DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – The Dallas City Council voted on Wednesday to regulate hours of operation at sexually oriented businesses in the city. The regulation will require those businesses to close daily between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia has been an advocate of the regulation for months with the thought that requiring sexually oriented businesses to close overnight would significantly cut back on crime. Industry employees argued on Wednesday that the change would be a big blow to their livelihoods.
“If you were to cut my hours I won’t be able to work,” said a concerned employee.
“We are a small group of people who have been around for a very long time,” said another speaker during the public comment portion of the council meeting. “We don’t want to see all these people here losing their jobs.”
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said the issue comes down to public safety.
“It’s not about anything else,” Mayor Johnson insisted.
The council approved the regulated hours with a unanimous vote.
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