Springfield, Massachusetts- [Masslive.com] Capital Video’s Amazing.net porn shop in Northampton is slated to open next month. Springfield’s experience with this chain, which dates back to 1990, is sobering. Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan will convene a License Commission hearing today at 3:30pm to consider rescinding Amazing.net’s entertainment license there. The hearing will take place at Springfield City Hall, 36 Court Street, Room 220 (map).

The problems that have been alleged to occur in or around the Amazing.net store at Apremont Triangle, such as prostitution, drug crimes, and the discouragement of other businesses, are common to adult enterprises and have been termed “secondary effects”.

Many other communities have found that the volume of secondary effects generated by one or more adult enterprises exceeds the capacity of regular law enforcement to address them. In St. Paul, local police grew so frustrated with the situation, and with the unwillingness of city officials to take action against problem adult enterprises, that they advised concerned citizens to leave their neighborhood.

For adult enterprises which have proven to be long-term nuisances in a community, and we believe Springfield’s Amazing.net is such an enterprise, the effective solution that brings lasting relief is to shut down the business. We hope the Springfield License Commission will take this step with respect to Amazing.net.