Mind you I am no apologist for strip clubs, but this link presents a local story of interest.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11168/1154316-53.stm

In Pittsburgh there is a shake shack strip club called "Blush" that has been in its present location for decades.  Over the past several years, an organization called the "Pittsburgh Cultural Trust" has been using eminent domain to buy out peep shows and whatnot so that they don't bespoil Pittsburgh's 'cultural' landscape.

A few years ago, the Pittsburgh School District decided it would be a great idea to locate a charter school next door to Blush.

Now... Blush wants to expand and the "Cultural" District and the School Board are protesting the zoning board's approval of the nooky bar gentleman's club expansion.

My thought is the school district made its own bed and has to lie in it.  And as for the "Cultural" organization, who is to say that watching some viking lady sing with a horned helmet on her head is superior to some chick doing a pole dance?  Besides, the pole dances were at this location long before the "Cultural" district came in and tried to impose its views.

Whole thing is an attempted abrogation of private property rights if you ask me. And no, I have never been to Blush.

Yes ... there aren't too many professions that have been around longer than Viking ladies with horned helmets!  As Blushs own motto states .... first in...first served! ;)

Yes ... there aren't too many professions that have been around longer than Viking ladies with horned helmets!   As Blushs own motto states .... first in...first served! ;)


Couldn't load the page, but this seems a lot less serious than condemning whole neighborhoods to sell the land to developers to build commercial property, or super highways, which has happened in many cities over the years. (wrong post quoted - sorry, and as to those Viking ladies, I prefer my women like my coffee, dark, strong, and sweet

Mind you I am no apologist for strip clubs, but this link presents a local story of interest.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11168/1154316-53.stm

In Pittsburgh there is a shake shack strip club called "Blush" that has been in its present location for decades.  Over the past several years, an organization called the "Pittsburgh Cultural Trust" has been using eminent domain to buy out peep shows and whatnot so that they don't bespoil Pittsburgh's 'cultural' landscape.

A few years ago, the Pittsburgh School District decided it would be a great idea to locate a charter school next door to Blush.

Now... Blush wants to expand and the "Cultural" District and the School Board are protesting the zoning board's approval of the nooky bar gentleman's club expansion.

My thought is the school district made its own bed and has to lie in it.  And as for the "Cultural" organization, who is to say that watching some viking lady sing with a horned helmet on her head is superior to some chick doing a pole dance?  Besides, the pole dances were at this location long before the "Cultural" district came in and tried to impose its views.

Whole thing is an attempted abrogation of private property rights if you ask me. And no, I have never been to Blush.


I've never been to Blush either, but I've been to similar establishments and I can say you're probably not gonna find the Viking lady there, just the 42-year old "law student" with the cheap boob job and the c-section scar who is wobbling to Motley Crue records at 2:30 in the afternoon.  Hey, we all gotta make a buck!*
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/12/downtown.gif

*with credit to Chris Rock.

Couldn't load the page, but this seems a lot less serious than condemning whole neighborhoods to sell the land to developers to build commercial property, or super highways, which has happened in many cities over the years. (wrong post quoted - sorry, and as to those Viking ladies, I prefer my women like my coffee, dark, strong, and sweet


Oh Pittsburgh has done their fair share of that too!

When the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera wanted their own venue to hold concerts, the cultural trust moved quite a few people out to build a huge, domed arena in 1957.  At least the building was used for 49 years before they closed it.  They are leaning towards raising it to build more residential and commercial buildings.

"The then-Civic Arena and its adjacent parking areas were constructed on 95 acres in the Lower Hill section of the city, a predominantly African-American neighborhood known for it jazz clubs. With great controversy, over 1200 people were relocated to make room for the arena." http://www.preservationpittsburgh.org/projects/Igloo/History.htm

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Pittsburgh-pennsylvania-mellon-arena-2007.jpg/250px-Pittsburgh-pennsylvania-mellon-arena-2007.jpg

Couldn't load the page, but this seems a lot less serious than condemning whole neighborhoods to sell the land to developers to build commercial property, or super highways, which has happened in many cities over the years. (wrong post quoted - sorry, and as to those Viking ladies, I prefer my women like my coffee, dark, strong, and sweet


Eminent domain is a hugely abused power of the government.

In addition to confiscating actual properties, the government infringes on private property rights when it passes laws that say people can't smoke in already-existing buildings that they own, or when it says that I cannot open up a restaurant for smokers.

I am OK with the use of EM for the sort of "obvious" cases such as a much-needed water supply line that has to cross somebody's property (with proper compensation and respect for the landscape, of course) or some floodplain-related situations where the greater public safety is involved.  But the use of EM for so-called "economic development" zones, baseball stadiums, and the like s is abusive.