At the insistence of Mayor Greg Nickels, the city council passed an ordinance last July that would regulate strip clubs out of business (bright lighting, no lap dances).
Like all city legislation, the strip-club ordinance begins with a "whereas" statement. "Whereas, the operation of adult-entertainment businesses has historically and regularly been accompanied by secondary effects, including prostitution and other criminal behavior, that are detrimental to the public health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of Seattle... be it ordained by the City of Seattle as follows..."
And then it gets into all the stuff about lighting levels (30 lux); the four-foot rule ("No entertainer shall... conduct any dance unless such dance is performed at a distance of at least four feet from the nearest member of the public..."); and striptease no-nos ("no entertainer shall simulate touching of the breasts, masturbation, [or] sexual intercourse").
The problem with this ordinance (it passed 5—4, by the way) isn't just that it's a condescending bit of government babysitting. Worse, the premise behind the ordinance— the "whereas" statement—is a total lie. The city is solving a "problem" that doesn't exist.
Adult-entertainment businesses are accompanied by crime?
The only report the city ever produced—back in 1989—found no direct connection in Seattle between strip clubs and increased crime. Meanwhile, Gil Levy and Jack Burns, attorneys for Rick's and Déjà Vu Showgirls, did a public-records request for recent crime statistics around Rick's—11332 Lake City Way Northeast, $10 lap dances, open seven days a week until 2:30 a.m.—and found that crime calls at Rick's paralleled those at Dick's Drive-In just a few blocks north. They also found that compared to the nearby Fred Meyer, Rick's crime stats were dramatically lower.
Indeed, The Stranger did its own public records request in 2003 (one that looked at all the strip clubs in town) and found little evidence that strip clubs are uniquely dangerous. In every case except that of Déjà Vu Showgirls—a club whose census tract includes all of Pioneer Square and most of downtown—the crime rates for the census tracts surrounding Seattle strip clubs and the tracts immediately next door are virtually identical; and in many cases, the tracts without strip clubs have higher rates of prostitution, rape, vandalism, and drug use. Records of 911 calls from 2002 for police response to Déjà Vu Showgirls and the Showbox, a nearby live-music club, show that while Déjà Vu Showgirls had slightly more reports of harassment, voyeurism, and vice, the Showbox had more complaints for burglary, indecent exposure, and assault. And both clubs' crime rates were generally comparable.
Adult-entertainment businesses are detrimental to the surrounding community?
Well, Burns and Levy commissioned a study of property values between 2000 and 2005 and found that Rick's, Déjà Vu Showgirls, and the Sands had no impact on property values in the areas around the clubs. In fact, median house prices actually increased in those areas.
Here's a "whereas" for you: Whereas, the city is lying, vote no on Referendum 1 this November and repeal the city's new rules. 
