Locale of stands overlooked

Articles written by Nina Culver in October 2013 and Jonathan Brunt in January 2014 regarding bikini barista stands addressed the Spokane City Council’s initiative setting nudity regulation standards for the sake of upholding Spokane values, and protecting minors from this fear of hyper-sexuality.

While we commend the City Council and The Spokesman-Review’s effort to protect Spokane’s values, we would like to point out that there is a deeper issue at hand. The council and news media corporations have neglected to acknowledge that many of these stands are located in low-income areas. Two in particular, Busty’s Top Espresso and Bare Beans, reside in close proximity to social service institutions (Union Gospel Mission Crisis Center for Women and Children, and House of Charity, respectively).

In light of this observation, we would like to challenge the Spokane community and those representing this issue publicly to further this dialogue by examining how the placement of these stands in respect to their socioeconomic locations has as much effect on women, children and other at-risk populations as it does on children riding the bus to school.

This dialogue may help uncover how Spokane attempts to integrate two subgroups within its community that are often overlooked.

Paige Brunett and Chelsea Hunt

Spokane