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By Kent Larsen
LDS Group Protests Porno Store
ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- An LDS group renewed its protests over an adult video
store Tuesday night in an effort to get the store shut down. About 80 people
showed up to the protest, including many youths and teenagers from The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, waving signs, flagging down
cars and chanting "Don't go in, it's a sin."
The group had taken two weeks off from its protests following the September
11th terrorist attacks, but returned Tuesday to the Love Shack adult video
store, located on Peachtree Parkway in Gwinnett County. Youths with the
group said they felt they were getting an education in protest, "I've never
done anything like this before," said Brandon Chastain. "It's kind of fun."
But store owner John Cornetta, who owns four other adult video stores,
wasn't amused. "These protests are ridiculous. These people are backwards
bigots who should focus their attention on more important matters --- like
rape, or drug dealing or defending our country. And that they would have
their children protest, I just can't believe it."
Cornetta had to fight to even be able to open his store, suing Gwinnett
County in U.S. Federal Court earlier this summer because he said that the
county zoning was too restrictive, allowing too few locations for adult
businesses. On July 16th, U.S. District Court Judge Beverly Martin agreed,
and Cornetta received a business license that afternoon for the Peachtree
Parkway store. As a result, the Gwinnett County Commission modified its
zoning laws to allow dozens of other locations.
In response, the LDS group started protesting over the store's opening. At
Tuesday night's protest, Cornetta fought back by offering a 20 percent
discount to those who shopped during the protest, and 50 percent off to
those on the picket line who brought in their signs, "This is our No. 1
property," he said. "We're not going anywhere."
But the group promised to also return. Simon Fullerton, 19, said that the
stores are "just bad for the community."
Source:
Protests resume at adult store
Atlanta GA Journal-Constitution 26Sep01 D1
By Andrea Jones: Staff
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