By Bill Parry
A Long Island City strip joint was closed down last Friday by members of the NYPD vice squad by order of the Queens Supreme Court.
Show Palace, at 45-20 21st St., was shuttered because of alleged prostitution one month after elected officials and community leaders called for action by the NYPD and the Queens District Attorney’s Office under the city’s nuisance abatement laws.
The rally followed a Dec. 1 sweep by police in which five women were arrested on prostitution charges. State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), who called the all-nude nightclub “a thorn in our community’s side” and helped lead the fight to close it down for more than half a decade, wants it to stay closed.
“The closure of Show Palace is an important and hard-fought success for our community,” Gianaris said. “Thanks to the NYPD and the Queens district attorney for continuing to protect our neighborhoods. I will remain vigilant in case this establishment attempts to open again.”
The club is owned by the same group that owns Sin City in the South Bronx, which was known for gang activity, shootings and prostitution before losing its liquor license last May. The owners would have to go to court in order to reopen the venue.
“I am pleased to that Show Palace has finally been shut down for good,” City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) said. “For years, this establishment was a blight on a fantastic neighborhood that serves as the gateway to Queens. Show Palace had brought unwanted violence and crime to this community for years, and its closure has finally rid Long Island City of a bad actor that only served to harm an otherwise great neighborhood.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
