gay Internet site believed linked to the spread of HIV/STDs

[Titanmen]

http://www.jrlchartsonline.com/GayXX...ewsFormat.html

FLAVA WORKS IN MORE TROUBLE THIS SPRING WITH THEIR WEBSITES UNDER ATTACK

By: Andy Powell, Staff Writer

This was emailed to the JRL Compound over the weekend and is explosive. Check out what Flava Works and Cocodorm.com are being accused of now!

Taken right from the Chicago Free Press .....

Local gay Internet site believed linked to the spread of HIV/STDs

By Gary Barlow, Staff writer

At the urging of Chicago Department of Public Health officials, the City of Chicago slapped a cease-and-desist order on the Lakeview home of an online gay porn site April 20 after concerns were raised about cases of HIV and other STDs tied to the site’s models.

I heard from Flavaworks Films late Sunday Night and they are considering filing a lawsuit again the Chicago Press for running this slanderous story. Alledgedly, the Chicago Press has not contacted Flavaworks or the models of Flava Works for confirmation. What you are reading below is what Chicago Press is reporting. I hope that Flava Works will honor JRL an interview to discuss this matter because this is something important.

Christopher Brown, assistant commissioner for HIV/AIDS/STD programs at CDPH, said health officials acted after uncovering “credible” evidence that models at FlavaWorks.com, which also operated CocoBoyz Dorm Room online, were HIV-positive, were engaging in unsafe sex practices and were spreading HIV, syphilis and gonorrhea through contact with individuals outside the business. Brown said CDPH’s initial involvement came in late December after HIV service providers called CDPH to express “concerns that some of their clients could be seen on the website engaging in unsafe sex.” “We also became aware of cases of HIV linked to some of the models,” Brown said.

The business allowed members to go online and view models engaging in sex in a “dorm room” setting that was staged in an apartment at 933 W. Irving Park Road. The models were predominately black and Latino. Members could also pay more to have the models perform specific sex acts. Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Licensing issued the cease-and-desist order prohibiting the business from operating at the Irving Park Road location. Brown said CDPH Comm. Terry Moore also plans to issue a cease-and-desist order.

Brown said the business owner had been “less than cooperative” with city officials’ efforts to stop the spread of HIV and other diseases and get CocoBoyz models in for counseling, treatment and testing.
“Our main concern was the dorm,” Brown said. “Our goal is to immediately look at the models, screen them and address their needs.”

By the time city officials and police showed up the morning of April 20, CocoBoyz had already cleared out of the apartment. A man who identified himself as Jackson Robinson, manager of the business, said he and the owner closed it because they knew the city planned to shut it down. Robinson denied the city’s charges in a phone interview.

“There’s no one HIV-positive in our dorm, so that’s untrue,” Robinson said. “The models also engage in safe sexual practices.”
He said he felt the primary reason the city moved against the porn business was that it didn’t have the proper license. He said he’d repeatedly been turned down for a license.
Brown scoffed at Robinson’s denials.

“We had evidence and reports from what I would consider credible sources that there was HIV and STDs among the models at CocoBoyz dorm room, and unsafe sex could be viewed right there on the website,” Brown said.

Brown stopped short of saying the porn models engaged in prostitution with customers, but said, “Yes, through our conversations, there were individuals who became infected through contact with the models.”

There are also allegations that the business used unusual labor contracts with its models, which, according to one source, “at least bordered on illegal servitude.” The 30-day contracts allegedly required the models to perform a certain number of sexual acts in exchange for a stipend. But, when the models tried to collect the stipends, they were told they were being charged for such things as food and bed linens, leaving them, in some cases, in debt rather than collecting money. They were then pressured to sign new contracts. Robinson said the business, which dates back to 1999, is looking for a new home outside Chicago and will reopen “whenever we can be licensed and incorporated somewhere else.”

[maxpower]

LOL when I read that I was sure you where going to say “gay.com” I really would not think any other site could provide the numbers they could in this area. :eek:

[skot]

that's pretty insane.

[collegeboyslive]

ooh now that is an interesting twist in a way to try to get a site shut down. wonder how much was true. however would being aon a site spread it any faster or make the problme worse than what many peole do just trickin on gay.com and adam4adam?

[MWCren]

There is a reply posted on their site about the article and the claims in it. http://www.cocodorm.com/themove.php

[EonFilms_Rocky]

This is exactly why my model releases are 18 pages long so there is no confusion to the model's duties and their compensation. We also strictly forbid a model from meeting any client or website customer in person without a chaperone from our company (namely, me). Even talking to a customer or client outside of the chat room can cost a model their job with us.

As for safe sex... we make it a point to show the condom on cam when two models perform together. From the unwrapping of the condom to putting it on, even if they are boyfriends, is shown clearly and deliberately on the webcams.

People thought i was crazy for being so thourough, but this is the exact reason why I am.

Rocky

[chadknowslaw]

This is exactly why my model releases are 18 pages long so there is no confusion to the model's duties and their compensation.

Geesus H Christ Rocky, 18 Pages? Who reads an 18 page contract and understands it?? :signhere:
My last mortgage was shorter than 18 pages!

[collegeboyslive]

yeah ours are fairly long as well but not 18 pages. chad it is amazing though that after we get the model to sign it we oftern find theire copy scrunched up on the floor of theire room or mopping up a soda on the desk.

we do sit down with them and read it word by word to them and explain ist and ask if they understand it. however i wonder how many really care what it says ?

[EonFilms_Rocky]

I go through them with it point by point and have them initial it after I explain it. It's not complicated, but it is a lot of rules that we put in place for the model's protection.

Rocky

[desslock]

Hmmm, the city health department is saying that "allegedly" spreading ghonnorea - an easily curable disease.... is grounds for shutting down a business.

( If you define alcoholism a disease, than what are their views of businesses serving it? )

Sounds more like the city and neighbors do not want a gay porn business operating in their residential neighborhood. And they've found a way to shut them down via harrassment to the point that leave the city limits. NIMBY.

Of course this studio releases bareback movies, so many of their industry compatriots will probably not shed too many crocodile tears.

I don't know anything about the FlavaWorks people. They could be evil villains twirling their moustaches who screw their employees and duck paying their taxes. But the Raw Thugs movies are pretty good. And they have some hot models.

And people consenting to sex should not be against the law. The Religious Right is eloquent on how sex should be regulated, and one significant reason is because of the potential spread of disease.

I thought the city of Chicago was more libertarian than that.

Steve

[Lee]

An adult business operating is right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. How would you feel if it was "The House Next Door" to you?

More than a dozen Miami police and code inspectors descended on a house in the Edgewater neighborhood on Tuesday. When no one came to the door, officials posted a notice of five code violations.

What's the problem?

It's a normal South Florida neighborhood. Familes live here. Kids play here. There are renovated homes, even a Catholic church -- all in the shadow of the new Miami.

But in this house ...

"Hey, how's it going?" said reporter Jeff Burnside to one of the residents. "Hey, listen we just wanted to ask you..."

Where this man says he works.

"Uh huh. Yeah," the man said.

Something unusual is going on. Something the young men who live here don't seem to want you to know.

"No sir!"

"We just want to chat for a second."

"No sir."

"Is this -- ?"

NBC 6 discovered they're operating a hardcore live internet sex business -- cameras installed in rooms where customers around the world can pay to watch the men who live here have sex with each other on schedule.

"This is? Oh, wow, I had no idea," a neighbor told NBC 6.

And most of the neighbors we spoke to do not like it at all.

"No, it does not belong in this neighborhood. Absolutely not!" neighbor Mary Ann Thom said.

"That's no good. Somebody (needs) to do something," Vanessa Torres said.

"I'm sad to hear that," Adrian Gallon said.

After dark, the men who live here get ready for the scheduled shows -- where neighbors can plainly see things.

In an apparent attempt to alert neighbors, someone anonymously delivered to several homes envelopes that include printouts of the Web site. And this: A DVD.

The DVD shows a fight with a hammer recorded on the house's internet cameras.

Miami police confirm they've been called there four times since September.

"We will not permit it over there," said Mariano Loret de Mola, director of Miami's code enforcement office.

NBC 6 told Miami officials who say the business has failed to get several licenses.

"It's just illegal," de Mola told NBC 6. "It's plainly illegal activity that is not permitted in the city to have an adult entertainment in a residential area."

The Miami sex business used to be in Chicago where health officials found evidence of unsafe sex and moved to shut it down.

"We uncovered significant amount of sexually transmitted diseases, a signficant number of cases of HIV along with syphilis and gonorrhea," said Chris Brown, assistant commissioner of the division of STD/HIV/AIDS for the Chicago Department of Public Health.

But when they went to the building, Brown said, "They were packing up and leaving the city."

And that's when they moved to Miami.

"That kind of shocks me," another resident, Colin Gant, said. "It's not too good. There's a lot of kids in the neighborhood and it's a pretty family-oriented neighborhood."

The man behind the business, Phillip Bleicher, created what the Illinois attorney general called a "bogus" school charity that raised more than three million dollars nationwide and helped finance his porn business called Flava Works -- now headquartered in Miami.

"We're looking for Phillip Bleicher of Flava Works," Burnside asked two men at the company's headquarters in Miami.

Remember the guy from the front door?

"You work for Flava Works?" Burnside askied.

"No," he replied.

"Ever heard of Phillip Bleicher?"

"Who?"

"Phillip Bleicher?"

"No."

Upstairs at the corporate office, still no one was answering questions.

"Refer to the Web Site for a statement. Unless you're here with a warrant, there are no questions that are going to be asked," a company representative said.

"Well, what about Bleicher. Is he here?"

"No."

"When can we speak with him?"

Bleicher's Web site says they promote safe sex "100 percent" and what they're doing is legal, pointing to a court ruling in a Tampa case.

The city of Miami disagrees, and cited them for five code violations including failing to have a license to operating a rooming house, a business or an adult business in a residential neighborhood. The landlord, who was astounded to learn what her tenants were doing, has 10 days to take action.

And as far as the Illinois attorney general's case, that office withdrew the complaint. NBC 6 has learned other agencies may be investigating.

http://www.nbc6.net/news/13283491/de...?dl=mainclick#

Yet another old story with some updates to it...

I wonder what city they will relocate to next?

Regards,

Lee

[desslock]

An old friend of mine who was active in Austin city politics for years used to always make this astute observation about NIMBY people and neighborhood busybodies ----

The "neighborhood preservation" activist simply wants their town to be preserved and look exactly like it did the day they themselves happened to move in.

Steve

[Flavaworks]

From the Webmaster of CocoDorm
"House Next Door"

It's May Sweeps and a ratings hungry local news reporter is doing a story tonight on the CocoDorm, entitled "The House Next Door".

We are excited to see us on local TV, in fact the Dorm Boys will be watching the story live tonight @ 11pm, join them on the Mobile Cam!

The local news reporter is trying to paint a picture that the CocoDorm should not operate in the area it is in (citing neighbors with small children nearby etc), yet Cmack, Alex Flex and Breion secured over a half a dozen signatures on a petition from neighbors in support of CocoDorm.

This whole incident was caused by a jealous competitor spreading malicious lies and rumors. This competitor sent out a defamatory letter to the neighborhood in December 2006 in hopes that they would revolt against the CocoDorm being in their neighborhood. When this did not happen, they mailed the same packet to local news channels, where only one picked up the story.

Here is a video preview of the story: http://video.nbc6.net/player/?id=101225


Let us also point out some previous court rulings that favor us in this matter: http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2001/09/47104

http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs3604/lib...5CYBERLAW.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflor...29/focus3.html

http://www.out-law.com/page-2394

[Flavaworks]

To CocoDorm Members May 9, 2007

As you know, two bloggers, Jasmine Cannick and Bernard J. Tarver willingly and knowingly posted an HIV/STD story next to a picture of three CocoDorm Models, and in so doing implied that the models where HIV/STD positive. Flava Works sent a DMCA notice claiming that the images they used are copyright protected. We did not try to silence them, why would we encourage our members to voice their support if we wanted the blogs down? They simply choose to ignore the danger their implications were causing and their own webhost took action. If you read Keith Boykin's blog, you will see no mention of the real issue - that the media and city are trying to regulate what a person does in their own home, but instead, they focus on allegations of HIV & STD's. Why can't these African-American leaders stand up in support of free speech and expression instead of targeting the CocoDorm models and staff?

We have been a "condom only" company since even before our move to Miami and the often cited "Raw Thugs" is a series that has long been discontinued. While the Chicago's Department of Health may sound damning, let us clarify that first of all, as sad as it is, these numbers are in line with national averages. Also, models that tested positive for an STDs were forbidden to participate in any sort of sexual group activity and were usually sent home. The discovery of the models applicant STD's status were the result of the application process, once the test results are known, the model is sent home and not permitted to work. We test our models and Chicago decided to punish us for it. The only reason the city knew about infections was because we voluntarily test. Models usually stay only 30 days at the dorm, but HIV can stay dormant for months. How can we be responsible for any of these infections? The Chicago report fails to mention that these infections are of people who are APPLYING to be a CocoDorm model.

One final thought, in the last 48 hours, we have received thousands of telephone calls, emails and support tickets in support (and a few go fuck off ones too!) and we want to thank you all for your loyalty and support. CocoDorm is not closing and we will be around for many years to come!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted May 10, 2007 on CocoDorm.com

Well, the news story ran and it was all bogus.

Our question goes to Jeff Burnside, why didn't you investigate who sent this anonymous packet which contains pictures and videos from our site along with a slanderous letter that referred to the CocoDorm as a "whore house". Remember, this packet of porn was delivered to over 25 houses in the neighborhood unsolicited.

The city of Miami came to the CocoDorm yesterday under NBC6's pressure and gave us 5 citations. Here they are:
1) Illegal rooming house. FALSE, we do not charge anyone rent.
2) Adult entertainment not permitted in C-1 zone property. FALSE, we do not run "Adult Entertainment" on the property.
3) Failure to Maintain Exterior of Commercial or Residential Property. FALSE, the lawn is cut and the yard is clean.
4) Failure to maintain lot in safe, clean condition; not allowing accumulation of debris, trash or dense growth of grass. FALSE, the yard is in good condition.
5) Illegally operating a business in a residential zone. FALSE, we are not running a business at the property, all business and servers are off-site.

We have until May 18th to correct these citations or face a fine. We will be vigorously fighting this matter in court and seek to reveal the persons and company behind this "anonymous" letter and seek civil damages.

Also, it seems that a handful of self-proclaimed black gay and lesbian leaders are denouncing the CocoDorm and the models, implying that our models have STD's and are practicing unsafe Sex. We encourage our members to show their support of the CocoDorm by visiting these bloggers and posting comments to their blogs in favor of CocoDorm and the models.

Let us assure you that the CocoDorm is 100% SAFE and we will not close.

Thanks
CocoDorm Staff & Models!!

[Flavaworks]

Our Final Thoughts:

Flava Works, Inc is preparing to file a lawsuit against the agency in Chicago that in 2005 performed anonymous testing of model prospects and shared the results with the City of Chicago in violation of our contract.

Additionally, the City of Miami has backed down and dismissed all citations against the CocoDorm as we are well within the legal limits of the law and will continue to operate.

Flava Works has also identified the individuals and company responsible for sending the news media and neighbors these anonymous packages and we are preparing to file a multi-million dollar lawsuit against them for, among other things, unfair competition. When we file, a press release will be posted here.

To see this annoymouse packet that was sent, check here: http://taylorsiluwe.typepad.com/tayl...inista_on.html

For another viewpoint, check out Frank Leon Robert's blog: http://brooklynboyblues.blogspot.com...lavaworks.html

Thanks for everyone's Support!