have a right to be there.

County government should put billboards in the airport and a couple on I-15 asking people to avoid the porn slappers. If tourists quit taking the cards, the slapping will end. Then we can go back to the "classy" days of the free hooker magazines on every corner.

[dynimagelv]

the solution might be in licensing.....1st amendment gives a newspaper the right to say what they want [essentially] but they STILL have to be licensed

[BBMW]

The county has tried to outright ban them, and has lost on first amendment grounds. The same thing has happened with other municipalities that have tried to ban panhandling.

However, regulating and licensing panhandling HAS been allowed, and a number of areas do it. So regulate it is such a way as to make it harder and less lucrative. Use other legal avenues to make it difficult. For instance, rights can be restricted for convicted criminals. I bet a good chunk of the panhandlers out there have some convictions. So deny them licenses on that basis.

If you an license panhanders you can very likely do the same for people distributing "ahem" literature. Employers are supposed to check that their employees are legally allowed to work (ie, not illegal aliens.) Yes, I know that this is pretty routinely ignored. But force whoever publishes the escort cards to hire the flippers as employees, and put the screws to them to verifiy the flipper background (how many of the flipper do you think are here legally?) Maybe there are some other techniques. And yes, this would have to apply equally to anyone distributing any commercial literature, not just the escort cards.

This can be done, it just has to be done correctly.

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

^ This.

The porn slappers run amok because the country and the resorts are worried about liability. It would be a hard pill to swallow for the porn-slappers to have their right to slap porn confirmed by the court, AND win a judgement against the city. The fact that nobody is trying to run off the slappers says that the legal departments of every strip and downtown casino has come to the same conclusion -- as creepy as they are, they have a right to be there.

County government should put billboards in the airport and a couple on I-15 asking people to avoid the porn slappers. If tourists quit taking the cards, the slapping will end. Then we can go back to the "classy" days of the free hooker magazines on every corner.