TAMPA, FL — After five months of uninvited visitors outside of Mons Venus, owner Joe Redner had had enough. The protesters frequented the outside of the establishment.
Preachers Larry Keffer and Micah Armstrong, of the Biblical Research Center, protested outside of the strip club Saturday night. Redner said the group has protested in the past, but Saturday’s event was the most disruptive, including a megaphone.
The group was yelling at patrons as the entered and exited the building, shouting at patrons. “God is not impressed with the size of your breasts! God is not impressed with your talent!” yelled one of the protesters.
Keffer said that Redner reacted inappropriately to their protest when he came out of the building. “Redner came out there, basically crazy, running around with an air horn,” Keffer said. “I think [he busted] our ear drums, to be quite honest.”
At one point, the argument turned to homosexuality.
Armstrong claims that Redner assaulted them, saying, “He hit Larry and touched me a couple of times.” While the video does show Redner around the group, it didn’t actually capture an assault. Redner denies the claim.
The street preachers do not intend to file a police report. Instead, they hope their message goes to the people that frequent Mons Venus, saying, “They’re living in sin, and if they continue to live that way, they’re going to go to hell.”
Redner plans to combat further protests with “a louder air horn” and a noise meter.