SPRINGFIELD, MA — Adult emporium Amazing.net has been accused of continuing to operate viewing booths despite the revocation of its entertainment license in November.On Thursday, a police officer told a 90-minute public hearing the store was ignoring the license revocation as recently as Wednesday. The hearing was to help Mayor Charles V. Ryan determine whether the store, operated by Rhode Island-based Capital Video Corp., would receive a license to operate booths in 2008. Ryan issues the licenses, and previously revoked Amazing.net’s because police and health department officials said they encountered lewdness, crime and unsanitary conditions in the booths.
Although Amazing.net was ordered to close its booths, it was allowed to continue selling books, magazines, videos and sex toys. Its city business license is valid until mid-February 2009.
Thomas Lesser, an attorney representing Capital Video, said the store operated within the law and without creating a public nuisance throughout 2007. Published reports indicate the violations that led to the November license revocation actually occurred in 2006.
Lesser also said the store has installed video surveillance equipment in order to monitor the booths more closely. It would be unfair of the city to base Amazing.net’s 2008 entertainment license on past inadequacies, he told the mayor.
“If you’re going to include that, then you’re no longer an unbiased fact-finder,” he said, according to a report at MassLive.com. He also indicated if a 2008 license is denied, his client will challenge the decision in court.
Regardless, past conduct will be included in future licensing decisions, Ryan responded.
