Got Milk ?
Opponents protest at strip club
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Jackson , MI
A possible assault charge against a School House dancer is in limbo as 15 people march against The School House.
As opponents to a new downtown strip club staged their biggest protest yet Wednesday, the potential case against one of the club's dancers involved in a bizarre accusation appeared to hang in limbo.
Jackson police are waiting to hear from a patron of The School House before they forward a potential assault charge against a dancer who's accused of squirting him in the face with breast milk.
Deputy Chief Matt Heins said Wednesday that police have wrapped up their probe into the bizarre events of Friday, in which 23-year-old David Buhler of Jackson said the dancer squirted him during a lap dance.
The case won't go to the city attorney's office, though, unless police hear from Buhler.
"It would be up to the victim to call us, and he hasn't called us," Heins said Wednesday afternoon.
Later in the day, about 15 protesters from Citizens for Morality fanned out on sidewalks and street corners around The School House, 125 E. Michigan Ave., in a silent protest. They held signs that bore slogans such as "She's someone's little girl" and "That's entertainment?"
Mary Berkemeier, a group member, said more were expected to attend throughout the evening from the 49-member group, which protested the adult-entertainment club until 9 p.m.
Protesters said they might continue efforts for weeks. They placed fliers on the dancers' cars with the phone number of the AWARE shelter, Jackson's domestic-abuse facility, and a note of support.
Martha Osborne, a protester and Henrietta Township resident, held a sign that said "Stop the Immorality."
"The sooner they close their doors, the sooner the community is going to have a better look to it," she said "I'm hoping after the first one tumbles it will be like dominoes and they'll all go down."
School House co-owner Greg Bersok said he doesn't mind the protesters, saying he thinks they actually bolster business because of media coverage.
He said the dancers make between $1,000 and $4,000 per week, and about half of them are single moms.
"There are 80 people employed because of this place. Who else has done that in downtown Jackson lately?" he said.
As for the potential criminal case, club officials appeared similarly unfazed. Chance Williams, a spokesman for the club, said Wednesday the dancer denies Buhler's account of what happened and that he'd watch for the investigation to run its course. Williams said he had no problem with police probing the claim, despite the club's rocky relationship with the city.
The School House opened this month only after a legal battle with the city. A court settlement will force the club, which doesn't serve alcohol and features nude dancing, to move within 15 months.
"I get one (version of events) from him that she did it. I get one from her that she didn't," Williams said.
He declined to provide the dancer's identity.
Williams said the club was working with police and said he hoped to resolve the situation soon.
"I've been in this business 20 years," he said, "and when you think you've seen everything, something new pops up."