Five
coffee shop workers in Everett, north of Seattle, US, are facing prostitution
charges for putting on sex shows for customers in return of cash.
The five baristas work in bikini coffee shops where the staff is
required to wear swimsuits, but they are said to have gone further by
wearing thongs and nipple tassels.
According to the police, the five indulged in lewd behaviour
bordering on the obscene, and have been accused of charging up to 80
dollars to let customers fondle or photograph them as they put on erotic
shows. They face court dates on prostitution charges later this month.
Dozens of bikini coffee shops, with names like Brewlesque, Twin Perks
and Java Juggs, have sprung up in the Seattle area as competition for
customers mounted.
Bill Wheeler, who runs four Grab-N-Go bikini espresso stands in the
Everett area, said the prostitution charges has damaged business: You
have a bunch of church groups that got together and decided they just
don't like women in bikinis.
But at Java Juggs business is booming, with workers picking up close
to 150 dollars in tips during a six-hour shift: We just wear
lingerie, or bras and panties instead of pasties (nipple tassels) and
thongs. We have a lot of regulars. They don't really care too much,
barista Jade Layng added.
Update:
Grinding out a Repressive Deal
7th March 2010. Based on
article
from
google.com
Prosecutors in Washington state have dropped prostitution charges
against a bikini barista accused of selling more than coffee at an
espresso stand.
The Daily Herald reports that Everett Municipal Court Judge Timothy
O'Dell approved a deal between Everett prosecutors and the 21-year-old
Kirkland woman that would drop the charges if she promised to stay out
of trouble for two years.
If she fails, she could face prosecution in municipal court for
violating the adult entertainment ordinance.
The woman also agreed to testify against four other Grab-n-Go
baristas charged last year with prostitution and violating city
ordinances. They were accused of charging customers for touching certain
body parts and for stripping down while fixing drinks.