In today’s Gazette (“What may follow new ordinances”), Capital Video general counsel Lesley Rich claims the company enjoys “an excellent relationship with its host communities”.If that’s the case, I wonder why Springfield residents and officials pushed back against the expansion of the Capital Video store at 486 Bridge Street. The store was established in 1990. Capital […]
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Gazette: “Zoning laws set; But porn store’s plans unchanged”
Today’s Gazette reports on the City Council’s approval of adult-use zoning on November 2. The Republican also covers the story in “Council limits adult businesses”. Among other things, the new ordinances (see details) require that businesses with more than 1,000 square feet of adult material on display must locate in Northampton’s Highway Business District and be […]
Breaking News: City Council Gives Final Approval to Adult-Use Zoning Ordinances
We are pleased to report that Northampton’s City Council has just approved all three adult-use zoning ordinances under consideration. Each ordinance secured the required two-thirds majority of the council members. In brief, the ordinances regulate signage with adult content, require a 500-foot buffer zone between establishments with porn viewing booths and homes, and a 500-foot […]
WMass Librarians: No Sign of Censorship Following Adult-Use Zoning
Some of our opponents have argued that significant censorship is likely to follow if adult-use zoning regulations are passed in Northampton. Librarians in Western Massachusetts say this has not been their experience.NPN’s Jendi Reiter spoke today with librarians in several Massachusetts towns that passed adult-use zoning in the mid-1990s or earlier. We asked whether such measures […]
The Case for Secondary Effects
Some people question the reality of secondary effects of adult businesses. NoPornNorthampton would like to present a summary of some of our research into this issue. Secondary effects have been seen in towns as large as New York City and as small as Kittery, Maine. These effects have been seen in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, […]
Wayne Feiden Releases Final Draft of Adult-Use Ordinances for City Council to Vote on November 2
Wayne Feiden, Northampton’s Director of Planning and Development, has released final versions of several adult-use zoning ordinances for our city councilors to vote on tomorrow. We invite you to download the file and look it over:Adult-Use Zoning Ordinances – Final Draft of 10/31/06 (PDF)Some highlights: Establishments with porn viewing booths (private or semi-private) must be located in […]
Gazette: “Council to take 2nd vote on porn store regulations”
Today’s Gazette notes that the Northampton City Council will take a second and final vote on several adult-use zoning changes at its meeting on Thursday, November 2. These ordinances will affect signage, the location of stores with porn viewing booths, and the location of all large adult businesses. All the ordinances were approved by a […]
Steinem on Flynt: “This pornography is as different from sex as rape is from sex”
Pornographers like Larry Flynt style themselves heroes of the First Amendment, and say that to oppose their products is to oppose sex and support censorship. Gloria Steinem disagrees, reports The Boston Globe: In an op-ed piece in Tuesday’s New York Times, Gloria Steinem equated [Larry] Flynt with a publisher of Ku Klux Klan books or […]
Boston Globe Profiled Kenneth Francis Guarino in 1983
Kenneth Guarino started Capital Video in 1979. As early as 1983, The Boston Globe published a profile of him and his operations: …Although he was only 28 years old [in 1977], Guarino had become the biggest purveyor of pornography in New England…Guarino, who entered the business as a teenager, had risen to become one of […]
Salisbury, MA: Letting One Adult Entertainment Shop Set Up in an Area Makes It Easy for Others to Follow
The struggle over adult-use zoning in Northampton shouldn’t be seen as just an effort to keep one porn shop from 135 King Street. When one adult entertainment business establishes itself in an area, it makes it easy for others to follow. The Boston Globe reports from Salisbury, MA: With two adult clubs already established and a third […]