Jefferson County battles over strip club, and no one thinks about the children

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It’s good to be reminded that fights over strip clubs aren’t solely confined within the borders of Missouri. Right now, for instance, there’s a fevered battle going on in Jefferson County, Kansas, where Lawrence developer Zach Snyder wants to build a private club with (brace yourself) female nudity right outside Meriden. This gives Jefferson County residents the vapors, because the proposed club would be 800 feet from Jefferson West Middle School and 1,000 feet from Jefferson West High. Gasps and fibrillations!

Arguing before the county’s Planning and Zoning board, opponents contest that the proposed club – the Oasis Saloon – would supposedly, somehow, put women and children in danger and lower moral standards. Snyder’s attorneys are threatening to sue if the county unlawfully blocks the process. But lost in the debate are the wishes of the students whom the community says it wants to protect. Can we consider them for a second?