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Mt. Hope Massage
Is this good news or what!
Here’s some good news. The City of Providence has begun a crack down on the proliferation of Massage Parlors operating as brothels that have sprung up in the city, two, I think in Mt. Hope: one behind Benny’s and the other on N. Main Street
The Oriental Garden at 776 N. Main Street, in Mt. Hope, was raided last week and the owner sent a letter by the City Solicitor warning of further consequences if the proprietor of the brothel was not evicted.
Most of these so called Massage Parlors employ Asian immigrants, some here illegally, who must work in the sex trade to pay off the cost of immigration, inside sources have revealed. These exploited women often sleep ten to a room in the brothel, are intimidated and kept isolated, and in reality are little more than victims of the sex slave trade.
A victimless crime: not on your life.
A loophole in Rhode Island law has allowed these businesses to operate, as the law bans prostitution on the streets but not inside buildings. This loophole has made it more difficult to prosecute the operators, so now the nuisance laws are being brought into play.
Read Cathleen Crowley’s ProJo article on the subject from yesterday’s paper below.
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Landlord tells spa owner to vacate
The city says The Oriental Garden Spa is being used as a "common nuisance for lewdness."
01:00 AM EST on Monday, December 5, 2005
BY CATHLEEN F. CROWLEY
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- In response to a stern warning from the city, the landlord of The Oriental Garden Spa has ordered the alleged brothel to vacate the property at 776 North Main St.
Carl D. Corrow, the registered agent for VCC LCC, which owns the building, sent a letter to the spa owner, Robert Kwait, on Thursday.
The letter, which was faxed to the Providence city solicitor, told Kwait to leave the building immediately.
Corrow wrote that he was unaware that police had conducted an undercover investigation at the spa and had issued a warrant for Kwait's arrest. Kwait is wanted for allegedly operating a massage parlor without a license.
The city's letter to the property owner stated that the spa was being used as a "common nuisance for lewdness."
Corrow warned the spa owner that he had violated his lease and if he failed to vacate the building, VCC would take further legal action.
"This appears to be the first step in the right direction," said City Solicitor Joseph M. Fernandez.
VCC bought the building and took over Oriental Garden's two-year lease on Sept. 20.
The solicitor's office also sent warning letters to Midori Spa, 112 Union St., and Central Spa, 76 Derry St. The letters stated that if the building owners didn't take all reasonable, lawful measures to eject the massage parlors, they could be subject to fines, imprisonment or court injunctions. The property owners were told they had five days to comply. Only VCC has taken action.
Staff writer Cathleen F. Crowley can be reached at ccrowley@projo.com or (401) 277-7376.
Posted at December 6, 2005 11:10 AM
Joe, hurt me so good, stop it some more. Yeah, I know, therapeutic massage can be good, but if you're dealing with sex slaves, like you encounter in the Asian massage parlors, you are enaging with sex slaves who are only trying to pay off their immigration fees to their smugglers.
I've represented these women, and they are peforming sex against their will. In essence, they are being raped or coerced whenever they have sex with a client: some clients do not realize this. I suspect that you are one of those who do not realize the extent of the crimes that put these women in slavery.
Would you like your sister or your daughter to engage in the sex business in order to buy her freedom?
Buy American whores: they have better excuses.
James
Posted by: James at February 2, 2006 02:34 PM
OR WHAT!!
There is nothing wrong with the massage parlors, i have been, got a nice relaxing massage,better than the so called legit spa's and was not offered sex, i think that they get a bad reputation because of what people assume happens there, by people who have never been. Just let them be, if you dont like it then don't go there, but stop trying to take our rights away just because you dont approve of something.
Posted by: joe at January 24, 2006 09:01 PM