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A handbiller passes out cards in May 2010 for an escort service on The Strip just north of Flamingo Road, outside the Flamingo.
By Dave Toplikar (contact) 
Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011 | 2:30 p.m.
Reader poll
The 1,500-foot-long canopy over downtown's Fremont Street Experience is shown in downtown Las Vegas in this file photo.
Sun Coverage
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman admits he probably won't get his way because of First Amendment issues.
But he still doesn't like the idea of solicitors handing out glossy cards with near-naked women advertising escort services in the pedestrian mall of downtown's Fremont Street Experience, a practice that's common along parts of the Strip.
"It concerns me greatly, because, I'll tell you, if somebody wanted to hand one of those things to me when I'm with my wife or my daughter, I've got a concealed weapons permit and I can use it," Goodman told reporters at his weekly news conference at City Hall.
Goodman said he had made his viewpoints known to staff members about the escort service cards when they were discussing an ordinance as to what would be or would not be allowed under the domed Fremont Street Experience, the biggest tourist attraction in the city's downtown.
The city council is expected to take up the ordinance sometime this month or next month. The American Civil Liberties Union's Allen Lichtenstein has looked over the ordinance and said it was workable.
Last summer, the council decided not to take up a proposed ordinance that would create "free expression" zones within the mall. It also specifically prohibited certain activities at the Fremont Street Experience, such as using megaphones, throwing objects into the air and using Hula-Hoops.
The latest rendition of the ordinance would deal more with pedestrian traffic and safety, and stay away from banning activities, such as certain types of street performers, whose performances are considered a form of free speech.
For example, solicitors who flap their escort service cards would have to stay 10 feet from the perimeter of any outdoor setting and 20 feet from fire lanes and crosswalks.
However, Goodman said he wished the new ordinance could ban them.
"I think it's very, very bad that we can't control that," he said. "But free speech, I guess, is more important than protecting people from having something shoved in their face."
Goodman said the city's attorney has said they can't even hold the pamphleteer responsible if litter is created as a result of the cards.
"We can hold the person who receives the material, if they throw it down, but we're not going to do that, of course," Goodman said. "But I hope it doesn't happen."
Goodman, who describes himself as a civil libertarian, said he also believes there has to be a balance that is very important to the economic success of the downtown.
He said if those handing out cards disturb the public activities along Fremont, the city might have to go to court again to address such issues. The city has tried to limit activities in the past, but such ordinances have been thrown out by the courts.
Goodman said U.S. District Judge David Ezra, of Hawaii, who sat on the case where the city's ordinance was challenged the last time, wouldn't allow certain restrictions on Fremont Street.
"However, in a decision that he was involved in in Hawaii, he protected Wakiki Beach from the same kind of conduct that we've tried to stop here, saying that was not a public forum," Goodman said. "So I don't understand the difference other than we're Las Vegas. But I don't want to pick a beef with a federal judge — not yet."
It's pretty sleazy.
Have the people with the badges ask them for their papers. No papers, they go home. Word will get out and they won't take this job.
I personally think it's sleazy and have had heard the same sentiments from virtually everyone I know who has strolled along the Strip when here on vacation, for a convention, etc.
I know this is Sin City, but I'd like to see less "in your face" with the sleaze and allow those who are interested to quietly and discretely find that stuff on their own.
I remember American children about 10 or 11 years old passing this stuff out along the Strip in the late '90s.
When you limit one you have to limit others. Who makes the rules for the limits?
When do they pass the rule that says the guys with the religious flyer's and sandwich boards can not be downtown? I am sure there are some that are offended by those guys also.
I guess the added trash of the cards on the ground will be some help though, more jobs cleaning it up. ;-)
I think the whole idea of passing out cards sucks. Guys coming to Vegas can use the Internet to find hookers. Besides, it is widely known that the escorts on those cards are just rip off artists. All the way around bad for Vegas and tourism.
Big time waste of paper and thats just for starters!
you can't have hand outs in front of any of Steve Wynn's property..why not do the same thing on Freemont Street?
Just have the administration strictly enforce the littering laws, and you will have a guaranteed revenue stream for the city. But we all know that the police very. very, very selectively enforce those laws. Let a homeless person drop a gum wrapper, and zip...it's off to jail. Let a tourist throw trash anywhere and it's "Thanks for coming to Vegas."
I'm all about Free Speach, but how does this even fall into that category?
This isn't ok in any other city in the US, why is it ok on our streets?
Perhaps they should go to the source and have vice cops sting the people providing escort services. If they can prove the cards are soliciting prostitution then they can go after the persons handing out the cards.
At the moment the argument is conjecture and they can't stop someone handing out cards with naked girls on them.
I still say why can't they charge the people who are handing out this trash with littering when they are thrown to the ground, how many of you have slipped when walking down the side walks because of all these cards on the ground?
With all the Brilliant minds in Las Vegas Government someone should be able to solve this problem. This seems to be a uniquely Las Vegas Problem and makes me wonder how NY solves it.
Or does Las Vegas Really want to solve it?
What a stupid thing for the mayor to say. 'I've got a concealed weapons permit and I'm not afraid to use it' What's he going to do, take it out and shoot somebody?
Those flyers are annoying and the people that hand them out will try to hand them to anyone who walks by. If an 80 year old woman goes walking by they will try to hand her one. If they just handed them out to people likely to use escort services it wouldn't be so bad. They would be handing out 1/10 as many, offending fewer people and causing less litter. Those billboard trucks for the escort services are causing huge problems too. They purposely cause traffic jams on LV Blvd. because they like their vehicles to be stuck there in high pedestrian traffic areas. LV Blvd. is broken and it needs to be fixed they need to turn it into a one way street. And then use Paradise as a one way the other direction.
Its very simple. Post giant signs along Fremont street that say "PROSTITUTION IS ILLEGAL AND IF YOU SOLICIT IT BY CALLING A GIRL ON A CARD AND EXPECT SEX FOR CASH YOU WILL BE ARRESTED." All of this is true, and should make a hostile environment in which to hand out these cards for "legal" escorts.
Of course the real issue is why in the world is prostitution illegal in Clark County. Imagine all those cards, all those calls, and the State suffering from revenue shortages doesn't get a penny! That's the real crime.
Why is commercial speech (advertising) even protected by the first amendment? That's not what it was intended for.
They do limit freedom of speech in other ways. Try saying the F-word on non-cable TV. This seems like one of those areas that the ACLU should just walk away from.
This is also another reason that prostitution should be legalized in Clark County. License them, tax them, and let them work for the resorts on an outcall basis or in a bordello whose advertising would be limited to internet, yellow pages, and magazines like the Weekly or City Life. No tacky signs or handbilling allowed. You could restrict the signs and handbilling as terms for getting the license. Just my thoughts.
To: The_Next_Opinion
This can never happen in Las Vegas (or the Strip) because it would require that the elected officals to admit that prostitution actually exists in Las Vegas (and the Strip). And we all know that that could never happen. We all know that since prostitution is illegal, it cannot possibly exist.
Illegals!!!!
To FRM,
Yeah, I get what you're saying. It's political suicide in the minds of the current officials. A relative of mine ran an "escort service" that serviced the strip back in the eighties. The girls were bringing in thousands a night.
I'm not saying that I think prostitution is a good career. I'm saying that it's here, and legalization would help the county coffers, the women who do this for a living, the tourists who aren't interested in smut, and the Johns, who regularly get trick-rolled.
When I see unsavory carnival like characters handing out anything, including religious paraphernalia, I try to avoid them at all cost. Some are more aggressive than others, but they all have one thing in common which is that they remind us that Las Vegas is very uncivilized. Is this the image that the average citizen and those in charge wish to project?
When you walk in an area where the ground is covered with 5X7 pictures of scantily clad women (or men), do you associate it with security and safety? If you think having these people handing out any kind of material is good for business, then why doesn't the Cosmopolitan do it? Why doesn't the Aria do it? Does anyone expect some guy to hand them a flier with a picture of the Wynn hotel on it? NOOOOO!!! They have a good product and something called pride. If you have something good now days, word spreads pretty fast with something called the "Internet". That goes for escort services and strip clubs too. If your service or product is bad then you might need some carnival barkers to help get the suckers in.
whenever I come into vegas I walk on the strip with my husband and they try to hand him one of the cards I just want to scream and say have you no respect for the women with him, Me, his wife!
markhaslem,
"LV Blvd. is broken and it needs to be fixed they need to turn it into a one way street. And then use Paradise as a one way the other direction"
Are you kidding?
I hope your not a civil engineer
Where do the 10,000 vehichles moving in one direction filter off?
Are the turn signals going to be recalibrated for 45 minute intervals to allow all traffic exiting right/left to vacate main drag.Or do we just let them continue on until they get to jean,or mesquite
The ideas people have in this town just confirm all the educational studies findings
hysterical!
ROFL
peace out
So they have free speech to pass out this stuff and we dont have free speech to stop them? I dont think there is an attorney smart enough in this town to stop them. Oscar has the right idea.
I've seen these guys hand those cards to teenagers, including me ex-girlfriend's two boys who were 14 and 16 at the time..Isn't there some law against that ?
This type of card pushing activity goes on in the parking areas of WalMart, Target, and grocery stores, and sadly, these card pushers have the nerve to assault an adult with children, making the situation very awkward! There should be some standards in place that will protect children from such UNWANTED exposure! Maybe that is one way to attack this unwieldy problem. It is absolutely sickening their lack of common sense and decency.
Lawmakers need to TAX the BROTHEL INDUSTRY and allow that industry to clean up the streets of illegal child sex trade. Most of the public has NO CLUE about this, and taxing these legal brothels will bring in millions of dollars of sustainable REVENUE for our state and thwart the exploitation of youth and others in the illegal sex industry.
Oscar "Mighty Mouth" Goodman is as crazy as the last Mayor, Jan "Airhead" Jones. She was so upset that a "Gentleman's Club" was about to open on Fremont Street that she sent inspectors in to try and stop it. The "Airhead" failed even though she abused her power and misused city personnel in her attempt. The "Airhead" then whined that a strip club was "inappropriate" for downtown. Say what? Downtown, an adult playground, is an "inappropriate" place for an adult club? No wonder I refer to her as an "Airhead!" As for "Mighty Mouth," he thinks endorsing alcohol is "appropriate" for a sitting mayor to do. What a jerk!
If you walk the strip near the Imperial Palace and the Flamingo, you will be bombarded with loud blasting music,midgets screaming in megaphones and other clowns dressed in some goofy costumes..Then of course, the illegal aliens standing ten and twenty deep shoving smut in your face as you walk by..Enjoy your visit to the classy Las Vegas experience..
I say there should be a runway on Fremont Street and on the half hour (alternating with the great light show) there should be an auction of the girls for a visit. Hey what stays in Vegas doesn't bother me!
As a frequent visitor from Michigan (for about 30 years) it is VERY annoying to have these people jumping up in your face waving this trash. It doesn't matter if you are walking with your wife, or if children are nearby..they jump right in front of you waving photos of hookers. Tourists avoid areas with large numbers of these trolls, and it may get to the point many folks will just stop coming to Las Vegas altogether. In fact, living in northern Michigan I have 3 indian casino's within a one hour drive. All of them offer better rules on blackjack, have minimums as low as $2 (with available seating) and don't use automatic dealing/reshuffling machines. The only thing Vegas has going for it anymore is sports betting. If that ever goes nationwide Las Vegas will become a ghost town. I give your mayor credit for trying to rein this in.
My wife and I visited your fair city for the first time a couple of years ago and had a very enjoyable time... except for these thugs and their cards. I think the card clicking was the most annoying of all.
If is sad, but when someone says "Las Vegas" to me, the first thing I think of is the highly aggressive and annoying card hawkers.