Motel with stripper poles is shut down over ‘deplorable’ conditions, Georgia police say
An Atlanta-area motel must close its doors after an inspection revealed conditions so “deplorable,” many of the rooms couldn’t be used, police said.
The rooms, some mounted with stripper poles, had black mold, broken furniture and exposed wires inside the Howard Johnson Hotel, better known as “Motel X,” in College Park, according to the city’s police department.
Inspectors raided the property on April 12 after complaints about its unsafe living conditions, authorities said in an April 17 news release.
“Throughout the inspection, several fire, health, and building codes were found to be in violation,” the release said, noting discarded furniture, moldy bathrooms and A/C units, and rooms with broken smoke detectors.
Authorities said the business had been operating without a license.
The Fulton County Board of Health decided to shutter the motel, which officials described as a “magnet and breeder of crime,” WXIA reported. Several families live at the property and have until April 27 to find a new place to stay.
“I mean it’s horrible because people are only (living) here because they have to be, not because they want to be,” one resident told the news station. “Most of us, anyway.”
The “fully-equipped” motel offered rooms at $20 for two hours and promised “everything you need to get the party started or keep the night going,” according to its website. Photos posted online show the rooms decked out with colorful LED lights, a mini fridge and glossy stripper poles.
“Children shouldn’t know anything about that,” the resident, who lives at the motel with her four kids, told WAGA. “I don’t know how they could get away with putting poles in the rooms.”
A local nonprofit is offering to assist families looking to relocate ahead of the motel’s closing, authorities said.
During the inspection, police also arrested two people and issued three citations for marijuana possession.
College Park is about 10 miles southwest of downtown Atlanta.