The Houston street Old Spanish Trail near UH has plans purposed for a possible strip club that many residents are opposing.
There is a growing collection of yard signs from adorning residents’ front lawns and the windows of nearby businesses reading “No Strip Club on OST,” featuring Facebook, Twitter and Instagram logos followed by #NoStripClubOnOST.
“I personally don’t think the club opening is a great idea. Especially with the area and the dissolvement of the mask mandate,” said exercise science sophomore Josh Kim.
Last week, Gov. Gregg Abbott issued a statewide order to lift the mask mandate that would allow for businesses and amenities to operate at 100 percent capacity. The lift of the mask mandate could additionally propose a new threat to the slew of concerns residents have about the club’s opening.
The #NoStripClubOnOST movement is aimed at the possible opening of a new strip club named Da Fox Club in Houston’s historic Third Ward.
Texas Rep. Shawn Thierry leads the fight against the club’s opening. Thierry has gained traction on her petition now boasting over 2,000 signatures.
The petition mentions the club owner’s previous track record, listing the owners being responsible for a previous southwest Houston club that was successfully shut down due to varying complaints from residents in the nearby areas.
Determined not to repeat the past, residents are worried about the proposed club’s opening harming the prices of their homes in the Third Ward as well as the overall safety of the area.
The No Strip Club on OST public Facebook group advocates against the opening of the business that could potentially attract human trafficking, drug trafficking and other criminal activity to the area, they said.
Members have also taken #NoStripClubOnOST to other social media platforms as well to spread word about shutting down Da Fox Club.
The club property is no longer listed, but efforts of the group opposing the club are still at work.
“(The club) could potentially increase the amount of COVID-19 cases in the area,” Kim said. “That wouldn’t be good for neighborhood residents or even nearby colleges – like us here at UH.”