07-22-2009, 11:08 AM
PROVIDENCE ââ¬âââ¬â Rhode Island teens under 18 canââ¬â¢t work with power saws or bang nails up on roofs.
But dance at strip clubs? Sure. Just as long as the teens submit work permits, and are off the stripperââ¬â¢s pole by 11:30 on school nights.
Itââ¬â¢s enough to surprise even those in Americaââ¬â¢s mecca of striptease and sin ââ¬âââ¬â Las Vegas.
ââ¬ÅEverybody buzzes about ââ¬ËNevada and Sin City, tsk, tsk,ââ¬â¢ ââ¬Â said Edie Cartwright, spokeswoman for the Nevada attorney generalââ¬â¢s office. ââ¬ÅBut we regulate it.ââ¬Â
Providence police recently discovered that teen job opportunities extend into the local adult entertainment world while they were investigating a 16-year-old runaway from Boston. The girl told detectives that she worked at Cheaters strip club this spring, and the police got tips about other underage girls working at another club on Allens Avenue.
Thatââ¬â¢s when the police found that neither state law, nor city ordinance bars minors from working at strip clubs. Those under 18 canââ¬â¢t buy pornography, and no one may take pictures or film minors in sexually suggestive ways. But the law doesnââ¬â¢t stop underage teens from stripping for money. Even if the police saw underage boys or girls on stage at a strip club, they wouldnââ¬â¢t be able to charge them or the club owners with a crime.
But dance at strip clubs? Sure. Just as long as the teens submit work permits, and are off the stripperââ¬â¢s pole by 11:30 on school nights.
Itââ¬â¢s enough to surprise even those in Americaââ¬â¢s mecca of striptease and sin ââ¬âââ¬â Las Vegas.
ââ¬ÅEverybody buzzes about ââ¬ËNevada and Sin City, tsk, tsk,ââ¬â¢ ââ¬Â said Edie Cartwright, spokeswoman for the Nevada attorney generalââ¬â¢s office. ââ¬ÅBut we regulate it.ââ¬Â
Providence police recently discovered that teen job opportunities extend into the local adult entertainment world while they were investigating a 16-year-old runaway from Boston. The girl told detectives that she worked at Cheaters strip club this spring, and the police got tips about other underage girls working at another club on Allens Avenue.
Thatââ¬â¢s when the police found that neither state law, nor city ordinance bars minors from working at strip clubs. Those under 18 canââ¬â¢t buy pornography, and no one may take pictures or film minors in sexually suggestive ways. But the law doesnââ¬â¢t stop underage teens from stripping for money. Even if the police saw underage boys or girls on stage at a strip club, they wouldnââ¬â¢t be able to charge them or the club owners with a crime.

