The fact that Rockaway Boulevard is a major artery to the Five Towns, which is family-oriented and a deeply religious area,
caused many residents to make phone calls and send letters to the offices of New York City Councilman James Sanders and Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback regarding the larger-than-life advertisement. Construction on Rockaway Boulevard, which forced traffic to merge into one lane, drew more attention to the sign, with drivers idling in traffic with the billboard in full view.
Local attorney Lenore Davis, who is also the editor of TheFiveTowns.com, decided to do something about the sign after receiving letters of complaint from visitors to the Web site as well. TheFiveTowns.com organized a letter-writing campaign on Nov. 5, promising to forward letters to local politicians. The site received more than 100 letters since the campaign began.
In addition to the billboard, two signs with similar images remain posted along Rockaway Turnpike. Toback’s office confirmed with the office of Councilman Sanders that "there is a permit for both signs, and at least the structure of the signs is not illegal." There has not been a ruling on the content of the sign yet from the Department of Buildings, although the department normally regulates the size of billboards, and not what is printed on them.
Genaro Morales, a spokesman for the Platinum Club, told the Herald that the billboard was protected by free speech and would not be taken down. Morales identified Dominica O'Neill of Yonkers as the owner of the club.
"Last time I checked, the billboard was legal, and what is on it was legal," Morales said. "The billboard is basically an expression of what's going on inside. It's a legitimate business, and I don't see anything wrong with the sign. We apologize if we offended anyone, but that sign is meant to express the nature of the business. It's freedom of expression."
Since the billboard and the signs are legal, there is not much that can be done to force their removal, but with nearly 300 people in attendance at a community meeting Monday night, Dec. 1, at the White Shul in Far Rockaway, Toback and Sanders detailed their concerns about the billboard and presented a proposal to get it removed.
"I think we have a good plan of action, and hopefully we'll get some results," Toback said. "It's a four-point plan — negotiate, agitate, demonstrate and if all else fails, litigate. ... The goal is to get rid of the billboard, and I think we can do that by negotiating with the landlord. That is my preferred method of operation."
The New York state attorney general's office told Toback that New York City has not yet made a ruling on whether the billboard runs afoul of the city's obscenity statutes, but that decision should be made soon.
Toback's four-point plan to combat the Rockaway Boulevard billboard then reached phase two, after negotiations with the club and building owners came to a standstill.
On Thursday, Dec. 11 at 1 p.m., Toback along with protesters picketed in front of 350 Northern Blvd., in Great Neck, the offices of the owner of the Platinum Club building. The overall effort against the billboard has been entitled, "The Sign Must Go!" Due to inclement weather that Thursday night, Councilman Sanders' demonstration across the street from the Platinum Club in Rosedale was rescheduled. The time and date were unknown as of press time Tuesday night. For more information, call (718) 527-4356.
