Points of interest

One of the goals of this website is to educate Northeast PA about the problems we are having, and will continue to experience from sexually oriented businesses. Below are several excellent examples. Of greatest interest to me was the first article which displays the lengths that some sexually oriented businesses will go to silence their critics. Makes you think.

1. Why is it risky to criticize the sex industry?

2. Police say sexually oriented businesses breed crime and ruin neighborhoods.

3. We are not alone in this struggle.

Protect your community

It is a fact that sexually oriented businesses, such as Gentlemen's Club 10, Planet Pocono, The Carousel, Cinema 309, etc..... have a negative impact on the communities that they are located in. They contribute to increased crime rates, decreased property values, and they change a neighborhood's general character. Again, this is not just my opinion..... it is a fact.

What are other communities around our nation doing to protect themselves from the negative secondary effects of sexually oriented businesses? Here are a few links to some insightful articles. Please share this information with the decision-makers in your community.

1. Article One
2. Article Two
3. Article Three

Now that you know the facts, will you help your community address this problem? Contact your Mayor or City Council and ask them if they have regulations in place to protect your community from the harmful effects of sexually oriented businesses. If not, get the ball rolling before it is too late. I kid you not when I say that there are definite plans in place to bring additional sexually oriented businesses to Luzerne County. Now is the time to prevent this, not later.

If you have a sexually oriented business that is a nuisance in your community, send us a picture. We will be happy to post it. Please make certain that your picture is taken while on public property.

Times Leader article

Because I have not revealed my name, The Times Leader is unable to print my comments regarding their recent article. (Click here to read it).

That being the case, let me share a few thoughts here.

1. I know for a fact that less men are going to Gentlemen's Club 10 because of this effort to bring "deeds done in the dark" into the light. Several people have contacted me to tell me that they personally know men who have vowed never to go near there for fear of their wives or girlfriends finding out that they have done so.

If there is nothing wrong with men going to clubs like this, why are so many afraid that their wives might know they have gone there? Simple answer....... participating in the sexual activity hosted at Gentlemen's Club 10 is an obvious form of unfaithfulness. Deep down we all know this. Paying a woman to strip or perform other sexual acts for you, directly conflicts with the vows you make before God at the marriage altar. But I guess I must just be simple-minded and too traditional to think that people take those vows seriously.

2. Gentlemen's Club 10 can make fun of family values or community concerns as long as they want. I never expected any less of them. They advertise XXX dancers in the Weekender. They promote a pornographic website on their building. They hire women to squelch their consciences and engage in obscene activity for profit.

My response to them is this: A day will come when we will all have to give an account for how we used the life God has given us. Some of us choose to spend our days building others up. Others have no problem tearing others down (because it makes them money). Laugh at me now. Make fun of every concerned citizen who won't put up with your garbage. Call us names and ridicule everything that has historically made Luzerne County a wonderful place to live and raise children. Every utterance that proceeds from your mouths only serves to confirm that my concerns about what you're doing are correct.

Keep proving me right, and I'll keep exposing your deeds to the light. Let's make a game of it.

3. Gentlemen's Club 10 likes to criticize my anonymity while claiming that they are up-front about who they are and what they're doing. Really? If that's the case, then where did the public owner of Gentlemen's Club 10 obtain the funding necessary to wage a two year legal battle against Wilkes-Barre Twp.? Where did he obtain the funding necessary to remodel the building as well as advertise his club?

I think I know the answer to that question. In fact, I believe that I have in my possession the names of his secret or silent partners. If these names I have in my possession are correct, I can see why they have chosen to remain "silent" partners. When they decide to admit to our county that they have funded this club, then I will gladly reveal my name.

But just to keep things interesting, I have made certain that I am not the only one in possession of this information.

Scoff all you want. Get under my skin so far that I decide to publicize this information. Maybe I'm bluffing? Maybe I don't know the councilman's name or the dentist's name. Maybe we'll see.

New photos will be posted shortly.

Excellent resource

Many of the men who frequent strip clubs are struggling with serious forms of sexual addiction. This affects their behavior in many ways and has a negative effect on their families as well as the community in general.

Here is an excellent resource that may be helpful for those who are struggling with sexual addiction.

The Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health

Grand opening

Someone handed me a copy of the Diamond City Weekly just the other day and pointed out that Gentlemen's Club 10, along with several other upstanding local establishments had advertised in the back. They noticed that Gentlemen's Club 10 is having their Grand Opening on April 20, 21 and 22 AND they included a $5.00 "Mr. Family Coupon" in their ad.

Isn't that cute.

In the same spirit, I too would like to help them celebrate their Grand Opening. We will be happy to send your wife or girlfriend a beautiful color photo, suitable for framing, of your vehicle while at the Grand Opening Celebration!!! It's the least we could do to help kick off the opening of Luzerne County's newest den of iniquity. Just send us your request via e-mail and we'll get right back to you.

We will be posting a new photo tomorrow evening. Be sure to stop by!

And if you're on Mundy Street in Wilkes-Barre over the next few days, be sure to snap a shot and send it to stopgclub10@gmail.com.

Obscene sign

The sign above the entrance to Gentlemen's Club 10 includes a link to pornographic material. The image I have posted above purposely blocks a portion of that link so as not to promote it. According to the courts, municipalities have the right to prohibit obscene material from being used on exterior signage. Why is Gentlemen's Club 10 allowed to advertise obscene content on the exterior of its building?

According to the 8th Circuit Court....
The only instance of where a municipality may be able to regulate the concept of the sign would be if the sign message falls within the municipal definition of obscene. A municipality may prohibit obscene messages, or restrict what could be displayed on signs for adult uses. Excalibur Group v. City of Minneapolis, 116 F.3d 1216 (8th Cir. 1997).

Please take a moment to call Wilkes-Barre Twp. (208-4635 .... option 2) and find out why Gentlemen's Club 10 is allowed to promote pornographic content on the exterior of their building.

This may be due to one of two reasons:

1. It may be possible that Township officials have not yet realized that Gentlemen's Club 10 is doing this.

2. Gentlemen's Club 10 may be refusing to honor Township requests to remove obscene signage, just as they are refusing to abide by other Township ordinances.

I missed this the first time around....

Just in case you missed this article, I'm posting it here. I enjoyed reading it and I hope you do too.

Click here.

Media coverage

First of all, I would like to publicly thank the Wilkes-Barre Twp. Police Department for the tactful way in which they showed their presence at last evening's prayer meeting across from Luzerne County's newest strip club. The W-B Twp. Police force works hard and we were very thankful for their presence. I hope they feel that we conducted ourselves in a manner that was respectful toward them. Their job is hard enough so we didn't want them to have to worry about our safety, in addition to their many other responsibilities.

I watched the news coverage on WBRE and WYOU last night. According to both stations, "about 50 people gathered for prayer." The number was closer to 200. We gave out 100 t-shirts, and then ran out. We also handed out 200 programs. 50 people? Just look at some of the pictures we'll be posting and do the count.

Here is a copy of the Citizen's Voice article from this morning's paper. I think their coverage of this issue is fair. I also wanted to include a link to the Times Leader's article which also was very good, but I couldn't find it on their website.

To the employees and patrons of local strip clubs. I realize that you probably aren't super crazy about us, but please be assured that you are in our prayers just the same. Many of us have come out of the same kind of lifestyles that you are currently living in. We have lived on both sides of this coin. Our prayer is that through this process, you will discover that there is a better way to live. Today is Easter. Jesus Christ came to offer us freedom through faith in Him. Our prayer is that you experience the freedom that He offers. Pray about this. No one wants to see you caught in this form of social and spiritual bondage any longer.

With love for the people of Luzerne County,
200+ Mr. Families

Mr. Family's identity is finally revealed....

For the first time in public, we present to you.....Mr. Family. More pictures to follow.

Mr. Family is every Luzerne County resident who is concerned enough to do our best to make a positive difference for our homes and families.

To the two hundred or so "Mr. Families" who came and prayed......Thank you.

Response to Elaine Cook's Comments

Today's copy of the Citizen's Voice includes an article regarding tonight's prayer meeting. You can read the article here.

In response to Elaine Cook's comments:

1. The license plate photos are from the vehicles of patrons while parked in the lot at Gentlemen's Club 10. If you would like, we would be happy to show you an expanded shot with Gentlemen's Club 10 in the background as well as the additional vehicles that were in the lot on the evening the photo was taken.

2. Before this project was publicized in local media, there were approximately three times as many vehicles patronizing your sexually oriented business. Since this story broke about a week ago, that number has dwindled significantly. Most people agree that men who patronize sexually oriented businesses are not proud of this fact. Sexually oriented businesses invite obscene behavior into our communities, and we don't appreciate it.

3. My question is this: Why are you advising your clients (Gentlemen's Club 10) to boldly disobey Wilkes-Barre Township's ordinances? What makes you believe that people should be encouraged to break the law? We believe that strip clubs and other sexually oriented businesses invite criminal and lawless behavior. Your comments are proving our point for us.

Equally valid question for Wilkes-Barre Township Officials: Are you going to enforce the ordinances that protect our community from sexually oriented businesses or not? It is clear that you have been working hard to spare our community from this problem. Is this where the road ends?

A flood of strip clubs

There are people who are trying to bring more and more strip clubs to our area. Click here. Thankfully, it appears that Pittston Twp. voted their request down.....at least for now.

This will not stop unless the good people of Luzerne County send strip club owners a strong message that we will not accept this degradation of our community any longer.

What kind of problems do strip clubs generate? Click here for an excellent local example.

Gentlemen's Club 10 defies Township ordinances

Last week, I read in the Citizen's Voice that Wilkes-Barre Township had enacted several ordinances in order to contain or limit the potential for Gentlemen's Club 10 to invite criminal behavior into our community.

Apparently Gentlemen's Club 10 believes they are above the law. Of all the businesses near the Wachovia Arena, only one has chosen to openly defy our elected Township officials and Township ordinances. Who is it? Gentlemen's Club 10.

Please take a moment to read what Gentlemen's Club 10 thinks of our laws.

http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=16366099&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=8

Please let our Township officials know that we will support their efforts to enforce the law. Gentlemen's Club 10 does not have the right to bully our elected officials or local law enforcement around.

Gentlemen's Club 10..................NOT a good neighbor!

A little preachy

It's almost Easter, so please allow me to get a little "preachy." I realize that some people don't appreciate that, so if Bible references offend you, please look away from this post.

Many people believe that since it is permissible to open a sexually oriented business in certain areas that it therefore makes it OK to do so. I would contend that there are many things we are permitted to do that aren't beneficial.

I am permitted to eat a steady diet of M&M's and nothing else. I enjoy M&M's and there's no law against me eating them. Therefore, according to the logic of some, it would be perfectly fine for me to only eat M&M's because I wouldn't be breaking any laws. The truth of the matter is this.....if I actually did that I would be harming my body and robbing myself of the nutrition that I need. It is permissible for me to eat M&M's, but it isn't beneficial.

I am permitted to never wash my hands. There is no law (outside of the food-service industry) that states that I must. Still, if I never wash my hands, I'm making myself susceptible to viruses, bacteria and disease that can invade my body and potentially make me sick.

I agree that it is technically permissible to open a strip club in Wilkes-Barre Township, but I would challenge anyone to tell me how this truly benefits our community. Women are encouraged to bare their nakedness for money (which I would contend is a form of prostitution that leads to additional forms of prostitution), men are encouraged to share in this form of extra-marital sexual activity (99% of the time without the knowledge of their wives), business and residential property values decrease, additional crime comes to our already crime-filled streets, etc., etc., etc.

The Bible speaks to this issue much better than I do. Please contemplate these verses then send your words of hope or hate to: stopgclub10@gmail.com. Please understand that I'm not including this quote to "judge" anyone. I am including these words in the hopes that we will begin understanding that there is a spiritual component to our actions, choices, behaviors and thoughts.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20
"Everything is permissible for me" but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me" but I will not be mastered by anything. "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food" but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Praying the best for you all during this Easter season (whether we agree or not),
Mr. Family

Wholesome entertainment?

Strip clubs don't invite criminal behavior, do they? You be the judge.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16460740&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6

The good news is that Lackawanna County is extremely far away and this kind of criminal behavior could never happen in our back yard.

Dreaming out loud

A sincere note for the owner of Gentlemen's Club 10....

There are several things I have learned over the past week. First of all, this is a topic that clearly a lot of people on both sides of the issue feel passionately about. One side makes the case that it is legal to open a sexually oriented business in Wilkes-Barre Twp. The other side stresses that sexually oriented businesses damage communities in numerous ways. It seems to me that we are all firmly holding to our beliefs and apart from the intervention of God Himself, our beliefs will not be changing any time soon.

Secondly, I have come to believe that the owner of Gentlemen's Club 10, Sal Scalzo specifically, is a nice person. Everyone I speak to has kind words to say about Mr. Scalzo. People say that he is a family man and a very likeable person. I personally respect his ingenuity, persistence and business savvy. I mean this sincerely.

The media's focus on this story has been much more than any of us anticipated. I had no idea that less than a day after getting this website up and running that its contents would be on the front page of the Citizen's Voice, top story on WBRE, and the main topic of conversation on WILK. I wanted to draw attention to this issue, but yikes!

Many people are voicing their opinion on this matter. Large groups of people support the effort to expose the problems that sexually oriented businesses bring to a community. An equally large group support the idea of having a strip club located near the Wyoming Valley Mall. Is this an impasse? I don't know.

Maybe I'm being naive, but I'm curious to know if there is a way that we can help Mr. Scalzo turn Gentlemen's Club 10 into some other kind of business, .... something that will benefit the people of Luzerne County without stirring up so much controversy. I'm sure that Mr. Scalzo has invested a hearty portion of his personal wealth into this business. He has spent money to repair a building both inside and out. My heart breaks at the kind of business the building has become, but there must be some sort of solution here......a solution that allows Mr. Scalzo to turn his genuine business skill into something that will benefit him financially as well as benefit our community.

A restaurant?
A skating rink?
A medical office building?
A bank?
An arcade / family center?

Mr. Scalzo, I'm typing this with tears in my eyes. I promise you before God Himself, that if you will consider turning Gentlemen's Club 10 into a family friendly business, I will do EVERYTHING in my power to encourage the Luzerne County community to stand with you. You and I are not enemies. We are simply two men with equally strong beliefs, on different sides of the fence.

Please let me know if this is even a remote possibility. You are my brother, and since OUR county is watching us both, let's explore this possible solution. And if you are willing, please join us for prayer on Saturday. You will find a group of people eager to embrace you. Easter is the season for redemption. I want you to have a second chance. Lord knows that He has given me one and you deserve one too.

With love to my friend Sal,
Mr. Family

Here's the big news

We wanted to wait a little longer to publicize this, but the Citizen's Voice scooped us. You're on the ball, Mr. Conmy.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16460887&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=6

Only one

Only one "business" in Luzerne County has ever advertised a pornographic website on the outside of its building. Who was it?..............Gentlemen's Club 10. Thank you Club 10 for giving our children a peek inside your club via the web. I wonder how many children are exposed to that web address as they drive to the Wyoming Valley Mall with their families?

Only one "business" has ever advertised a pornographic website on Interstate 81. Who was it?............Gentlemen's Club 10.

Gentlemen's Club 10...............Not a good neighbor!

Bussing?

Hello Everyone,

Keep up the good work. Here's an interesting e-mail I just received from a concerned Luzerne County resident. I will speculate in just a moment as to what my perception of this development happens to be. Maybe Gentlemen's Club 10 can clarify this for me if I am wrong.

Just an interesting observation:
On the way home from Best Buy tonight, we passed the infamous "club" and saw something strange and disturbing in the parking lot - a school bus. It looked very out of place considering what the venue is. Wonder if those who feel the "club" environment is not harmful to children have decided to start giving field trips?!?

Here's my question. Is Gentlemen's Club 10 bussing in their patrons so that photos of individual license plates can't be taken? That's my guess. Very clever. Hope it doesn't work.

Looking out for Luzerne County and hoping to meet you all soon,
Mr. Family

Update 4/9/06: An employee of Gentlemen's Club 10 has e-mailed me to state that the bus was in fact rented by a group of men for a bachelor party. Thank you for the clarification.

Community comparison

You be the judge. Which local municipality is trying harder to minimize the secondary effects of Sexually Oriented Businesses on their community. (Secondary effects = crime, drug use, decreased property value, etc.)

Kingston or Wilkes-Barre Township?

Kingston's effort: http://www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/CWealth/out/2758CD00_5-30-02.pdf

Wilkes-Barre Township's effort: http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?s=4298040
For two years the township has fought to keep the club from opening. The club's attorney said since the township didn't follow procedure in issuing the permits within the time frame, Gentleman's Club 10 has the right to open.

Impact on our community

According to the Community Defense Counsel......

In Young, the Supreme Court recognized that cities could reasonably draw the conclusion that bad things happened to the parts of town where sexually oriented businesses moved. In Renton, the Court reiterated that point, and indicated that communities were entitled to rely on experiences in other places as a basis for enacting local legislation.

One of the most comprehensive studies of the impact of sexually oriented businesses on communities was undertaken in the state of Minnesota, under the leadership of Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III, in 1989. After reviewing evidence from around the country, the Working Group on the Regulation of Sexually Oriented Businesses concluded that "these studies, taken together, provide compelling evidence that sexually oriented businesses are associated with high crime rates and depression of property values."

What happens inside Sexually Oriented Businesses is seemingly never contained there, but inevitably spills out into the surrounding community.

Question: Is Gentlemen's Club 10 willing to reimburse the business owners near the Arena for a 30% decrease in the value of their properties? Is Gentlemen's Club 10 willing to reimburse the residents of Wilkes-Barre Twp. for the decrease in the values of their homes? Is Gentlemen's Club 10 willing to reimburse the WB Twp. Police Department for their increased costs in fighting crime or would they rather our taxes be raised to foot that bill?

Gentlemen's Club 10 promises to be a good neighbor in Luzerne County. Good neighbors improve the value of your property, not decrease it. Good neighbors fight crime, they don't invite it. Good neighbors treat women with the utmost honor and respect, they don't degrade them. Gentlemen's Club 10 is NOT a good neighbor.

Expect a big announcement in the next few days. I can't wait to tell you.

Excellent quote

Please take a moment to reflect on this quote from former Attorney General of the United States, Edwin Meese.

In the classic film, It's a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart's character is given the opportunity to see what would have happened to his community if he had never been born. Without him, the quiet tree-lined downtown of family-oriented Bedford Falls becomes the garish, loud and decadent main street of Pottersville, lined with "adult" establishment and vice. The film's
message is about the power each one of us has to affect the people around us, and in a broader sense, the community we live in. We can decide whether we want our neighborhoods to look like Bedford Falls or Pottersville, whether we want safe and wholesome business areas or the "combat zones" of porn shops and "adult entertainment."

I'm not willing to sit back and watch Wilkes-Barre drift closer and closer to becoming a "Pottersville." The Arena business area is one of the best things to ever happen to our local economy. It has re-invigorated the sense of pride we all want to have in our home, Luzerne County. Let's not let one of our greatest local blessings be taken away.

I'm doing the best I can, but I need your help.

Your friend,
Mr. Family

Lawyers

Lawyers are great, aren't they?

When this all blew up yesterday, I wondered what kind of angle Elaine Cook, the attorney for Gentlemen's Club 10 would pursue. Ms. Cook has been trying to publically spin this story into making me and other concerned citizens sound like we're stalking strippers. Very creative lawyer talk, but not in the least bit true. As anyone who has read this site can see, we are upset by the way Gentlemen's Club 10 treats and degrades women......as if they are some sort of sex object to be man-handled. That is not how women should be treated and certainly isn't the kind of activity that should be reinforced in the minds of impressionable men from Luzerne County. That kind of treatment of women is proven to invite criminal behavior that spills outside of the club walls and into our community.

This project is still in its infancy and has been gaining steam quicker than I anticipated. It appears that it is going to take a little time to get pictures from outside the club that are worth posting, especially with all the media that is swirling around the club. Most pictures I have received are coming out blurry and I'm waiting for something clear. The best picture I have received thus far is included in the previous post. I am convinced that this will reduce the chances of criminal behavior occuring in our Arena Business District.

Please take a moment to check in to how other communities have helped protect themselves from the secondary effects of sexually oriented businesses.

http://www.local6.com/news/8381486/detail.html

Wow

Hello everyone.

First of all let me say that when I started this website on Sunday, I had no idea that things would pick up steam this quickly. I must confess that my head is pounding after digesting all the comments and interviews from today.

At some point soon I may go public with my identity. At this point, however, while things have been heating up so quickly, it would probably be wise if I didn't.

In the meantime, if you are planning on taking pictures of any activity occuring outside of Gentlemen's Club 10, let me offer a few suggestions.

1. Obey all laws. It is legal to take pictures in public, but do not trespass on the property of Gentlemen's Club 10. Even though we disagree with what they are doing, we need to respect their property just as we would want our property respected.

2. Don't interact with the men who visit Gentlemen's Club 10. This is for your own safety.

3. Try taking a picture while driving by the property. Their entrance is VERY visible from the road.

4. If your camera has a good zoom feature, you will probably find it very easy to get a picture from the mall road or parking lot.

5. Be safe, be smart, and be careful. Always respect and obey the law!

If you attend weekly worship services, please inform your pastor of this opportunity to take a stand for values and neighborhood safety in Luzerne County. I am hoping and praying that the faith community is behind this effort. If I am alone in this project, it likely won't go very far. But if the men and women of Luzerne County believe this is an opportunity the Lord has given us to make a difference, and we stand together for what is right, good things are bound to happen.

One more thing......pray.

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12.

Excellent article

http://www.queenstribune.com/anniversary2003/runway69.htm