BRISTOL. In his petition to revise the legal definition of "adult entertainment" in the City of Bristol Ordinance, Robert Botelho argues that it has absolutely nothing to do with drag shows. The majority of the city council, most of the general public at Wednesday night's board meeting and the Rhode Island chapter of the ACLU do not believe this.
After defending his case, Botelho spoke for about four minutes about the need for Bristol to adopt a "stronger, more modern regulatory definition" of the term "adult entertainment" in order to achieve presence in order to "avoid magnetization or adult entertainment". Companies must seek their presence” in Bristol. This, he says, will have a negative impact on taxpayers, including but not limited to criminal activity, sexual harassment, sex trafficking and prostitution, asset depletion, business prosperity and Bristol policing policies. profit received by the city. Councilor Timothy Sweeney is right.
“Mr. Botelho, do drag shows meet the definition of adult entertainment that you presented to us today?
Botelho replied that it would be a board decision. Sweeney then approached the city attorney and asked for his opinion on whether Botelho's proposed definition was too restrictive.
"The City can legally regulate adult entertainment through zoning, as we do, as evidenced by our current definition of the ordinance," City Attorney Amy Goins explained. it is not prohibited, contrary to the current definition.”
He said the council could send the amendment to the prosecutor's office for a written opinion, but also offered to verbally present what its written opinion would be;
“There is no need to revise the current definition. Also, the proposed definition would be unconstitutionally vague… what you want to do with it is up to you; I recommend that no action be taken."
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Sweeney proposed that the proposed amendment be moved indefinitely, citing a "chilling effect on First Amendment rights", but other advisers recommended that the proposed amendment be kept on file instead of obtaining a written legal opinion and act accordingly. Solid legal base.
Council member Aaron Lay was outspoken about the proposed changes.
“I think everyone knows what we are talking about,” Le said. was and continues to be after the massacres in Colorado, when dozens of people died. they were killed and many people were injured. It's here. Some viewers can no longer walk into a nightclub without looking over their shoulder."
Layman and vice chairman of the board Mary Perella expressed confidence that Botelho's proposal was in response to a recent event at the brewery in February, which surprised Perella as she does not consider drag shows to be "adult". Discussion of the legal definition of "entertainment" in the sense of sex.
Botelho replied that he submitted his proposal on February 2, when the event was scheduled for February 11. The event was advertised in Pivotal Brewery's Facebook posts on January 24, January 27 and February 1, but Botelho told the Daily News that he had not seen ads for any drag events in Bristol and that his offer was not announced.
He cited sex shops and convenience stores as examples of attempts to create a regulatory framework to curb the types of businesses that sell pornography, and said his proposal reflected the definition of "adult entertainment" adopted by nearby towns such as Warren. .
Botelho fired Lay in a meeting that was so heated that it prompted a reprimand from city council speaker Nathan Caloro, and in an exclusive commentary to the Newport Daily News after the meeting, Lay and the rest of the Board of Directors were deliberately misrepresented. his intention
“The lawyer's opinion will not provide any rules for a business wishing to set up in the center of Bristol and shoot a sex tape. They will not be able to regulate sex shops, novelty stores or any other business,” Botelho told Daily News. “They completely miss the point, the only goal is to protect the drag show that never happens. This is obviously an assumption, and it is not true and, frankly, is subject to slander.
Botelho said at the meeting and later in the Daily News that the city council posted his name, address and petition on social media, sparking public opposition to the meeting, and that he received threats. Phone calls and threatening messages on social media followed.
“Absolutely not,” Botelho said when asked if he would have problems with future city towing. “Again, I leave guidance to manage and control the parameters of these definitions. As a civic duty, I simply allow my community leaders to join our neighboring communities and for them to launch such an attack, I would say that the civil service shows the level of prejudice that Mr. Lei and other city council members published in the public domain. Me tonight."
This article originally appeared in the Newport Daily News; A petition for adult entertainment in Bristol is seen as an attempt to ban drag shows.
