Another One: Porn dealers given notice

[directfiesta]

Funny how I never see the " good old Bush supporters " in those threads, you know the one saying to " put your tin foil hat "...
They probably are busy fixing their trailers ....

Oak Lawn police warn of possible obscenity charges

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Five Oak Lawn businesses were warned this week that selling adult magazines and videos could land them in court.

In a carefully worded letter to the business owners, Police Chief Bob Smith says he's working with Cook County prosecutors to determine whether the material violates state and local obscenity laws.

"Nobody is going to get thrown in jail right now," Smith said. "But we want people to know the law and know what they're selling in our community."

The letters were sent to four convenience stores and a video store, he said, declining to identify the stores.

Smith won't say whether the magazines and videos are legal or illegal, leaving that question to the state's attorney's office.

"But I would challenge anyone to look at this (material) and say they want it in their community," he said.

Smith would not name the publications but said Playboy magazine is not among them.

"This is the kind of thing that goes far, far beyond Playboy," he said.

The pornography issue was first brought up by village resident Mark Decker, 36, a self-employed carpet cleaner who objects to the sale of adult magazines.

In June, he told village officials that some videos and magazines sold in Oak Lawn violate obscenity laws. Trustee Marjorie Joy (5th) asked police to investigate whether laws were being broken.

In July, Smith sent detectives to every store in the village that sells adult magazines and videos to buy what he termed a "representative sample." Less than $150 was spent, he said.

Smith wrote a case study for each store, including detailing what type of sexual acts are depicted in various magazines. The studies were mailed to the five store owners this week.

"Some of the magazines are covered with plastic wrap, and the clerks might not know what they're even selling," Smith said. "Now, they know what is being sold."

The owners also were sent copies of Illinois and Oak Lawn obscenity laws. A cover letter states that samples of purchased material have been sent to the state's attorney's office for review.

A state's attorney spokesman would not confirm or deny that any pornography investigation is under way in Oak Lawn.

James Baker, owner of H & B X-Press Mart, 10327 Central Ave., said he didn't think he was breaking the law by selling the magazines. He said Smith visited the store several months ago, checked that adult magazines were being kept behind the counter and said the store was following the law.

"I don't want to create any problems, and if the police want us to stop selling it, we will. It's not that big of a deal," Baker said, noting that adult magazine sales make up a very small portion of his store's profit.

Smith said his earlier check at H & B was simply part of a villagewide effort to make sure adult material was being sold behind the counter, and it did not address the content of the publications.

Trustee Jerry Hurckes (1st) said the owner of the Citgo gas station, at Nashville Avenue and 95th Street, got Smith's letter and will stop selling adult magazines. The store's owner could not be reached for comment.

Mayor Dave Heilmann said the reaction by the Citgo owner was a positive one for the community.

"From a community-values standpoint, I don't think you'll find any disagreement from people in Oak Lawn," Heilmann said. "We don't want children exposed to obscenity, and we'll do the best we can to protect them from that."

Heilmann said the village is not at the point of prosecuting people, and the intent of Smith's letter is to educate.

Should Oak Lawn seek to prosecute the store owners, it would not be easy, said Michael Polelle, a professor at John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

An obscenity case must establish that the average person applying "contemporary community standards" would find the material appealing to "prurient interest," Polelle said.

Second, it must be shown that the material depicts "in a patently offensive way" certain sexual acts, bodily functions or exhibition of the genitals, Polelle said. Third, it must be shown that the material has no literary, artistic, political or scientific value, he said.

"I haven't heard of a prosecution on this in a long time because it's so difficult to prove," Polelle said

For example, if a magazine shows only sexual activity and has no articles or other value, it still has to be proven to a jury that it violates community standards.

"How do you prove that it violates the whole community's standards?" Polelle said. "Do you take a poll?"

Smith said the issue isn't about his own views on pornography nor is it a moral vendetta.

"If you want to say these magazines and videos are OK, that's fine," he said. "But then there shouldn't be a law on the books for obscenity."

Amazing... If not for the date, I would have tought that it was a story from the 50's...

[NetRodent]

Sounds good to me. The less porn there is in gas stations the more people will look for it online.

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by NetRodent

Sounds good to me. The less porn there is in gas stations the more people will look for it online.

I presume you are joking ....

[NetRodent]

Not at all. Porn is appealing, largely, because it is taboo. As porn becomes more societally acceptable it loses a lot of its allure. The biggest threat to the porn industry, is its own success.

[KRL]

China arrested another 101 webmasters for running adult chat rooms and porn sites.

[u-Bob]

Originally Posted by NetRodent

Sounds good to me. The less porn there is in gas stations the more people will look for it online.

[latinasojourn]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

I presume you are joking ....

no. for business, the more ubiquitous the smut the less profitable it is.

profits are always highest when supply is low.

[Brujah]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

Funny how I never see the " good old Bush supporters " in those threads, you know the one saying to " put your tin foil hat "...

Because they're conditioned to be blind to reality and intelligence ?

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by latinasojourn

no. for business, the more ubiquitous the smut the less profitable it is.

profits are always highest when supply is low.

So you think that the " morality police " will go on vacation once gas stations ( and a Video Store .. ) are cleansed of the vil pornography ????

No, they surely wont go against the " on line " business , because .... ?????

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by latinasojourn

no. for business, the more ubiquitous the smut the less profitable it is.

profits are always highest when supply is low.

And if this is so true, why the fuck you kids give it away every fucking day ...

[Toolz]

You've got to be fucking kidding me, so the magazines are wrapped and BEHIND the counter. Can we remove alcohol and cigs from convenience stores too? Someone could drink that liquor and cause an accident, or they could smoke those cigarette's and get cancer. But damn, god forbid someone jack off to some wrapped behind the counter porn, the whole country is going to hell.


"Some of the magazines are covered with plastic wrap, and the clerks might not know what they're even selling," Smith said. "Now, they know what is being sold."

James Baker, owner of H & B X-Press Mart, 10327 Central Ave., said he didn't think he was breaking the law by selling the magazines. He said Smith visited the store several months ago, checked that adult magazines were being kept behind the counter and said the store was following the law.

[Sarah_Jayne]

Originally Posted by NetRodent

Sounds good to me. The less porn there is in gas stations the more people will look for it online.

.....and then they came for me

[fetishblog]

*yawn*

More of the same.

[Brujah]

I can't find this story, can you provide a LINK please ?

[atom]

the city made the gas stations in my town do it 9 years ago because the locals bitched. They were told to remove the magz or would face charges on violating obscenity laws. big fucking deal, if enough people in the community bitch its gonna happen and the city/state can make their life hell. it has nothing to do with the feds, it has to do with the local powers deeming what they feel is obscene. obviously if enough people bitch they are gonna take that into consideration.

[WarChild]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

Funny how I never see the " good old Bush supporters " in those threads, you know the one saying to " put your tin foil hat "...
They probably are busy fixing their trailers ....



Amazing... If not for the date, I would have tought that it was a story from the 50's...

Let me try and run down some of the facts.

I assume we're talking about Oak Lawn, Illinois here.

- The Govenor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, is a Democrat.
- The US State's Senators are Richard J. Durbin (Democrat) and Barack Obama (Democrat).
- This was touched off by a local sheriff and not by a Federal prosecutor.
- There's no mention of Federal involvment in the article at all.

Damn those Republicans!

[Libertine]

Originally Posted by sarah_webinc

.....and then they came for me

...but I was in a different country and on a different continent.

[smack]

Originally Posted by Toolz

You've got to be fucking kidding me, so the magazines are wrapped and BEHIND the counter. Can we remove alcohol and cigs from convenience stores too? Someone could drink that liquor and cause an accident, or they could smoke those cigarette's and get cancer. But damn, god forbid someone jack off to some wrapped behind the counter porn, the whole country is going to hell.


"Some of the magazines are covered with plastic wrap, and the clerks might not know what they're even selling," Smith said. "Now, they know what is being sold."

James Baker, owner of H & B X-Press Mart, 10327 Central Ave., said he didn't think he was breaking the law by selling the magazines. He said Smith visited the store several months ago, checked that adult magazines were being kept behind the counter and said the store was following the law.

lung cancer and car wrecks aren't morally pervasive. jesus told me so himself.

[BoyAlley]

could you post a link to this article please?

[pocketkangaroo]

Originally Posted by KRL

China arrested another 101 webmasters for running adult chat rooms and porn sites.

We become more and more like them everyday.

[Veterans Day]

Originally Posted by WarChild

Let me try and run down some of the facts.

I assume we're talking about Oak Lawn, Illinois here.

- The Govenor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, is a Democrat.
- The US State's Senators are Richard J. Durbin (Democrat) and Barack Obama (Democrat).
- This was touched off by a local sheriff and not by a Federal prosecutor.
- There's no mention of Federal involvment in the article at all.

Damn those Republicans!

I got a bunch of relatives in Oak Lawn Its close to the city, the closer to the city you become the more democratic controlled it becomes

[Sarah_Jayne]

Originally Posted by punkworld

...but I was in a different country and on a different continent.

Well, as an American, I am an American whereever I live. Plus, all it takes is a change of gov't here and we will be in the same boat.

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by Brujah

I can't find this story, can you provide a LINK please ?

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southt...ews/131nd2.htm

[Brujah]

Oak Lawn pressed on anti-Playboy fight

By Victoria Pierce
Special to the Tribune
Published July 14, 2005

An Oak Lawn man is not giving up on a campaign to remove pornography
from video stores, gas stations and the public library.
Mark Decker approached the Village Board Tuesday about enforcing village
obscenity ordinances, which prevent the distribution of obscene
materials.

http://www.safelibraries.org/oak_law...ria_pierce.htm

Trustee Marjorie Joy did some sleuthing of her own, visiting a local video store that has an adults-only backroom with pornographic movies for rent.

What she saw shocked her.

"Not only is it obscenity. It is the exploitation of women. It is a disgrace," Joy told the board. "I believe the majority of people in the village do not want it. ... Every woman in this village should stand up and say this is a disgrace."

[Brujah]

Same people.

Playboy a cause of Crime on Kids, Women

Reisman stated that the latest advances in neuroscience have shown that pornographic visual images imprint and alter the brain, triggering an instant, involuntary, but lasting biochemical memory trail in both "soft-core" and "hard-core" pornography.

http://www.safelibraries.org/playboy...kids_women.htm

[KingK7]

Originally Posted by NetRodent

Not at all. Porn is appealing, largely, because it is taboo. As porn becomes more societally acceptable it loses a lot of its allure. The biggest threat to the porn industry, is its own success.

Good point

[uno]

Originally Posted by Brujah

Oak Lawn pressed on anti-Playboy fight

By Victoria Pierce
Special to the Tribune
Published July 14, 2005

An Oak Lawn man is not giving up on a campaign to remove pornography
from video stores, gas stations and the public library.
Mark Decker approached the Village Board Tuesday about enforcing village
obscenity ordinances, which prevent the distribution of obscene
materials.

http://www.safelibraries.org/oak_law...ria_pierce.htm

Trustee Marjorie Joy did some sleuthing of her own, visiting a local video store that has an adults-only backroom with pornographic movies for rent.

What she saw shocked her.

"Not only is it obscenity. It is the exploitation of women. It is a disgrace," Joy told the board. "I believe the majority of people in the village do not want it. ... Every woman in this village should stand up and say this is a disgrace."

Hasn't the Supreme Court already ruled against all this for libraries?

[blackmonsters]

Some states that are against porn have the legal age of sexual consent as low as 16.
Hmmmmmmm!!!