It’s just too uncanny.

Here I am, reliving my early years in Atlanta, and this lawsuit pops up out of nowhere.  Apparently, the permit fees charged by Atlanta to work in the adult entertainment industry are too damn high.  I felt the exact same way when I landed here 11 years ago.

In fact, after some calculations, I deduce that the city of Atlanta owes me about $2,150*.  Plus tip.  It wasn’t terribly surprising that one had to have a permit to work in a strip club.  Being surrounded by cash, liquor and goodness knows oh-so-many other terrifying temptations, the city tries to reduce major incidents by weeding out those who have already had run-ins with the law.  God bless them.

Strippers Sue Atlanta
“The lawsuit was filed in Fulton County Superior Court on behalf of six people who work at licensed adult entertainment establishments as a bartender, floor manager, manager and performers.”

But why does the city charge so much?

It’s really a pretty good scam when you think about it.  First, you go pay the city for a permit that is only good for one year, then you go to work, only having to pay even more on a nightly basis to the club.  No benefits.  No minimum wage.  No refunds.  How is this legal?

Why is it that in Vegas, the strip club/sell yo ass/prostitution rules ‘capital’ of the country, charges only $35 for a permit that lasts FIVE YEARS, is fine (at least back when I was there)?  But down here in good ‘ole HOTlanta, they’re charging an arm and a leg – and the value of at least one perfectly proportioned breast – just to be allowed to work.  Or maybe they’re operating under the assumption that every stripper makes at least a thousand dollars a night so can afford to be taken advantage of…?  Either way, it’s criminal.

You, my dear Atlanta, proclaim to have so many problems with women who dance for money – calling them whores and the scourge of our society – the breakdown of morals.  But how moral are the “powers that be” who take cash from those very same whores who have bills to pay and kids to feed?

But I guess you have to do what is necessary.  The Atlanta Falcons do need a new stadium, after all.

 

 

*Depending on the county, my permit fees ranged from $200 – $350 yearly and one of my employers generously paid for my permit fees 2x on my behalf.