To celebrate July 4, it is our pleasure to present this ruling fresh from the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Here we see our Constitution being applied intelligently and with compassion for people who live and work around adult enterprises. Attorney Scott D. Bergthold helped the city of Daytona, Florida win a […]
Ordinances and Regulations
DC Porn Store Attracts Prostitution, Vagrants
In a situation similar to Apremont Triangle in Springfield, a porn shop with viewing booths has become a locus of prostitution and vagrancy in a Washington, DC neighborhood. The Hill reported in March: On Feb. 19, The Washington Post ran three stories lamenting the unrealized promises of revitalization made by proponents of the publicly financed […]
Springfield License Commission to Review Amazing.net on June 18: Mail Your Comments in Now
As we reported earlier, Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan will convene a License Commission hearing on Monday, June 18, at 3:30pm to consider rescinding an entertainment license for the adult store Amazing.net, located on Bridge Street on Apremont Triangle. The hearing will take place at Springfield City Hall, 36 Court Street, Room 220 (map). The public […]
Crime, Nuisances Motivate Cities to Regulate the Location of Adult Entertainment Uses
In 1988, Bruce Freeland, planning director of Bellevue, WA, surveyed the experience of other cities with adult enterprises. He finds that increased crime (e.g. rape, prostitution, drugs, robbery) and nuisances (e.g. noise, litter) often attend these businesses. Here are excerpts from his report: …adult entertainment regulations must seek to mitigate the secondary impacts of the […]
Valley Advocate: “Springfield Porn Store Comes Under Fire”
We are pleased to see the Valley Advocate cover the Amazing.net/Apremont Triangle situation in its May 31-June 6 edition. The article is similar to a May 24 post at Heather Brandon’s Urban Compass blog. From the article: Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan addressed a group at a May 17 event downtown to say that he will […]
The Evidence of Relationships Between Adult-Oriented Businesses and Community Crime and Disorder
Some people deny that Capital Video’s porn shop in Springfield (Amazing.net) is bringing prostitution to the Apremont Triangle neighborhood and retarding economic development there. Others cite a handful of studies to suggest that it is debatable whether adult enterprises impose a risk of secondary effects on their surroundings (e.g. crime, blight), ignoring the clear preponderance […]
NoPornNorthampton Reaches Out to Springfield Neighborhood with Advice on Adult Enterprises
[May 9 update: See Springfield Police Commissioner Edward Flynn’s email to NoPornNorthampton at Springfield Police Commissioner: “…it is fair to say that ‘Amazing’ constitutes an attractive nuisance that contributes to blighted conditions there”] On April 30, NoPornNorthampton mailed over 1,700 letters (PDF) to voters in the Apremont Triangle area of Springfield. This neighborhood is home […]
Dartmouth Law Journal Article: It Should be Legal to Possess Child Porn; Our Rebuttal
Even the ACLU opposes child pornography, at least when real children are depicted. Nevertheless, some people appear to remain irresistibly attracted to the challenge of arguing that possession of child porn should be legal. Cortelyou Kenney graduated summa cum laude with High Honors in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth College in 2005. Her thesis on political […]
How the Supreme Court Reconciles Adult-Use Zoning with the First Amendment
Young v. American Mini Theatres, Inc. (1976) is not a new decision, but it is worth revisiting for its discussion of the First Amendment. In this case, the US Supreme Court affirmed Detroit’s right to zone adult theaters. The Court recognizes the value of the First Amendment, but understands that it is not absolute, particularly […]
How the People Reclaimed Oklahoma City from a Major Eruption of Adult Businesses and Crime
Publicity campaigns and pressure on city officials helped Oklahoma City recover from a proliferation of adult enterprises in the 1980s. Jon Stephen Gustin, Retired Sergeant, Oklahoma City Police Department, tells the story in QUALITY OF LIFE: A Look At Successful Abatement of Adult Oriented Business Nuisances in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1984-1989) (PDF). Some excerpts: Traditionally […]