By David J. Foster

and Kelly Madsen

Staff Writers

It didn't matter that the strippers were gone. The throng of 200-plus protesters surrounded Thee Hideout Bar to make their point: "We don't want this trash in Wissinoming!" they shouted.

It began as a victory celebration; Charles (Chip) Boyd had conceded. A day earlier, he withdrew his request for a zoning board variance to allow exotic dancers at his Hideout tavern, 5223 Torresdale Ave. Instead, the bar would reopen as a nightclub featuring a DJ. Live bands might be featured later, he said.

"This is what I like to see. You're all united, and you have won," a beaming City Councilwoman Joan L. Krajewski (D- 6) told the crowd when it first gathered at St. Bartholomew's Church hall, Harbison and Cheltenham aves.

"This proves we care about our community," said State Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D-2). "We'll continue to oppose unacceptable behavior." Tartaglione said she learned that "a young child" outside the Hideout had been propositioned to become a dancer.

"This is like a cancer. We want to be the preventative medicine," said Rev. Joseph Denney of St. Bartholomew's.

"Let's do a little chemotherapy on this place," added Pastor Martin, of Wissinoming United Methodist Church.

"He's a profit pig. The only thing (Charles) Boyd cares about is money!" shouted Glenn Devitt of United Northeast Neighbors.

He then asked: "Can we trust this guy?"

"No!" the crowd roared.

"Are you ready to march?" Devitt thundered.

They answered with wild applause.

Devitt then grabbed a bullhorn, moved to the front of the crowd and led them four blocks to the Hideout.

Standing outside, the crowd shouted: "No way, cabaret!" and "Stay away from our girls!" They began marching around the building.

Inside, Charles Boyd, pacing furiously, heard glass break and shouted to his co-workers: "Get away from the doors." "I'm going out there," said club manager Traci Smith.

Boyd stopped her, then dialed 911 to report a riot outside the bar. The police, however, were already there struggling to keep some protesters from being hit by cars as they blocked traffic across Harbison Ave.

"This ended two days ago. Why did they have to do this today?" Smith said. "We are within our rights. We've done nothing wrong."

Not according to the city's Licenses and Inspections.

Located on the site of the old Bus Stop Tavern, Thee Hideout Bar last year debuted its first batch of exotic dancers without the necessary zoning variance. It did not have a cabaret license, which allows for semi-nude stage acts, provided the girls adhere to the city's guidelines for such displays.

In December, L&I cited the club. The owners appealed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, which scheduled a May 28 hearing. When neighbors showed up to protest, said an L&I official, the lawyer for the club requested a continuance. The board set July 9 for the next hearing.

That's when neighborhood activists like Ella Ryan and Glenn Devitt set the June 19 meeting to rally opposition. Two days before, L&I moved in again. Inspectors reported finding one woman dancing topless and others in thongs.

The next day, Boyd announced the exotic dancers were out, along with the zoning appeal, and he was turning the facility into a nightclub for music and dancing.

Boyd said he believed he could operate while the appeal was underway.

Not so, said L&I spokesman Tom McNally. "If it's a new business that's violating the (laws), they can be forced into compliance immediately."

The only exception is when a violation is discovered after a building or business has been operating for an extended period of time, McNally explained. Such forced compliance could cause an "undue burden" to the business owner. L&I has the ultimate discretion.

That's not the case with Thee Hideout Bar, said McNally.

Ironically, Boyd took over the tavern on April 9, after the appeals process was under way.

"They're chanting about trusting me," Boyd said. "They don't even know me."

"Then he should make the effort to get to know the neighborhoods," said a city official. "No matter how hard he tries, that kind of business-- even a nightclub-- will have problems that the neighbors will point to and complain about."

And that's precisely the strategy of Devitt, Ryan, and the other activists.

"We don't want another nuisance bar in this community," Ryan said.

Assistant District Attorney Carl Anderson, who works the Nuisance Abatement Task Force, advised the group to watch the Hideout carefully and report any and all problems, from patrons stumbling out drunk to underage drinking.

That's what Devitt and Ryan implied they saw the day after the June 17 L&I raid.

They said they staked-out the club to see if the building would reopen even though Boyd promised it would stay closed until rebuilt as a nightclub.

"After they thought we left," said Ryan, "we saw young people going in there after 11 (P.M.)." Ryan said she believed they were open for business.

"They did see people going in," said Traci Smith. "It was us."

From 11 P.M. June 17 until 11:45 P.M. June 18, Smith, Boyd, and two friends pulled a 24-hour stretch of reconstruction, they said, since the June 20 reopening as a nightclub was fast approaching.

On the night of the protest, evidence of the reconstruction was everywhere. As the crowd outside shouted at the occupants, the stage was being disassembled, lights were being yanked out, the liquor was locked away, and the dancers' dressing rooms were being repainted from fluorescent green to fuchsia. "The pool tables are going in here," said Boyd.

When the crowd dispersed, Smith, splattered in fresh paint, met with reporters. "Does this look like were open for business?" she said.

What about the complaints of rowdy customers urinating outside?

"There are so many bars in this area," said Smith. "How do they know where those customers are coming from?"

L&I reports no violations against the club except for its failure to have a cabaret license, L&I's McNally said.

Three hours after the crowd scattered, Boyd and his friends sat watching the news when a knock came on the door. It was L&I. Time for another inspection.

For 20 minutes inspectors searched for fire and other safety violations. Only a minor problems were discovered: A dryer was sitting too close to a door. An electrical socket was broken.

"Back in March the building had an annual inspection," Boyd said. "It came out 100 percent. So what's this all about? They came to close us down."

According to a city official, L&I can investigate any time they want. "But they are especially careful with a case like the Hideout because of all the attention. They make sure everything is operating up to code."