Dallas Swinger Club Raided - twice in a week

[two42lovers]

There's a thread running on this case in the Swingers in the News forum.

Yes - but that is a moderated forum - postings must be reviewed and approved. Better to have a discussion about it here, where the back and forth is speedier.

Same thing happening in Dallas has already happened in Los Angeles. All the swinger clubs in LA county have been shut down. All gone. If the "powers that be" want to shut you down, they can. Fire code enforcement, business licensees, police harassment, health & safety codes - first one, then another, then another, then back to the first one, etc. They will never leave you alone. There is no way to fight them - and even if you try, they'll take pics of your customers and publish them. Not many will dare show up under such circumstances.

[geminigrey]

I just got linked to the raid story, and had to come see if it had made the news here. Evidently it's been going on for longer than I knew.

It definitely sets some precedence that could be bad for the community. I'm wondering exactly where the line is between house party and 'club', were they charging admission?

The BDSM club that I'm a member of has monthly demos and parties, where they charge admission. And it's held at a rental property in a residential area, so it makes me slightly antsy. Not like I'm living in the buckle of the Bible Belt or antying. D'oh!

And definitely getting work information was out of line, but you know, it's the cops, they'll do as much as they can get away with, in my experience.

[tribbles]

So...don't take ID in and say you are unemployed?

Actually, I think I would refuse to answer anything.

[two42lovers]

You might find you are the focus of MUCH greater scrutiny if you refused to give your name or answer questions. They have the right to jail you and hold you for 72 hours without charge, while they try to determine if you are wanted for anything. If you want to go toe to toe, better be ready. You could find yourself led outside, handcuffed, and laid-out in the street for a few hours.(and that will just be the beginning of troubles you'd face that night. What cell will they put you in? (What sort of person will have access to you for the night?) Better think twice.

[JustAskJulie]

Club raided again for the second time in just 3 days, this time by Beverage Control.

2 raids on Dallas-area swingers club | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
State officials, city police raid Duncanville swingers' club | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News

What this shows you is what several have pointed out before, it really doesn't matter if the club is running legally, if the local government wants it gone they will harrass it out of business and unless the club has the money to fight it, they'll end up losing or just giving up and closing.

[Thrax]

Originally Posted by Pinmonkey

Cops raid Duncanville swingers' club 3:10 PM CT | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News

FTA: "Mr. Klein said guests were photographed, and police took their work information before letting them go early Sunday morning."

Could the cops/city also be looking into the possibility that prostitution is occurring at these parties, too? Just another reason to close the parties down?

I can't think of another reason to take work information about the party-goers, unless it's just another way to intimidate people.

Thrax

[cplnuswing]

Originally Posted by RockyMntSocialClub

most clubs seem to get into trouble by not following either the zoning laws or the liquor laws. Have a house party or run a business but you cannot have a house party be your business.

Surprise, surprise, liquor laws coming into play now. While I'm guessing that most of the very substantial amount of liquor that was found actually belongs to someone else as the owners are alleging, not sure how that will play out in court. My guess is the law says it's in your house, it's your's, whether the bottle has a number on it or not. Might of been a good idea to check into that after the first raid (before then actually) and get rid of the liquor ASAP!

You can fight city hall and win, but you can't do so by making it easy for them. Once the heat was on and they knew they were being targeted, the smart thing was to make absolutely sure all liquor laws, etc. were being followed. Then and only then, fight the new sex club ordinance, and wait for the city to overplay it's hand in search of headlines, which I think they were on the verge of doing. But why go through all of that when you know that even if you win that fight, they still have other violations to pursue? Those ordinance/laws have probably been on the books for a while and tested in court numerous times - no beating those if you are guilty.

[theflamekasters]

oh we live lik an hour from there west of ft. worth and have friends that go there. Beck in the day, this club has been around like 20 yrs, it was a happening place, the people that own it now are not very smart. They have brought this on them selves, i saw part of the video, and it was taken when the club was empty. It made the place look nasty! The area where they are has been greatly developed since the pit opened. They should of jsut moved to a more out of sight location, and all of this could of been avoided, as it is now, the city of duncanville and the pit are in a pissing match, and i know who will lose. I would never daken the door of that place, there are so many nicer, clear house parties/club in the d/fw area, i dont think any one will cry if the pit gets shut down

[rpu3]

Video from CBS (Dallas/Fort Worth) of Raid No. 2 available here.

[tribbles]

I can't think of another reason to take work information about the party-goers, unless it's just another way to intimidate people.

Thrax- Good Point!

[toycple]

Although I think Tim and Julie could have played it smarter, this is total BS. It seems that the city of Duncanville is run by a bunch of prudish nazis. We use to go to the pit awhile back but had to stop after the first news story due to the Mrs. having a job where she must be discrete. It infuriates me to no end when I hear what the cops did to people there. I think the taking of information like work location and all is completely illegal. I don't see where they would need anything more then whats your name and where you live. Even though I think the party could be run cleaner, I am supporting them 100%. I hope they win then counter sue the city for all they can get.

[Ed & Bunny]

Originally Posted by socolais

I don't see how "work information" of the party guests is applicable to the Duncanville case. I think this may be a "jack-booted-thug" intimidation tactic by the city council and is likely to backfire on them to make their case more difficult in court. On the otherhand, the city council can "afford" their liabilities in this situation much better than the party guests can tolerate the procedural hassles.

I am not an attorney, but I do have serious concerns about the actions of the cops towards the guests/patrons. They may have steped on it big time with that one. As for procedural hassles, I am sure there is a lawyer out there who will be looking at this one class action style. As for hiding the fact they are swingers, I agree with the post that says the city will look to embarass the patrons by outing them in the news. So if your life is going to be made hell by being outed, take the time to pay back the nazi city officials and their jackbooted thugs with a hefty lawsuit. Sorry, I cant see the actions of the police towards the patrons as anything less than outright harrassment and a violation of their civil liberties.

[cplnuswing]

Originally Posted by Thrax

I can't think of another reason to take work information about the party-goers, unless it's just another way to intimidate people Thrax

That appears to be exactly what they are doing with some veiled threats and a little psy ops thrown in at the end.

Quotes from story at cbs11tv.com - Cop: Sex Club Owners Taking Advantage Of Swingers

During the investigation, police were found documents identifying multiple patrons of the club. Duncanville Detective Dan Hunt said police will conduct interviews with each of the people identified.


"The Cherry Pit operators have placed the patrons of their business in a situation where they may be prosecuted criminally," said Detective Hunt. "The investigation has uncovered how The Cherry Pit owners have also taken advantage of their patrons in order to conduct business… They are taking advantage of swingers while claiming to be champions for their cause."

[knb2004]

While the actions of the police were certainly questionable, I put the real blame on the people pulling their strings. The city council has made it clear they will settle for nothing short of the complete destruction of the pit, and they will stop at nothing to get it done. They are a disgrace to this supposed free country.

An earlier poster opined that their law banning sex clubs in town will be held unconstitutional, I don't know enough about the situation to have an opinion about that point, but I hope they're right. As for the harassment, a nice class action lawsuit would sure be great. Had I been there I would have remained silent, and if taken into custody for having done so, would file a multi-million dollar false arrest suit the moment I was released.

[rpu3]

Dallas Morning News: Profitable Cherry Pit swingers club is no casual affair, says Duncanville

The Cherry Pit is more than a weekend hangout for a few consenting adults.

For the owners of the swingers club, it's a profitable enterprise where sex, booze and guns collide.

Dallas Morning News: Judging by cops' pictures, Duncanville's Cherry Pit club more nightmare than fantasy