Flashers Bar sues Sandy Springs to reopen after raid

A Sandy Springs strip club sued the city to be allowed to reopen Thursday night.

Flashers Bar attorney Louis Levenson said the club fixed the code violations that led city officials to shut it down following a Dec. 14 raid.

The bar at 6420 Roswell Road was cited and an employee was arrested on charges of soliciting sex, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

The business was closed in part because doors couldn’t open easily and exits were not properly marked. Also, flammable materials were found throughout the building.

City spokeswoman Sharon Kraun said Flashers had no sprinkler system in place and serious electrical hazards constituted an imminent threat to human life.

But despite hiring a contractor to fix the electrical issues, city officials again found problems and refused to let Flashers reopen.

Levenson said he thought the city was treating Flashers differently than other businesses with code violations.

"This is not your mom and pop grocery store business here and the city is not happy about that,” Levenson told Channel 2. “They treated this business different than any other business in Sandy Springs and they admitted that.”

After taking the city to court, a judge ordered Flashers could reopen, which is did Thursday night.

Sandy Springs City Attorney Wendell Willard told Channel 2 the intent was always to protect the public and not to close down the business.