The Springfield City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday requiring massage parlors to register with the city, but not before it was moved from the consent agenda to the debate agenda to allow for public comment.
The ordinance, crafted after one adopted by the Village of Chatham several years ago, also requires proof of Illinois state licensure for salon massage therapists.
“Ultimately, this is to make everyone safer: the people who get massages, the people who go for massages, and the neighborhoods where there are massage establishments,” Ald insisted. Jennifer Notariano, who owns several salons in her District 6, downtown.
More: Massage parlor ordinance to be voted on in full in Springfield amid human trafficking concerns
Councilors expressed concern about suspected human trafficking and prostitution when Springfield Police raided two massage parlors in the 500 block of South Grand Avenue West in April, acting on tips from Crimestoppers and information from neighbors in the area.
Springfield Police also worked closely with the FBI in another instance earlier this year.
City Attorney Gregory Moredock, who was then with a private law firm in Springfield, when he helped write the massage parlor ordinance for Chatham, said fines could range from $250 to $750 per violation per day for parlors operating without a license.
Additionally, the city would have the ability to prohibit occupancy of any building used in violation of the law, Moredock said.
David Baker, who lives on Hawthorne Place, near where the massage parlors were raided, said he believes the ordinance was a first step toward shutting down the illegitimate establishments.
“But I would also ask the young women who are stuck working in the rooms to get help,” Baker said. “They are victims.”
Baker, in the public comment section, said her own daughter was a victim of sex trafficking as a teenager in Springfield, but cooperated with investigating authorities to help put her trafficker in prison.
Mike Otken, also speaking during the public comment section, said the city was trying to put people out of business.
Otken said he was married to a Chinese massage therapist.
“I think it’s disgusting that everyone wants to say they’re doing something bad,” he said. “I have two nieces who work here (in the business). They’ve never had a problem in nine years.”
Recognizing that there are professional salons that provide the necessary services, Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley insisted that the decree was not “targeting anyone of any nationality.”
“We don’t mention nationality. This is not gender specific. It’s industry specific. We had a federal investigation into this community that found a significant amount of crime happening in our community and this is our response to that.”
Notoriano said that while some salon owners may end up moving to the county or other jurisdictions, registration provides a safety net for the city.
“It would be an absolute nightmare and I don’t know how any of us could sleep at night knowing that there are young women being forced to have sex to make money for someone else,” Notarian said. “We certainly don’t want that to happen in the city of Springfield.”
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared in the State Journal-Register: Massage parlors will have to register in Springfield after vote
