Mayor to Northwestern Students: There is No Brothel Law

Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, 5th Ward Alderman Delores Holmes, and 7th Ward Alderman Jane Grover told Northwestern University students Wednesday evening that the so-called "brothel law" does not exist in Evanston.

The government representatives spoke at an Associate Student Government meeting Wednesday at the school.  They answered questions regarding student/resident relations and touched on a few other topics.

Mayor Tisdahl began the meeting by dispelling any concerns surrounding the “brothel law.”  In January, a Northwestern student newspaper reported that the city of Evanston vowed to enforce an .  However, the mayor Wednesday told students that this ordinance is “nonexistent.”

 “There is no brothel law and there never was any change in our policies,” Tisdahl said.  “So when I got all these emails and phone calls from parents, I was amazed that much misinformation got out that quickly.  But in the future, cities do not want empty buildings.  Cities work very hard to avoid eviction.” 

Once Tisdahl set the record straight, the tone of the meeting became more positive.  Students asked city council members how Northwestern students could better improve relations with Evanston residents.  Council members also went out of their way to compliment the Northwestern student body. 

“The thing I like about Evanston ... is the people,” Tisdahl said. “I think the greatest asset Northwestern offers are the students and the professors.  Students have a lot of resources to give to this city.  I think the university is a tremendous asset to the community.”

Grover and Holmes chimed in, agreeing that having the university in the community is advantageous.  Grover then explained different ways the students could work with the community to eradicate any tension. 

“Let’s find a different way to talk about the university/city partnership,” she said. “Let’s not refer to students as kids because you’re not kids, you’re residents.  This is a very mature relationship.”

Tisdahl added, “Let’s get past the old bad feud days, and figure out how to get along.  ...  Let's try to resolve these problems instead of having fights over nonexistent brothel laws.”