Brothel opponent seeks evidence
Friday, Jan. 28, 2000 | 12:03 p.m.
CARSON CITY -- John Reese says his initiative petition that would outlaw prostitution in rural Nevada may be his swan song in a 10-year effort to close brothels.
"I'm pretty burned out," Reese said Thursday.
To be successful in his petition, he says he has to prove that a prostitute or customer tested HIV-positive because of sexual activity in a brothel.
"If I don't prove that, I will scrap my effort and the petition," he said.
But Robert Nellis of the state Division of Health said none of 50,000 tests done on prostitutes since 1986 have come out positive. He said 26 women who wanted to go to work were rejected after they tested positive in pre-employment screening.
Nellis said every person who has contracted AIDS in Nevada is interviewed and none have ever suggested they got it from brothels.
Nellis said Reese has reached the point "where he has no credibility." He said he's been telling Reese since 1992 that there are no HIV cases out of the brothels.
"The things he is alleging have no basis in fact," Nellis said.
Reese, a construction worker who now delivers pizza at night, estimates he has spent $40,000 of his own money in the past 10 years to close down brothels. He said his spending has tapered off in the last three years after getting married.
He filed his initiative petition Wednesday, but he said he's going to submit a new petition. He used a petition from the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, which is out to ban gay marriages.
He said he has apologized for using the coalition's petition form in order to put forth his agenda. He said he will submit a revised document.
His petition will need the signatures of 44,009 registered voters and 10 percent of the voters in 13 of the 17 counties. He must submit it before Nov. 14.
Reese tried a similar petition in the early 1990s but never came close to getting the required signatures.
"I need an angle," he said in order to get signatures. "I have got to prove there is HIV in these brothels."
His new effort centers on trying to track down a prostitute from 14 years ago. He claims she tested positive for HIV eight times and then passed the test on a ninth examination.
"If she is alive and well then everything is all right," he said. "If I can't prove HIV, then there's not a chance for the petition and I will close up shop," he said.
Some rural counties have legalized prostitution, but the major counties of Clark and Washoe have ordinances prohibiting prostitution.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Shooting in parking lot of CVS leaves man dead
- Man, 26, dies in collision with truck traveling at 100 mph
- Nevada’s just not for us, many top high schoolers say
- Holiday shoppers skip turkey for Strip stores
- Casino venue in Singapore will have Las Vegas flavor
- CityCenter completion might spur home foreclosures
- Fontainebleau retail component seeks bankruptcy
- MGM Mirage: CityCenter not affected by debt woes
- Holiday Auction 2009 items
- Real estate experts cautiously optimistic about market
Blogs
The Kats Report
Could a savior of shuttered Las Vegas Art Museum be ... Peter Max? (5 Comments)
For Paul Stanley and KISS, rock and roll is not over (5 Comments)
Twenty years ago today, Human Nature took root on the farm (1 Comment)
Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch
Photo Gallery: Donny Osmond’s triumphant return to the Flamingo
The Kats Report
'DWTS' champ Donny Osmond still deft afoot in return to Flamingo (8 Comments)
Politics: The Early Line
Meeting of GOP governors draws challengers, not Gibbons (5 Comments)
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Oscar loves forcing developers to sign labor peace agreements, Culinary loves the city's downtown plans and all is forgiven (10 Comments)
Calendar »
- 28 Sat
- 29 Sun
- 30 Mon
- 1 Tue
- 2 Wed
-
KISS at the Pearl
The Pearl at the Palms
-
Christopher "Kid" Reid at the LA Comedy Club
LA Comedy Club @ Trader Vic's
-
Stevie Wonder at MGM Grand
MGM Grand Garden Arena | 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
-
UNLV Rebels vs. Louisville at the Thomas & Mack Center
The Thomas & Mack Center | 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
-
Joe Perry Project at the House of Blues
House of Blues | 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Vicente Fernandez at the Mandalay Bay Events Center
Mandalay Bay Events Center | 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
-
Jay Leno at The Mirage
Terry Fator Theatre
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati










