The Detroit News Metro Street Enforcement Team members Kevin Scott and Sabrina Johnson take evidence into the preliminary hearing. Businesses and people targeted are provided by officers assigned to the unit. Westland Police Lt. The store remains closed but the owners have filed a lawsuit against police over the issue. Hundreds are expected to attend the preliminary examination for five men involved in operating the Book Shack adult book shop.
Prosecutors hope to present enough evidence to warrant a criminal trial against the five.
Police also have targeted motels along Michigan Avenue, driving prostitutes and drug dealers away from the city. Community activists concerned about the effect of adult stores on the city's image are going after the owners with increased vengeance. Some have enlisted the help of state lawmakers and national movements that fight pornography. Book Shack owners were charged in August after undercover officers found evidence of illegal activity, authorities say. For example, Ypsilanti officials, in exchange for guilty pleas for money laundering and allowing lewd activities at local bookstores, took ownership of a downtown building that for years was an adult bookstore.