SeaEscape Cruise to Benefit Poverello

Local Leather Bar Busted for Risky Business
Owner, Employees and Patrons Arrested and Charged with Lewd Behavior
By Michael James
A two-week undercover investigation
involving Vice Detectives of the Fort
Lauderdale Police Department and Agents
from the Division of Alcoholic Beverages
and Tobacco made 11 arrests at Chaps
Lounge, located at 1727 North Andrews
Extension.
The arrests took place just after 10pm
on Tuesday, January 15.
Those arrested included club owner
Steve Holt, two club employees and eight
patrons, including 51 year-old Coral Springs
middle school teacher, Mark Raskind. Those
arrested were charged with lewd behavior,
exposure of sexual organs, and nudity/
alcohol violations.
In addition, Holt was charged with
blocking an emergency exit. Detectives said
that several exits were “actually barricaded
and would have blocked an escape route in
the event of a fire.”
The undercover operation alleges that
the lounge set aside two areas that
“encouraged and promoted” illicit sexual
activity between club patrons and that such
activity was a nightly occurrence.
The club’s attorney, Russell Cormican,
advised that the rooms have now been closed
and that the exit doors were only guarded in
“a manner consistent with what their
insurance company told them. We are now
in compliance with the city’s determination.”
Additionally, the club was allegedly
promoting gambling in a weekly contest with
a cash prize, but the owners of the purported
coupons claim it is not a gambling device.
Raskind remains with the school district,
pending the results of an internal
investigation. He was charged with one
misdemeanor count of lewd behavior.
His attorney, Norm Kent, decried the
‘sensationalization’ of the arrest by local
television, and opines in the editorial section
of today’s newspaper regarding the same.
SeaEscape Cruise to Benefit Poverello
Bimini Day Cruise to Help Men, Women and Children Living with HIV
By Michael James
The Poverello Center has been serving
men, women and children living with HIV/
AIDS since 1988. Founded by Franciscan
priest Father Bill Collins, the center is part
of his mission to serve “those in need and
most forgotten.”
Funding for the center’s client services
is provided through donations and
fundraisers. SeaEscape Entertainment, Inc.
announced that the Poverello Center will be
the benefactor of an all day cruise aboard
the SeaEscape Cruise Ship.
On Monday, February 4, they will set
sail to the tropical waters of Bimini for a day
cruise fundraiser. The cost is $69.95 per
person with $20 per passenger being donated
back to Poverello.
The cruise will include a buffet
breakfast, buffet lunch or poolside barbecue
and entertainment featuring top performers
from Fort Lauderdale to Key West.
In addition, there will be the usual
gambling casino aboard ship along with
bingo and an auction.
A limited number of cabins are available
for an additional $50 and must be booked in
advance on a first come basis.
Boarding begins at 3:30am and will
depart from Terminal 1, Port Everglades,
Fort Lauderdale, at 6:45am. The terminal
closes at 6:25am. The ship returns to port at
6pm. Port charges are included in the price.
A valid passport is required for the
cruise. For those who do not have a passport,
a valid drivers license/state identification
card and an original birth certificate (no
copies) will be required. SeaEscape notes
that strict compliance to USDA regulations
are in effect on the cruise.
Poverello Center provides food,
clothing and other living necessities, with a
client base of nearly 6,000 individuals and
families.
Clients of Poverello receive weekly
food supplies to make three meals per day
plus snacks. In addition, those in need
regularly receive such items as soap,
detergent, toilet paper and other necessities.
One hundred percent of all donations
will be used exclusively for the purchase of
lifesaving food for their clients.
For more information on how to
acquire tickets call Mark Tison at the
Poverello Center at 954.561.3663 or call the
SeaEscape Cruise Line at 1.877.732.3722
directly for assistance.
www.ExpressGayNews.com January 21st, 2002 7