An anti-pornography group headed by a former registered sex offender, John Reneer, stationed itself adjacent to the parking lot of the Pure Pleasure adult video store and is threatening to reveal the identities of an already skittish clientele.
Reneer and his group called War-Line have been taking still photographs all week of patrons as they come and go, including capturing their license plates on camera and then posting that information on a website.
Reneer has reportedly been an unflagging presence in the first and only act of protest the Pure Pleasure has experienced since its opening in January of this year.
Pure Pleasure Manager Michelle told XBiz that Reneer and his anti-porn posse maintain a routine of similar protests against adult entertainment businesses in the Louisville area. But because of an alliance with the Grizzly Boot Company across the street, Renner and his group have been permitted to camp out on the boot store's property.
Grizzly's owner, a woman named Beth, has been against the adult entertainment store since the get-go. According to Michelle, yesterday she blocked Pure Pleasure's driveway with her car and claimed it had broken down.
"We just have to play this like a game, piece by piece," Michelle told XBiz, clearly distressed by the weeklong onslaught of physical and verbal harassment.
"They've been yelling at our customers, threatening to put them on the Internet and saying things like 'God's going to get you,'" he told XBiz. But so far, Renner and his gang have only managed to scare off what Michelle refers to as "a few" patrons.
The Pure Pleasure was marred with controversy from the day it opened against an ordinance that restricts adult businesses in certain areas of the city. The store's owner, Don Kleinhans, who owns a chain of similar stores throughout the South, joined up with several other Louisville-based adult entertainment stores claiming that the ordinance was unconstitutional. The Pure Pleasure and other stores have remained open while the Kentucky court system deals with the issue.
In the meantime, the Kentucky State Police have done very little to stop the harassment, despite Reneer's criminal past, which includes felony charges for armed robbery in 1966, allegations of murder, and a 1988 sodomy charge accompanied by first degree charges of trafficking a controlled substance.
Renner has been quoted as saying that he admits to his past and blames pornography for leading him to a life of crime.
Renner was quoted by the Courier-Journal as saying that War-Line's protest is an effort to raise public awareness about the materials inside the store.
"Pornography creates callous attitudes toward women, promotes casual sex and violence against women," Renner was quoted as saying.
Last Thursday, Pure Pleasure filed harassment and trespassing charges against Renner and his group, although Michelle told XBiz that his company has to wait for the court to approve the charges, and that the complaint will probably get thrown into mediation because of its misdemeanor status.
As a last report, Pure Pleasure employees installed a sprinkler system so that if Renner or any members of War-Line approach the store, they can water them down. They also brought in a convoy of semi-trucks and formed a barricade in front of the store, blocking Renner's view of visiting customers.
"We're hoping it's going to calm down," said Michelle, "But so far it's been pretty bad."