“Many municipalities have endured legal challenges over regulations that govern the adult entertainment industry,” he said. Cities and counties also face potential lawsuits. To complicate matters, some may contend that the business has an expressive component that is protected under the First Amendment. A bikini barista stand may or may not fall under a particular definition. Municipalities face a number of challenges when it comes to regulating businesses such as bikini huts, said Rick Robertson, an assistant chief deputy prosecuting attorney for Snohomish County.Ĭities and counties may regulate and define “adult entertainment” differently, Robertson said. In one case, a deputy saw an act of indecent exposure. In some cases, Hover said, they’ve been able to refer some incidents involving other bikini huts to the prosecutor’s office. “We’re doing everything we can to address it within the confines of the county ordinance.” “We realize people aren’t happy about what’s going on at some of these stands and neither are we,” she said. The sheriff’s office confirmed they’ve received complaints from people about the Murphy’s Corner-area Grab ‘N’ Go bikini hut as well as many others like it in the south end of the county, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover. Make it too strict, and the law won’t be constitutional, he said. Make the law too loose, and it won’t do any good. “It’s a difficult thing to regulate,” he said. The Snohomish County Council has been working on finding a solution for several months, Councilman Dave Gossett said. Snohomish County licenses and regulates adult entertainment, but bikini huts don’t fall under that category in county code. The Murphy’s Corner-area Grab ‘N’ Go won’t fall under Everett’s new rules, but the county also has bikini stands in its sights. If another similar business opens, that’s the approach the city will try to take, Smith said. The police department negotiated with the owner to have the baristas wear more clothes during hours when children likely are present. In Lynnwood, city leaders found a different way to deal with another Grab ‘N’ Go Espresso stand that had set up shop next to an elementary school and a preschool, City Councilman Jim Smith said. It is illegal to go topless in public spaces. The stands would still be allowed, but the rules would be clarified so that the areas inside the stands would be declared public spaces. The changes could make it more difficult for bikini-hut baristas to bare too much. 30 whether to change the city’s lewd conduct ordinance to include espresso stands. The Everett City Council is expected to decide on Sept. Officials in cities and the county find themselves in a difficult position when people complain about something that is difficult to restrict, monitor and regulate. At least a dozen operate in and around Everett. In the past 18 months, coffee stands staffed by bikini-wearing baristas have popped up across Snohomish County. The owner of Grab ‘N’ Go Espresso didn’t return several messages left at his office Friday. Both the coffee stand and the strip mall are just off the Bothell-Everett Highway, north of Mill Creek, in an unincorporated area of the county.īremond said they’ve been told the baristas aren’t breaking any laws and that deputies are looking into the matter but probably can’t help. On Thursday, Bremond snapped a photo of one barista who appeared to be bare-bottomed, lugging a half-gallon of milk across the parking lot.įor nearly a year, Bremond and her employees at National Achiever Services, which sells high school class rings and letterman’s jackets, have been asking the Snohomish County sheriff for help.
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