EVERETT — A group of people fed up with the behavior of scantily clad women at bikini coffee stands — and of the people who patronize them — pressed the Snohomish County Council on Monday to do more about the issue.
Their appearance came as Council Chairman Mike Cooper revealed his plan to relegate the stands to adult-entertainment zones. Despite Cooper’s proposal, which he announced earlier this month, and assurances that more county laws are in the works, the crowd left disappointed.
“I think the attitude is still indifferent,” said Shahram Hadian, 38, from the Silver Lake area in unincorporated south Everett. “They’re not listening.”
He was one of nine people who pleaded with the council during a public-comment session to take action against stands where employees are reported to engage in behavior such as exposing themselves to customers for tips. A chief complaint is that large glass windows reveal the nearly naked female workers to children. Nobody at the meeting spoke in favor of the stands.
People have been asking officials to do more about the drive-through stands for more than a year. Everett police and county sheriff’s deputies are pursuing criminal charges against some women at the Grab-n-Go chain of espresso stands.
Everett and Lynnwood have passed new laws about public indecency during the past month specifically attempting to restrict burlesque behavior at coffee stands.
The ordinance passed Oct. 12 by Lynnwood City Council could take effect by the end of the month. It goes much farther than the law that Everett passed Sept. 30, with definitions that would clearly prohibit people from wearing nothing but g-strings, thongs or other revealing types of attire in public. Bikinis would still be OK.
Katrina Fuller, 27, spoke at the County Council meeting, praised Lynnwood’s action and asked the county to do something similar.
“Lynnwood did an excellent job,” said Fuller, a mother of three.
Cooper is trying a different approach, involving the coffee stand business licenses. His law would treat stands where employees bare too much skin as adult entertainment, instead of plain-Jane java businesses.
The proposal would require “full and opaque” covering for certain parts of the anatomy. Any business that tried to flout the intent of the law through paint, latex or clothing that depicts what lies underneath would run afoul of the prohibitions of nudity in public places.
The idea appeased few of those who visited the council.
“I’m angry and frustrated and disappointed,” said Rebecca Green, 58, of Snohomish, who doesn’t want her young grandson to witness what’s going on at the stands. “We are just trying to let them know what the people are saying.”
Remarks from Green and others put another councilman, Dave Gossett, on the defensive.
Gossett agreed that something needs to be done, but wasn’t sure Cooper got it right.
What troubled him was that the scope of the law could have unintended consequences.
A portion of Cooper’s ordinance would do away with a rule that deems businesses adult if they get more than 25 percent of their business from adult entertainment. Cooper wants that to apply to any businesses that makes money from porn or nudity.
Gossett said doing away with the 25 percent requirement could have unintended consequences for corner stores that sells adult magazines that only account for a small portion of business.
“We want to deal with this and we want to deal with this right,” Gossett said.
Cooper acknowledged that his proposal needs work, but says that it’s time for a serious discussion to begin at one of the council’s upcoming Monday or Wednesday meetings. That way, they can start work before the end of the county budget process, which lasts through November.
“The council as a whole deserves some criticism for not trying to move it forward sooner,” he said. “We’ve got some work to do, but we’re committed to starting the process and getting it going.”
While elected officials hammer out new laws, people who live and work in south Snohomish County have started a Web site — www.takeactionsnoco.info — to show their opposition to the stands. The site includes a list of businesses with work trucks spotted visiting the stands.
“We’ve had a good handful of businesses appalled their advertising dollars have been seen in front of these stands,” said Rhonda Bremond, who started the Web site. She owns a business near a Grab-n-Go Espresso stand and has been a vocal opponent.
One business forbade its employees from visiting the stands when its name appeared on the list, she said. Another business had its lawyer send her a cease-and-desist letter.
“I’m not trying to pick a fight,” she said. “I want to alert the public and these businesses. At least we know we see them.”
The original plan included posting explicit video footage and photos of baristas caught behaving badly. Bremond said she’s still mulling over whether she wants to publicize something she’s trying to fight.
“I don’t want it to turn into a peep show,” she said.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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