03-14-1993 10:08PM F~OM HANNAH GOLDSTEIN TO 2646607 P.02 REPORT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S WORKING GROUP ON THE REGULATION OF SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESSES June 6,1989 HUBERT H. HUMPHREY, III Attorney General State of Minnesota 001652 I 03-14-1993 10:08PM FROM HRNNRH GOLDSTEIN TO 2646607 P.03 MEMBERS OF THE A'TiORNEY GENERAL'S WORKING GROUP ON THE REGULATION OF SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESSES Ann Sut1chatt John £.lux Associate Professor Minnea~olis Chief of Police University Of Minnesota MinnealJOlis. Minnesota !.awSChool Minneapolis, Minnesota Sharon s.yteS-Selton Councilwoman Honorable "'W..n A. St.rz Minneapolis, Minnesota Minnesota House of Representatives lA/BloomingtOn, Minnesota Honotable ~/..n Vellenga Minnesota House of Representatives Honotable Terry II. Demp., CFl./St Paul, Minnesota Minnesota House of Representatives IR/New Ulm, Minnesota W111lam W1I!IOn Councilman '17IClmas L Fal* St. Paul, Minnesota Undquist & Vennum Minn~apolis, Minnesota 001653 J.u·u;::orl"1 r,""Ul"j nHI'II'IHn UUI...J..'-=> 1 t:. 1 I"" ow GO~oot:J( TABl.E OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 SUMMARY _................................................................................................ 3 IMPACTS OF SEXUAU.Y ORJENTED BUSINESSES 6 Minneapolis Study ..............._ _.._ .. 6 St Paul 7 Indianapolis ......................_ - . a Phoenix ............................................- . 9 Los Ar'igeles 10 Concentration of Sexually Oriented Businesses NeighborhOOd Case Study 10 Testimony _ _... 12 SEXUAU.Y ORIENTED BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZED CRIME ...................... 14 PROSECUTOFIJAL AND REGULATORY ALTERNATIVES ........._ _ .. 20 OesCENITYPROSEcunON ........_ -_ . 21 RECOMMENOATIONS ._. •.••••._••••_••••••••.•.•..••....••._ :_................ 2. OTHER LEGAl REMEDIES .....................•..••...._ __ . 25 RICOfFORFEITURE __ _ _.................................... 25 RECOMMENDATIONS _ ..__ _._.._ ___ _......... 2S NUISANCE INJUNCTIONS .._ _ _ _ -_ _ . 28 RECOMMENOAT10NS -_ _ _ __ _ _ - _ . 30 ZONJ NG ._._ _ •.•__ _ _~.".................................................. 30 Supreme Coun De<:isiorls ....._._....._•.••••••••••...••••••_._.••••_....................................... 31 001654 3 IU Standards and Need for Legal ZOning 35 Documentation to Support Zoning Ordinances 36 Availability of Locations tor Sexually Oriemed Businesses 37 ff.".~ ~...... Oistance Requirements :•••••_f•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I •••••••••• I 3S Requiring Existing Businesses to Comply with New Zoning 40 RECOMMENDATlONS 41 UCENSING AND OTHER REGULAnONS ;..................................... 41 RECOMMENOATIONS _ _ _.......................................... 404- CONCLUSION _ _ .._ _.•.............................._. 45 !.- 001655 4- INTRODUCTION Many communities in MInnesota nave raised eoncems atiout me impact of sexually oriented businesses on their quality of life, It has been suggested ttlat sexually oriented businesses serve as a magnet to draw prostltution and other e:rimes into a vulnerable neighbOrhood. Community groups /'lave alSO voiced the concem that sexually oriented businesses can have an adverse effect on property values and impede neighborhood revitalization. It has been suggested that spillover effects of the businesses can lead to sexual harassment of residents and scatter unwanted evidence of sexual liaisons in the paths at children and the yards of neighbors. Although many communities have sought to regulate sexually oriented businesses. these efforts have often been controversial and equally often unsuccessful. MuCh community sentiment against sexually oriented businesses is an outgrowth of hostility to seXUally explicit fo~ of expression. Any sua:assful strategy to comeat sexually oriented businesses must take into aceount the constitutional rights to free speech which limit available remedies. Only those pornographic materials whic:h .,.. det8l'minad to be "obscene· have no constitutional protection. As explained later in mere detail, only that pornography which, according to community standards and taken as a whole, "appeals to the prurient inter~ (as opposed to an interest in healthy sexuaJity). describes or depicts sexual conduct In a "patently offensive way- and "lacks serious literary. artistic. political or scientific value" can be prohibited or proseeuted. MRier v. California. 413 U.S. 15. 24 (1973). Other pornography and·· the businesses which purwy it can only be regulated whe,.. a harm is dernonstr'8t8d and the remedy is sutl'Iciently tailored to prevent that harm without burdening F'Jr'St Amendment rights. In order to reduce or eliminate the impacts of $8'n ,elly Qtiented businesses.. each community must find the balance between the dangers of pon'IOgi aphy and tI'Ie cor.lI1! rdcnaI rlgl iCi to free speech. Eact' community must have evidence of hatm./ Each community must know the range of legal tools whiCh can be used to combat the adverse Impacts of pornography and sexually oriented businesses. -1- 001656 90'd <,0991792: 01 ~'I3.LSa...,o~ HtlNf'tlH WOOl=! Wd61):0T £56T-17T-(1) 1213-14-1993 H): WPM Ff<UM HRt,NRH L;ULlJ~Ii=.JN IU cb4bb\:J ( On June 21. 1Saa. Attomey General Hubert Humphrey III anncunced the formation of a WorKing Group on the Regulation of Sexually Oriented Businesses to assist public offiCials and private citizens in finding legal ways to reduce the impacu of Sexually oriented businesses. Members of the Working Group were selected for their specIal expertise in the areas of zoning and law entorcement and included bipartisan representatives of the state Legislature as well as members of both the Minneapolis and St. Paul city couneUs whO have played critical roles in developing city ordinances regulating sexually oriented businesses. The Working Group heard testimony and conducted briefings on the impac:s of sexually oriented businesses on crime and communities and the methods available to reduce or eliminate these impaClS. Extensive researcn was conducted to -review regulation and prosecutiOn Strategies used in ottIer states and to analyze the legal ramifications of these strategies. As testimony was presented. the Worl<ing Group reached a consensus that a comprehensive approach is required to reduce or eliminate the impaCU of sexually oriented businesses. Zoning and licensing regulations are needed to protect residents from the Intrusion of "combat zone" sexual crime and harassment into their neighbortlcods. Prosecution of obscenity has played an impottant role in each of the cities which have siQnificantly reduced or eliminated pomograQhy. The additional threat posed by the involVement of organized crime. If prcven to exist, may justify the resources needed for prosecution of obscenity· or require use of a forfeiture or racketeering statUte. The WorKing Group determined that it could neittler advocete prohibition of all sexually expliCit material nor Ihe use of regulation as a pretext to eliminate all sexually oriented businesses. thiS condusion is no endorsement of pornography or the businesses which profit from it. The WorKing Group believes muCh pornography conveys a message which is degrading to women and an affront to human dignity. Commerclal pornography prcmote$ the misuse of IAJlnerable people and can be used by either a ~lfator or • vicllm 10 rationalize 58'" lal violence. SexlI8/Iy oriented businesses haVe a deter'icratlng effect upon neighborhoods and draw involvement of organized crime. -2- 001657 c. "-'............. -'-'-' ........ - ........'"," ....... , .. " 0'''''' ~.~~__ ._.', Communities are not powerless to combat these problems. .. But to be mOSt effective in defending itself frOm ~mography each community must WOr1< from the evidence and within the law. The report of this WOr1<ing Group is designed to assist iocal communities in developing an appropriate and effective detense. The first section of !tl8 report discusses evidence that sexually oriented businesses, and the materials from which ttley profit, have an adverse impact on the surrounding communities. It provides relevant evidence which local COmmunities ean use as Part of It'leir jUltifieation tor reasonable regulation of sexually oriented businesses. The Working Group also diso'SSed the relatiOnship between ,sexually orienteci bUSinesses and organized crime. Concerns about these broader e1fe~ Of sexually' oriented businesses underUe the Working Group's recommendations that obscenity should be prosecuted and the tcoIs at Obscenity ~ed when HlCIlally oriented businesses break the law. -The second section of this report describes strategies for regulat!ng sexually oriented businesses and prosecuting obscenity. The report presents ttle principal altematives. the recommendations of the Working Group and some of the legal issues to consider wtlen theH strategies are adopted. The goal of 1l'le Attorney General's WOrki"lg Group in providing this report is to support and assist local communities who are struggling against the blight of pomography. When eitizens. ~Iice otlicers and city offICials are concemed atlout c:rirne and the detericlation of neigt\tlOrhOOds, ead'l of us lives next door. No community stands alone. SUMMARY The Attorney General's Working Gtoup on the Regulation of 5exually Oriented Businesses makes the following rec::omt'IW'Idatlcns to assist communities in p~oteaing themselves from the adverse lrI'feds of S8Y' 'any 0I'i&f lted businesses. Some or all of 001658 7 r.(,)J these recommendatiOns may be needed in any