NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE
DALLAS — A Dallas man says he's fighting for his freedom of religion.
Glenn Hudson says the city has no right to try and shut down his clubs — the Fenix Project and The Playground.
He says he has his own form of religion and runs faith-based programs to help teens and married couples. But the city of Dallas says The Playground is a swingers club. Investigators found beds inside and noted that patrons are provided with condoms.
Hudson called it a "spiritual outreach program ... that program is aimed at adults; that program is aimed at marriages... keeping marriages together, keeping couples together."
He said couples receive counseling at the facility.
News 8: "So what goes on inside that club?"
Hudson: "Socialization; socializing."
News 8: "Sex?"
Hudson: "No."
News 8: "Why are there beds and condoms then? Why are you providing condoms if there is no sex?"
Hudson: "We just give out condoms to people, period."
News 8 checked Web sites associated with The Playground. They openly advertise it as a swingers club, even though the address is registered with the city as a "church, mosque or synagogue."
News 8 found pictures of Hudson himself at one of the parties. We asked him what religion or faith he practices.
“I'm non-denominational," he said. "My faith is N.R.G. I believe in nature. My faith is, when you wake up in the morning and you look out your window and what you see... that's what I believe in."
He claims he's a non-profit group and the couples who go to The Playground give donations to get in. But News 8 found advertisements specifying cover charges.
Dallas police say undercover officers saw hard core pornography on big screen TVs.
”It's not 'hard core' porn," Hudson said. "If anything they have, it's instructional videos for couples and for married people to keep the sex exciting in their marriage."
The city says Hudson is a con man who is also trying to pass off a rave club near Love Field as a place of worship.
News 8 has extensively reported on The DarkSide (recently renamed the Fenix Project because of bad publicity).
Hudson claims his group works with troubled teens at the Fenix Project who go to the club, pray and find comfort.
“They are praying for friends," he said. "We have prayer requests. Kids have prayed for their moms who have cancer, or they are homeless and they don't got a job, they don't have anyplace to stay."
But multiple people interviewed by News said they observed no praying going on at the Fenix Project, which also has a cover charge.
“When it comes to like if this is a church and stuff like that, no... we are not a church. I mean, it's a club," said the facility's former assistant manager Alex Leal. "It's not a church. We are not going to pray; we are not going to pray to God, OK? We are coming to party, you come to have a good time."
Hudson said he should be allowed to operate his programs in the name of God.
The city says in the name of the law, they will shut him down.
A judge will decide at a hearing Wednesday morning if the clubs will stay open or will be closed.
E-mail rlopez@wfaa.com
