CLINTON ST. QUARTERLY censorship’s double-edged blade is seen by feminists and civil libertarians alike, though somewhat different conclusions are drawn. Nat Hentoff of The Village Voice criticizes antipornography feminists for trying to do violence to free speech and declines to join in the boycotting of businesses profiting from porn, saying that it “ is hardly a proper pursuit for someone who values diversity of expression.” And Wendy Kaminer, an attorney and activist in the feminist movement against pornography, in a recent Nation article writes: “ Legislative or judicial control of pornography is simply not possible without breaking down the legal principles and procedures that are essential to our own right to speak and, ultimately, our freedom to control our own lives. We must continue to organize against pornography and the degradation and abuse of women, but we cannot ask the government to take up our struggle for us. The power it would assume in order to do so would be far more dangerous to us all than the ‘power’ of pornography.” Demonstration and Regulation In Portland, the struggle against pornography has taken a variety of political shapes. The most well- organized activity is taking place in the neighborhoods, where citizen groups are becoming more vocal in protesting the continual influx of adult book stores, peep shows, and lotion studios, often caused by rising downtown rents. In the past two years, about thirty such businesses have opened, and there is no sign that the trend will abate. It’s happening all over the country. Citizens have expressed their concerns to Commissioner Charles Jordan, District Attorney Hari Haas, and grassroots community organizations like Neighborhoods Against Crime (NAC). They say the porn shops detract from a cohesive, pleasant environment, that they bring crime and dangerous types into a neighborhood and that property values decline and the neighborhood atmosphere deteriorates. NAC’s Outer Southeast Coordinator, Sherry Sylvester, says citizen groups are forming to see what can be done about business licenses being granted surr e p t i t io u s ly to p o rn o g ra p h y businesses. “ In the South Tabor To confront the misogynist content of porn, Deierdre English suggests that women make their own. neighborhood, the citizens granted a variance to what they were told was a computer shop,” she says. “ It turned out to be a porno movie distributor. But now that it has started operating, there’s nothing they can do about it.” One route that citizen groups are exploring as a means of dealing with the spread of porn shops is land-use planning to limit the density of “ undesirable” businesses in neighborhoods. This “ divide and regulate” approach was first tried in Detroit, where city officials set out in 1962 to prevent the development of more “ skid rows” by subjecting certain businesses to a conditional permit process. Two key standards determined the basis for the permits: first, none of the adult-type businesses would be permitted within 500 feet of a residentially zoned area and, second, no such business would be permitted with 1,000 feet of any two other regulated businesses. The approach has been termed successful by some, because it sets clear standards for the type of businesses to be regulated, and because it has been upheld by the Supreme Court as constitutionally acceptable. The method is also being explored in Portland. Commissioner Jordan told a citizens’ meeting on Nov. 11 that he is in the process of developing such an ordinance. However, it does little to control the growth of the porn industry, so that a business which is zoned out of one area can just as easily open in another. Thus, it fails to address the victimization of women and connections with violence, but merely sets guidelines by which this abuse will be tolerated. Filth and Property Values It has become apparent by talking to some of these citizens that their concern has less to do with the mysogynist attitudes expressed in pornography and more to do with a “ moral response to the filth that is oozing into our neighborhoods,” as Alan Green puts it. He is chairperson of a citizen group that recently formed to fight the opening of The Flick Adult Bookstore on N.E. 82nd Avenue. Green, a Mormon, emphasizes the offense to moral decency which the shop represents, comparing it to “ a beast excreting on your lawn.” He claims that such businesses are “ gathering points for homosexuals who go in for prospective mates and engage in suspect practices,” and that prostitutes at the nearby motel solicit customers so near neighborhood residences that “ a man got propositioned while waiting to take his wife home from a Tupperware party.” This perspective on pornography was evident again at the Nov. 11 citizens’ meeting called to discuss concerns and strategy. Moral Response, a Christian-based political action group which targets liberal politicians for defeat, was represented. One of the speakers was Drew Davis, a rightwing fundamentalist Christian who ran his successful campaign for State Representative on his opponent’s alleged homosexuality, solely based on her expressed support for gay rights. 1 attended the Saturday, Nov. 22, picket of The Flick Adult Bookstore, the first in what the citizens’ group plans to be a regular series of pickets. The turnout was large; about 75 people marched up and down in front of the store at 82nd and Fremont, carrying signs like “ Keep Our Neighborhood Decent,” “ Our Children Deserve a Moral Environment,” "“ Porno Breeds Filth,” and “ No Nudes Is Good News.'’ Most were appeals to standards of moral decency with A Woman's Place Newsletter By Women About Women For Women A monthly publication of information focusing on the local women's community, events and announcements; includes all struggles which affect women. For all women $3.00 PER YEAR NAME ADDRESS CITY ZIP PHONE Mail to: A Woman's Place 2349 S.E. 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