David Suissa writes in the Jewish Journal:
Put yourself in the shoes of this Jewish man. You’re a lawyer representing the interests of a strip club called Skins, which has been in a long, drawn-out battle with the city and neighborhood groups to operate their club at the southern tip of the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, several blocks from Hamilton High School.
It’s a cold Monday night in late January, and you are facing about 600 angry people — residents, parents, neighborhood activists, teachers, a few rabbis — who have gathered in the Hamilton High auditorium to express their outrage. The battle has come down to the wire: This will be the final town meeting before a decision is made in a few weeks on whether Skins is entitled to get a permanent police permit.
I arrive early and find a seat in the front row. The atmosphere reminds me a little of what it felt like when I arrived early at a boxing match in Las Vegas: people milling around, conversations kept short, security guards asking loud questions, a reporter in the corner interviewing someone who looks important, people rushing to get seats— and everyone expecting fireworks.
The official who chairs the meeting starts by summarizing the people’s concerns about having a strip club in their neighborhood — risk of drugs, prostitution, gang violence, traffic congestion, etc.— and then invites Roger Diamond, the lawyer representing Skins, to respond.
It’s one man against 600.
