To fund rape kits, city poleaxes strip clubs with tax

Houston is turning to an unorthodox source to fund its rape investigations — strip clubs. The city council voted 14-1 today to pass an ordinance that would charge strip clubs $5 for each visitor. The "pole tax" is meant to help pay for the timely processing of rape kits, since the city lacks the funds to expediently analyze the backlog of 6,000 rape kits that currently need to be processed. Backers of the ordinance said strip clubs "should shoulder some of the costs of rape investigations because the establishments can cultivate unhealthy attitudes toward women that can lead to sexual assaults."