Queens, NY- Reaching across the county border, Nassau County has filed suit against a strip club in Queens, arguing that the club's risque billboards featuring a nearly naked woman are a public nuisance and should be removed.
The suit, filed Monday in State Supreme Court in Mineola, names the operators of the Platinum Club on Rockaway Boulevard and Long Island Business Llc, the owner of the property, and asks that the two signs be taken down.
Although the club is in Queens County, its signs can be viewed from Nassau, said Nassau County attorney Lorna Goodman.
"The impact of the offense is on the citizens of Nassau County," Goodman said.
The billboards show a blond woman wearing several thin strips of strategically placed black material. Goodman said the image violates a section in New York's penal code that prohibits the display of graphic images that appeal to a "prurient interest in sex."
The signs have caused a stir in the communities around heavily traveled Rockaway Boulevard since they were erected in October, and have been the subject of community protests.
"People don't want it thrust in their faces," said Nassau County Legis. Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside). "Now that they're taking what's going on inside and brought it outside, that's what this public display law is designed to combat."
New York City Councilman James Sanders Jr., who represents the area that contains the club, said he welcomes the suit and added that the city planned to file an amicus brief.
The owner of the building was cited by the city Department of Buildings in November for erecting signage without a permit, said spokeswoman Kate Lindquist. That violation is scheduled to be heard before an administrative judge in May.
The owner of the building said his tenant had applied for a permit and had been willing to work with the county and change the signs if his costs were covered. But the owner also said he believes the community is overreacting.
"You see MTV every day. Don't you see more than that on those programs?" said the owner, who said he did not want to be identified for fear of retribution. "This is something that could be negotiated."
The Platinum Club and its attorney did not return calls.
