Today’s Gazette reports on the Planning Board meeting scheduled for tonight. Capital’s Video’s Site Plan has been scheduled for review at 8:30pm, but the board may decide to “continue” (delay) voting on the plan in light of adult-use zoning now being considered by the City Council.“Even if a vote isn’t taken, [senior planner Carolyn] Misch said, the […]
The Psychology of Porn for Men
What does porn do to men? Edward Marriott investigates for The Guardian (2003)… At its most basic level, pornography answers natural human curiosity. Adolescent boys want to know what sex is about, and porn certainly demonstrates the mechanics. David Morgan, consultant clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst at the Portman Clinic in London, which specialises in problems […]
Springfield Citizens Beat Back an Expansion of Their Capital Video Porn Shop
Capital Video has had a porn shop at 486 Bridge Street in Springfield since 1990. Many citizens and local businesses were unhappy about it from the start. To protest the shop, residents Leslie Pasquini and her husband Ronald “helped garner 600 signatures sent to [District Attorney William M.] Bennett.” (Union-News, 1/24/92, p. 20)City Councilor William […]
Preserve Northampton, Former King Street Resident Asks Mayor
Albert Lavallee wrote the following to Mayor Higgins today…As a former Northamptonite who resided at 128 King Street from 1939 to 1956, I think it is a travesty that [a porn] business could operate at the old Chevrolet Dealership. It would appear to me that any other business than a porn shop could successfully operate […]
A Response to Capital Video Attorney Michael Pill: Intimidation, Rhetoric, and the Facts
Michael Pill, the attorney for pornography franchise Capital Video Corporation, handed out a memorandum (PDF) at the October 19 City Council meeting that seriously misrepresents the facts and issues at stake in the controversy over Capital Video’s plans to open a 6,200-square-foot adult emporium at 135 King Street, adjacent to a residential neighborhood. Dr. Pill (he has […]
A Response to “Critics of the porn store don’t speak for everyone”
Today’s Gazette publishes a letter to the editor by Robin Maltz of Northampton. She agrees with NoPornNorthampton in that she believes “the porn industry is corrupt, sexist and exploitative.” She also “take[s] issue with the proposed location of Capital Video” at 135 King Street.Ms. Maltz is less approving of our recent mass-mailed open letter to […]
Who Are the Underdogs?
Capital Video’s attorney, Michael Pill, likes to style himself as the defender of the underdog. Let’s ask, who is the underdog in this situation, and who has power?Capital Video describes itself as “the largest adult retail chain in the nation”. Owner Kenneth Guarino told Dun & Bradstreet that sales for 2005 amounted to $21,005,399. He […]
Shame, Not Always a Bad Thing
Many porn shop defenders appear to believe that shame is always bad, and public shaming is always wrong. Capital Video attorney Michael Pill is quoted in today’s Republican as saying, “‘I hope we’ve gone beyond Puritan Massachusetts and the scarlet letter and public shaming.’”We say that shame is not always bad. Shame is a natural […]
Pornography Trains and Indoctrinates Prostitutes
80% of prostitution survivors at the WHISPER Oral History Project reported that their customers showed them pornography to illustrate the kinds of sexual activities in which they wanted to engage. 52% of the women stated that pornography played a significant role in teaching them what was expected of them as prostitutes. 30% reported that their […]
Attorney General Issues Certificate for Solicitation to NoPornNorthampton
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Division of Public Charities has issued a Certificate for Solicitation to NoPornNorthampton. This means we are now permitted to raise funds from the public. As we’ve stated before, we have no intention or expectation of making a profit from our activism. We use donated funds to support our efforts in research, education and […]