Last week's City Council meeting came with more than one R-rated warning. Under discussion: the lurid details of prostitution in strip clubs, prompted by the issue of whether Treasures should be granted a liquor license. The owners, the Davari brothers, had agreed before receiving the first of two temporary licenses that if one conviction of prostitution arose from the club, they'd give up the license. They've had their conviction. (Treasures would be denied its license.)
First, Goodman warned of the sensitive subject matter they were about to discuss. Then City Attorney Brad Jerbic recommended that this might be a good time for families to switch to the Cartoon Network. During the rebroadcasts on Channel 2, a warning ran across the screen: "This program contains adult language and may not be suitable for young children."
A few highlights:
• Affidavits about the behavior of strippers in clubs owned by the Davari brothers in Houston read just short of a brothel menu, with unzipping, suckage and manual pleasures. "Customers go into the Champagne Room because they get sexual favors and condoms are never used," read one.
• There was an account of women who allegedly make up the "A" team, who will perform oral sex on customers and one another, and the "B" team, who will only masturbate customers. Plus, quotes about stains and used condoms littering the Houston club.
• It was revealed that the Davaris each have more than $40 million in assets and wouldn't be hurt by anything short of a denial.
• There was a story of an undercover cop from Las Vegas in one of the Davaris' Houston clubs. A stripper mounted him and placed his hand in such a spot that he had to run and wash it.
• Davari attorney Mark Fiorentino, on the injustice endured by Treasures (which Jerbic ranked as the fourth-worst club in town in terms of violations): "Cases don't go to trial," he said, "unless they are at Treasures."