Protestors with a group called the Jackson County Community Watchdogs — who for more than two years have been protesting outside a Uniontown, Ind., adult shop called the Lion’s Den — have invited a group of law enforcement officials, prosecutors, politicians, clergymen and members of the media on the tour, according to the Louisville-based Courier-Journal.
“We want to show people what can happen when you turn your head,” said Ralph Sweany, identified as the activist group’s legal liaison. “You let these businesses get a foothold [and] pretty soon you’ve got a porn district.”
The tour, paid for by donations from local churches, will travel from the Jackson County courthouse to the Lion’s Den, then south along I-65 to an adult business in Clark County. Later, the tour will head to Louisville to view a set of adult businesses there and to hear a presentation from the owner of a hunting and outdoor supply shop who will talk about the impact of an adult store that opened up next door but has since shut down.
Rob Patterson, an activist from Louisville, said that the itinerary for the tour has not yet been completed and will include testimonials and “undercover” information obtained by the Jackson County watchdog group.
Paterson said the tour is modeled on a similar tour conducted in 2003, when members of the Louisville Metro Council were taken around to video stores and adult businesses in the area.
“Many people consider [the 2003 tour] a big success because several of the council members who took the tour later supported a revision of Louisville’s adult entertainment ordinance that called for tighter restrictions on adult businesses, Paterson said.
In addition to the tour of adult shops, some activists have been taking pictures of adult business owners, customers entering and exiting adult businesses, and at least one prominent attorney associated with the adult industry — and then posting those images on a website that purports to be an “anti-rape” website.
According to its “goals” page, War-Line.com seeks to “combat sexual assault and rape in every form via communication and personal preventive intervention … support victims of sex crimes … educate the public regarding the severity of long-term effects suffered by victims of sex offenses … promote public awareness regarding pre-offense warning signs often exhibited by sex offenders … alert the public to the danger posed by sex offenders who decline or refuse to participate in an accredited sex offender treatment program … and assist and encourage sex offenders to successfully participate in an accredited sex offender treatment program.”
On the site's “You’re Busted!” page, however, another goal of the site is made clear: To embarrass customers, business owners and others associated with adult entertainment, and to assert a direct connection between adult entertainment and violent sex crimes.
“War-Line is serious about fighting organizations that lend to pornography, destroy lives and families in our communities around the country,” states the page. “As you well know, nude/bikini bars and adult bookstores are two organizations that cause much of the pain and suffering in our society. In addition, they tend to lead to sexual assault due to the ‘frenzy from aroused men’ that frequent these locations.”
The page announces the group’s intention to “frequent these locations” as well, stating that they will bring with them their cameras and warning that “if you wish to enter a nude/bikini bar or adult bookstore, your photo could wind up on our site!”
“How would you like for your mother, wife, father, children, pastor or others to see your photo on the worldwide web as you enter one of these establishments? Think twice before you plan to visit one of these facilities or you could ‘get busted’ on War-Line,” the page states.
Mixed in among adult business owners and their clientele on the War-Line photo page — which currently has a total of 16 photos — is a headshot of well-known 1st Amendment attorney H. Louis Sirkin of the Cincinnati law firm Sirkin, Pinales & Schwartz.
Sirkin’s photo appears on the page with the caption “Louis (Lying Louie) Sirkin, Smut mutt attorney.”
Sirkin was unavailable for comment by post time.