The following is a statement being released by Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Chair of the Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, on efforts to halt the proliferation of “adult” shops from being located in residential neighborhoods.

“For over decades and more aggressively over the past few years there has been a strong push to stop the proliferation of “adult” shops and strip clubs into residential communities. Legislation I authored on this issue was considered a possible violation of First Amendment rights (Assembly Bill 6832 of 2015).

Yesterday’s unanimous ruling by the New York Court of Appeals allowing municipalities like New York City the ability to enforce its 2001 law to restrict the location of these establishments near schools, parks, churches and is most neighborhoods is a tremendous victory for families and children.

In my community and many more throughout New York State and New York City, parents and community leaders have found themselves helpless to prevent such establishments from setting up in the core of their neighborhood life.

These establishments have a history of attracting criminal activity, sex trafficking, drug trafficking and lewd behavior.

I applaud the Court of Appeals decision that allows policymakers to protect the moral fabric of our communities without infringing on Constitutional guaranteed rights of free speech.

The Court has clearly decided that the focus of these establishments on sexually explicit materials and activities allows them to be regulated as New York City has done.

I encourage other localities and cities in New York State to use this court decision to clean up their neighborhoods and protect their families and children from the associated lewd and dangerous activities that follow strip clubs and pornography dens.”