Clamping down on Sex Toys in Texas

twitchy · March 26th, 2006, 08:45 AM

Texas Adult Store Raided
By Michael Hayes
Thursday, March 23, 2006

KENNEDALE, Texas — Acting under the authority of a search warrant, local police raided an adult novelty store, confiscating sex toys and pornography. According to public safety chief Scott Raven, a team of officers served the warrant at The Log Cabin late this morning. The search, which closed the store, is expected to take six to eight hours. The total amount of seized materials is expected to fill two vanloads, according to Raven.

This raid is the latest move in an ongoing battle by the city to regulate adult establishments operating in the Mansfield Highway area. In the fall of 2004 police arrested five employees of Crystal’s Dreamer’s Video and The Log Cabin for obscenity.

“We made sure before we came up here and strung that yellow crime tape that we did everything we could,” said Mayor Jim Norwood, who is also a pastor.

The warrant, which was signed by District Judge James Wilson, was based on evidence obtained by undercover officers posing as customers. Judge Wilson viewed the material in question and ruled that it was obscene under Texas law.

Texas Law defines obscenity as that which the “average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that taken as a whole appeals to the prurient interest in sex.”

According to City Manager David Miller, owners of The Log Cabin could face felony jail time for promoting and distributing obscene material, if charged and convicted.

The owners of The Log Cabin could not be reached for comment.

http://www.xbiz.com/news_piece.php?id=14075

Amazing waste of police resources.

Rogue · March 26th, 2006, 09:03 AM

Like there's nothing better to do. It's ok to rape several women...so long as you don't do it with a rubber dildo. Jesus, certain states are getting more ridiculous by the minute.

twitchy · March 26th, 2006, 10:03 AM

Looked up the mayor and found the reason he was elected.
"
Saturday, June 5, 2004
Kennedale, Texas — Patrons of the XXX Super Store and the Fantasy Foxx strip club have been getting a souvenir in the mail recently: an I-know-where-you've-been postcard emblazoned with a photo of the customer's car parked outside one of the adult businesses.
The card reads: "Observed you in the neighborhood. Didn't know if you were aware there is a church in the area."

Oakcrest Family Church pastor Jim Norwood and his followers have been snapping the pictures and mailing out the cards over the past six months or so -- a campaign that helped Norwood get elected mayor of this Fort Worth suburb last month with 66 percent of the vote."(rest of article at http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/ju...mayor_elected/)

Grimmlok · March 26th, 2006, 12:29 PM

I would have them strung up for harrassment and threats. Wtf is that shit? Where do they get off doing that?
Holy fuck.

Sojiita · March 26th, 2006, 01:27 PM

I said it before and will say it again..Texas has it's eyes set on taking the 'crazy state' trophy away from Florida.

dakodas · March 26th, 2006, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grimmlok

I would have them strung up for harrassment and threats. Wtf is that shit? Where do they get off doing that?
Holy fuck.

Uh, you DON'T have that power!

Rogue · March 26th, 2006, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakodas

Uh, you DON'T have that power!

No but the police should be able to. As long as it's legal, it no other bastard's business what you do, who you do, or where you go, and they have no right to intimidate people in such a manner.

dakodas · March 26th, 2006, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue

No but the police should be able to. As long as it's legal, it no other bastard's business what you do, who you do, or where you go, and they have no right to intimidate people in such a manner.

Uh, even though I do not agree with it, we had established in other posts that the law was being interpreted to mean that dildos were verbotten. Oh, and policemen do not make the law. It is not illegal anywhere to send a person a letter that says you saw them buying porn.

SVZ · March 26th, 2006, 01:57 PM

what if it was used as blackmail?

dakodas · March 26th, 2006, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVZ

what if it was used as blackmail?

Then a GRAND JURY would decide if it was a crime, not the police.

Rogue · March 26th, 2006, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakodas

Uh, even though I do not agree with it, we had established in other posts that the law was being interpreted to mean that dildos were verbotten. Oh, and policemen do not make the law. It is not illegal anywhere to send a person a letter that says you saw them buying porn.

Ok, I am well aware policemen do not make the law.

It is not illegal to send people such letters. It was also not illegal (at times) during the First World War to send someone a feather for not signing up. Doesn't make it any less of an intimidatory gesture. It essentially constitutes stalking, to send people such letters, and I find it highly disturbing that such a 'preacher' who uses such nasty little methods, could be elected for anything. At the very least, such behaviour should be frowned upon by others, not applauded. Fundamental freedoms, anyone?

Texas needs to sort it's shit out, and deal with real issues of crime, not conforming to a hypocritical theocratic 'norm'

Grimmlok · March 26th, 2006, 02:39 PM

Uh, I'm sorry but I would have the police knocking on that church's door and I would be charging the author of those letters for harrassment pure and simple. I would also charge them with stalking if it happened more than once. Not only that, I would have them charged with blackmail since the letter was DISTRIBUTED. I would have their asses in court so fucking fast and I would push till they got the maximum fine/sentence available.

So yes, in effect you CAN charge people for harrassing you in such ways. Kthxbye.

dakodas · March 26th, 2006, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grimmlok

Uh, I'm sorry but I would have the police knocking on that church's door and I would be charging the author of those letters for harrassment pure and simple. I would also charge them with stalking if it happened more than once. Not only that, I would have them charged with blackmail since the letter was DISTRIBUTED. I would have their asses in court so fucking fast and I would push till they got the maximum fine/sentence available.

So yes, in effect you CAN charge people for harrassing you in such ways. Kthxbye.

As a citizen you cannot make the police do anything. You can sue for harrassment but that doesn't involve the police. It is a lawsuit. You can tell the police you have been stalked but a JUDGE has to decide that you were indeed stalked before the police do anything.

SVZ · March 26th, 2006, 02:49 PM

Is it true citizens can do the "citizen's arrest" thing? Or is that just a movie myth...

dakodas · March 26th, 2006, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue

Ok, I am well aware policemen do not make the law.

It is not illegal to send people such letters. It was also not illegal (at times) during the First World War to send someone a feather for not signing up. Doesn't make it any less of an intimidatory gesture. It essentially constitutes stalking, to send people such letters, and I find it highly disturbing that such a 'preacher' who uses such nasty little methods, could be elected for anything. At the very least, such behaviour should be frowned upon by others, not applauded. Fundamental freedoms, anyone?

Texas needs to sort it's shit out, and deal with real issues of crime, not conforming to a hypocritical theocratic 'norm'

A fundamental freedom is to send a letter saying you saw someone outside a porno shop. If you think it is harrassment, contact the police. Then a judge decides to issue a warrant or not.