By Paul Shapiro
Calls and letters about the sign have been pouring into the offices of New York
City Councilman James Sanders and Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback since the
Platinum Gentlemen's Club opened in late October, but as the Herald went to press on
Tuesday, the larger-than-life ad remained atop the club.
"I am speaking with lawyers who are experienced in First Amendment-type cases
and are trying to formulate a plan of action," Toback said. "I understand my counterparts
in the city are working through city channels, trying to get some positive action from the
landlord or from the owner of the business."
Toback said he anticipated that something would be done soon. "I hope over the
next couple days that if there is not going to be some voluntary change in the situation,
or the city can't change the way the sign looks through its ordinances, we may have to
go to court and see if we can't get some judicial intervention on this issue," he said.
The city's Department of Buildings, which regulates billboards, is looking into
whether the sign is permissible. The First Amendment guarentees freedom of speech,
but commercial speech can be regulated, according to Toback. "There are times when
there is inappropriate signage, and I am looking into it," he said. "We want to see if the
sign, as it exists, is permitted under New York City code. If it is not, they will be directed
to take it down. Hopefully, the city can find some remedy within their codes and sign
ordinances."
The fact that Rockaway Boulevard is a major artery to the Five Towns, which is
family-oriented and a deeply religious area, makes this an even more sensitive issue. "It
really doesn't fit in an entranceway to the Five Towns," said local attorney Lenore Davis.
"Most people come from JFK, from Brooklyn, from Queens, from all over the country to
the Five Towns via Rockaway Turnpike. That's not how we want to welcome people in.
That's really not an indication of who we are."
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.
TheFiveTowns.com organized a letter-writing campaign, promising on Nov. 5 to forward
letters to local politicians. The site has received more than 100 letters in the past week.
"I went to look at the billboard and could definitely understand where they're
coming from," Davis said. "When you're politically conservative, religious and also
family-oriented, and you pass by that with your children, it's definitely something you
don't want to do."
Recent 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. "I only noticed it because of the construction," said a local resident who
declined to be identified. "I usually drive right into town through Queens. [The billboard]
disgusted me and shouldn't be part of the grand entrance to the Five Towns."
Davis is also concerned about the club's location. "I think another problem is that
it's across the street from a lot of children's stores," she said. "É It's not something that
you want to encourage, and certainly not in a community like ours that is so family-
oriented."
She said that it is clear from the letters to her Web site that many residents would
prefer that the club not exist at all. "I'd like the club not to be there, but they have the
right to be there," Davis said. "At worst, I'd like to have the billboard taken down. Our
children and the people coming into the area don't need to see that billboard. It's
something that we see as immoral and inappropriate."
Just how long the billboard may remain is, for now, anyone's guess. "There's
really no timetable on things like this," Toback said. "Litigation takes longer than
everyone likes, if we have to go that route. We would push it through as quickly as we
could, but litigation is not an overnight process."
Calls requesting comments from the club's owner were not returned.
Comments on this story? PShapiro@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 201.
