Nov 7, 2007 12:36 am US/Central
City Passes Ordinance To Shut Down Swingers Club
DUNCANVILLE (CBS 11 News) ―
The Duncanville City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that will put an end to the private swingers parties held in a residential area.
The ordinance calls for the Cherry Pit Club to shut down and makes it illegal for any private sex club to promote or advertise themselves.
The Cherry Pit promotes the club on its website. "I was appalled, when I visited the Web site, that this kind of thing has been allowed to fester in our community," said resident Linda Libby, a supporter of the ordinance.
"Everybody's morality has to be decided between themselves and God, not by the government," said Dawn Burton, a supporter of the club.
The other part of the ordinance addresses the large crowds that the sex club attracts. The club is located on Cedar Ridge Drive in the Hills of Duncanville neighborhood.
"There's a lot of traffic, there's noise, there's lights. This is what we are trying to address here," said Councilwoman Johnette Jameson, who proposed the ordinance, during Tuesday night's city council meeting. "We have to be good neighbors to each other."
Organizers of the parties say the club isn't a nuisance, and they compare it to any large dinner party.
"We are family. No matter what you see on the Web site," said Amanda Carr, a Cherry Pit supporter. "It's not like that. We are family."
"This has been going on for a long time, and neighbors have been pretty tolerant, but they are fed up with it now," said Duncanville City Manager Kent Cagle.
"When my husband and I go out to dinner on Friday and Saturday night, and we pull into our driveway at 10:30 or 11 o'clock, there are cars everywhere," said Angie Reno, an opponent of the Cherry Pit.
The owners say the overcrowded residential streets are not the issue.
"If it was only about traffic, why does the beginning of the code say it's about sexual activities?" said Julie Norris, owner of the Cherry Pit. "If they were worried about traffic, how come they couldn't call me and propose an alternative? We've been looking for alternatives for a long time."
The ordinance could go into effect in the next ten days.
"We need to be able to go to a safe place and express our lifestyles. The Cherry Pit has given us that," said Burton.
"What we do in our own home is our own private business, but it's not private anymore," said Reno.
"What we do in our building is our business," said Jim Trulock, another owner of the Cherry Pit Club. "What they do in their building is their business."
Both Norris and Trulock vow to fight the ordinance all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.
"They won't stop me from having sex in my house," said Trulock.
"I think the government needs to stay out of our bedrooms," said Burton.
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