Ald. Jason Ervin: 2012 Bachelor Party A 'Private Event'

By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 25, 2014 4:20PM

Few things remain private in the information age. Alderman Jason Ervin (28th) found out the hard way Monday after video of a 2012 bachelor party—complete with strippers dropping it like it’s hot and performing lap dances—surfaced online. (The video is posted below and discretion is advised if you’re watching it at work.)

Ervin went into immediate damage control once news of the video broke and released a statement explaining away the bachelor party in case anyone living in his ward had the impression this may have happened during office hours.

In 2012 prior to my wedding, there was an event held by family and members of my wedding party. This event was my private bachelor party. Let me be clear, I never used City or campaign funds for this event. This event was not held in my Aldermanic or political office, but on another floor of the building, where neither City nor political funds are spent. I am deeply disappointed that an individual, whom I regarded as a friend, would attempt to extort me, my family, and the residents of the Ward for personal gain. I apologize to the residents of the 28th Ward for the attention that this has brought and I do not want this private event to overshadow the good work we have accomplished in the 28th Ward. My wife and I are committed to continued service of our community and we shall move forward.

The bachelor party was held on the third floor of the building where Ervin maintains his ward offices. The room is dark save for a single light framing a swivel chair. Ervin enters the frame at the 1:15 mark and can clearly be seen 30 seconds later leaning back in the chair getting a good view of the floor show.

Immediately after the alderman is caught on camera seated in the chair a woman can be heard off frame asking the man filming the (mostly boring) bachelor party to stop filming or the dancing will stop.

"Baby, this ain't nothing but silhouette," the man protests. The woman demanding the filming stop says, "It's not you... but this can get on the Internet."

No shit.

Only Ervin knows why he volunteered the information that someone released the video in an attempt to extort him but the video did prove to be embarrassing, at the very least. One political rival, Mark Carter, posted the video to his Facebook page over the weekend under the headline "Women for Ervin 2015."