Boycott targets ‘nude entertainment’ license

PRESQUE ISLE – A nude entertainment license that faced strong opposition this fall from some residents is again under scrutiny after the license holder received several boycott letters from community members.

Kevin Simmons, who owns both the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center and the Caribou Inn and Convention Center, received the letters from residents indicating that they will not patronize his establishments as long as he offers “nude entertainment” there.

The author of the original letter, the Rev. James W. Ackerson of the Bethany Baptist Church in Presque Isle, said recently he did not mobilize the community in any formal way but wrote the letter for himself to “stand up and be counted” as one who opposes the entertainment in the community.

The letter states: “Your decision to provide ‘nude entertainment’ at the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center is disappointing. Such entertainment does nothing to make Presque Isle a better place to live.

“Consequently, I/we will not patronize The Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center or The Caribou Inn and Convention Center as long as you choose to offer this entertainment.”

Simmons said recently that he received approximately 25 of the form letters, though only half of them were signed.

The issue stems from actions in 2003, when Simmons obtained a nude entertainment license from the city of Presque Isle to bring a Playgirl dance troupe to the area. His application for the $500, one-year license was the first the city reviewed since establishing a nude entertainment ordinance in March 2002.

The ordinance regulates commercial displays of nudity in town. Though the words “nude entertainment” appear in the title, the ordinance actually sets forth the level of dress that entertainers must maintain at all times. Commercial nude dancing is not permitted in Presque Isle.

Simmons’ initial application received no opposition. His renewal in fall 2004, however, faced strong opposition when a large crowd urged city councilors not to renew the license. Councilors renewed the license, saying that as long as the applicant meets the criteria set forth in a city ordinance the city must renew the license.

After the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center hosted the Playgirl event this fall, Ackerson wrote his letter to Simmons and made it available to his congregation.

“I did this because I don’t think this is a helpful thing to our community,” Ackerson said. “Soft-core pornography is a doorway into hard-core pornography … I’m not interested in that being a part of our city.

“If my standing up in this way prompts [Simmons] to say, ‘This is not a good business thing for me to do,’ I’ll be happy,” the minister said.

Simmons countered recently that the venues his business has offered entail “simply entertainers that dance” and not pornographic content.

“At this time, this is a form of entertainment that people come to see,” Simmons said. “Whether or not I approve or disapprove, as a business owner, this is an alternative way of bringing entertainment to the area.”

Simmons said he and his staff are seriously evaluating the letters and are open to hearing from anyone in person about their concerns. He said he also would be keeping a close eye on patronage to see how or if business is affected.

“If business is affected, we will re-evaluate our continued promotion of this particular group [Playgirl],” he said. “But we will continue to renew the license.”