INDEPENDENT NEWS

Topless ‘Hostesses’ in suburban mall bar disgusts

Published: Fri 2 May 2008 04:50 PM
Topless ‘Hostesses’ in suburban mall bar disgust Councillors
Three Manurewa councillors are appalled at a bar in Southmall which employs topless ‘hostesses’ on a Thursday night.
‘I was alerted to the fact that this is happening by a woman resident,’ said Councillor Colleen Brown, ‘so I went to have a look for myself last week. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that the topless ‘hostesses’ were in fact not behind the bar as I expected, but leaning over patrons and sitting at the high tables where they were drinking.’
‘I don’t consider myself a prude but I have to ask; ‘is this entirely necessary in a suburban bar right in the middle of a mall on a Thursday late shopping night?’
‘What will people do in order to entice people onto their premises to buy a drink? It is like skid row in Manurewa, this is rock bottom for us,’ she stated.
Councillor Colleen Brown questioned the bar manager who said that the public could not see into the bar.
‘The bits of blackout curtains strung over the entrance way certainly did not add to the ambiance of the place – it just looked sordid. They seem to me to be a fire hazard if nothing else.’ said Colleen Brown
‘It was like being in a 1970s time warp,’ she said. ‘We have prostitutes sauntering up the street touting for trade and young women inside this place with their breasts virtually on a level with the punters’ noses. What sort of message are we as a society sending to our youth and the public in general.
Councillor Brown has taken the matter up with Southmall management and they agree with her sentiments.
‘It was fairly disconcerting to be asked to buy a raffle ticket by a young woman my daughter’s age, who was wearing very little other than a brief skirt,’ she said.
Councillor Brown said, ‘You might expect this sort of publicity stunt in a city bar but not in a suburban mall.’
Councillor Brown returned this week taking fellow Manurewa councillors Anne Candy and John Walker with her plus the District Licensing Inspector and a building enforcement officer from Manukau City Council.
All the Councillors stated that they found the whole enterprise tacky and demeaning.
‘This is the last thing Manurewa needs,’ said Councillor John Walker. ‘It is degrading to not only our community but also to women.’
Councillor Anne Candy stated, ‘In the past Southmall has been a family mall and we want to return it to that sense of safety where mothers and children can come and know they won’t be exposed to R18 censorship behaviour. Businesses that extend their practises like this add no value to a family retail experience.
Councillor Brown discovered that there is only one point of egress from the bar and is exploring ways with the city council regulatory bodies to close the bar down.
‘I started this exercise looking at ways of getting rid of the topless ‘hostesses’, now I may have found a way of getting rid of the entire bar, and I’m going to pursue this to the end, ‘said Councillor Brown. ‘People in our community are sickened by the number of seedy bars and liquor outlets we have and want to see an immediate reduction.’
ENDS

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