It has always been the complaint of the tourist walking down the strip, about the area between Sahara to Russell on Las Vegas Boulevard, that they are constantly approached, verbally harassed, physically assaulted and battered by the “smut peddlers” lining the sidewalks in front of the resorts. Usually, they congregate on the sidewalks, about four to six deep in a group. And there could be separate groups within several feet of each other.
While working on the strip, I was constantly berated by tourists, some politely, some not, about the people handing out the cards depicting women (and men) in varied amounts of clothing (or lack of) and promises of a good time just by calling a phone number. Other tourists were wondering if they actually had permits and proper documentation.
The parents of children were annoyed that the peddlers didn’t care who took the cards from t
hem after snapping the cards in their hands to get attention and that cards were strewn about so the kids could see what was on them.
The movie industry has a rating that limits the age of viewers based on what the content of the movie. So, ID checks are conducted (sometimes) to ensure that the movie-goer is of the appropriate age to watch the movie.
Most of the handouts are more explicit in their pictures and wording than the movies we pay to see. And if the handouts weren’t bad enough, the county is collecting revenue from the same peddlers to display and give away “catalogs” of their services by allowing newspaper racks to be posted on the sidewalks.
Can you imagine running a gauntlet of peddlers, each slapping their cards at you to get your attention, jamming a card towards you and your family, only to pass by a row of news racks containing even larger photos of nude/semi-nude “models”?
Maybe the county can furnish you with “blinders” for your family when you book your trip to Vegas. I’m sure there will be some sort of tax or fee for that.
The van was parked shortly thereafter.
A local strip joint used their marketing skills by driving a box van with a glass enclosure and a, you guessed it, stripper pole inside with bikini clad gals demonstrating the athletic prowess to the surrounding drivers and their passengers on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Traffic hazard? Yep. Unrestrained passengers? Yep. Eye candy for everyone, including your 5 year old? (“Hey, they don’t have to wear a seatbelt dad”). Try and explain that one, dad.
The van was parked shortly thereafter. I observed a group of these peddlers swarm a hapless conventioneer after he crossed the street from the LV Convention Center, his hands full of carry bags and brochures. He didn’t speak English and couldn’t fend of the onslaught of hands placing cards in every clothing orifice and bags. After a brief discussion about “sidewalk etiquette”, they resolved themselves to an invisible line drawn on the sidewalk. Briefly, a gentleman joined the group, spoke with them and introduced himself as an attorney representing the group. He was advised and he stood nearby, observing.
Technically the peddlers were committing a battery upon a person and obstructing the sidewalk, not allowing pedestrians to pass.
The unwritten policy of the LVMPD administration is to turn a blind eye to these incidents and not enforce the laws meant to protect the public. The officers working the strip are frustrated as well, fielding complaints from angry tourists.
The County Commission just has to look at the posts on the internet to see that this is not what the tourists want from Las Vegas.
After years of this behavior, now it has come to light that it may be affecting the Las Vegas economy?
I’ve been told on several occasions that tourists were scratching Las Vegas off as a vacation destination since it appears that we didn’t care about the image of a family oriented vacation venue by allowing these activities to continue.
Guess maybe word of mouth advertising is working for Las Vegas?
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