By Ivan Pereira
Sex may sell for the adult entertainment business, but residents in Rosedale are fed up that a suggestive billboard has been posted prominently in their neighborhood, according to City Councilman James Sanders (D−Laurelton).
The advertisement, located at the parking lot of Platinum Club at 248−58 Rockaway Blvd., promotes the club’s services with a picture of a blonde woman with a thin black strip that barely covers her breasts. Although the billboard is legal, according to city Department of Buildings regulations, Sanders is set to protest against the club Thursday night and demand that it take down the sign immediately.
“If they won’t remove their billboards voluntarily, we will ensure that there business is hurt,” the councilman said in a statement.
The owners of Platinum Club could not be reached for comment. DOB rules state that only billboards that have fully exposed nudity are barred from being displayed in the city.
Sanders said he has met with the club management, but they told him that the billboard could not be taken down because of a “dollars and cents” issue.
“They are very clear that their hearts are in their wallets,” he said.
Sanders said he has gotten several complaints from residents over the last month and the concerns are growing.
The councilman noted that the club is located on the major roadway that connects the Rockaways and western Long Island with the rest of the city and the billboard can be seen by hundreds of families every day.
“This is the main artery to the rest of Queens, so every time someone drives through this way, it is an affront to one’s dignity,” he said.
Sanders said he and Jeffrey Toback (D−Oceanside), a member of the Nassau County Legislature, will be protesting outside with dozens of community members around 9 p.m. and demand that the billboard be removed.
The councilman said he would continue to arrange protests outside Platinum and disrupt its business until the neighborhood’s demands are met.
“This is only the beginning of the war against open pornography,” he said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e−mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 146.
