Steve Wilcoxen, a council member who represents Ward 2, said of the strip club: "I don't think they're being singled out in any way. Three other council members Nicole Brown, Brian Jones-Chance, and Jennifer Symmans remained silent on January 4th. "This is not a good decision," she said, putting a firm in turmoil and extending its time as a business loses control.Īnthony Morgan, a ward-mate, declined to comment, as did Mayor Lois Richardson. The lawsuits themselves are ongoing and have slashed city leaders.Īs long as their discussions over the legal dispute have lasted for a while, the city council has kept the lion's share of their conversations focused on closed sessions.Īnnie Somerville, a council member, has been elected to the Ward 3 where the club is located. That includes an outside lawyer Ypsilanti, who is known as a specialist in adult business regulation but has also received criticism from other parts of the country for his ties to anti-LBGTQ organizations. City officials are disobey, saying they have documented illegal and unpermitted construction.Īlong the way, the legal cases have involved as many attorneys as there are city council seats. If the strip club wishes to stay in its original condition on North Washington Street, it restricts how it can remodel.ĭeja Vu, a lawyer for the Lansing-based club, claims nothing has taken place, dating back to when the club first opened in Ypsilanti in 1982. Its a problem for Deja Vu, which hosts dancers, an adult novelty store, and private film viewing booths. Officials at Deja Vu say the club threw the legally required construction approval procedures to the wind while making changes to the buildings interior from January to January. The issues at the heart of the legal battle and the subsequent lawsuit Ypsilanti dismissed with two months later in state court are much more mundane: they focus on city zoning, building permits, and code enforcement. The company claims city officials have intentionally pushed down a decision on renovating the club out of disdain for the nude entertainment at the center of its business model and protected speech. Limited, Inc., the company that owns the building. In April, Ypsilanti Art Theatre Corp., the company that owns the club, and M.I.C. The Ypsilanti gentleman's club has been shuffled as of late, but it was ordered to close last year, and ripped through a portion of the shuttered building several months later. The club is affiliated with Deja Vu, a multinational adult entertainment business founded by Richard Hughes. YPSILANTI, MI - The Deja Vu Showgirls strip club has operated out of a two-story brick building near the heart of downtown Ypsilanti for more than three decades.īut the result of two parallel legal disputes between its owners and the city will decide its fate.
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