The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office said an anti-porn group is permitted to solicit donations for its efforts to keep an adult store from opening in Northampton.
NoPorn Northampton had been told to stop soliciting donations by the state’s Division of Public Charities because political groups are allowed to solicit funds for political measures in a specific election, The Republican reported.
But Terence O. Burke, a spokesman with the Attorney General’s office, said the group filled out a form that included a statement of purpose, making its funds solicitation legal when it received a certificate of solicitation.
The organization, is headed by the husband and wife team of Adam R. Cohen and Jendi Reiter, who earlier this month began soliciting local residents for money for its cause through bulk mailings and through their Web site, NoPornNorthampton.com.
Cohen said his group has raised about $2,000.
The couple has organized meetings, lobbied for zoning ordinances to regulate adult businesses and circulated a petition to keep Capital Video Corporation from opening up an adult video store at 135 King St.
The couple has also begun a letter-writing campaign targeting Barry G. Goldberg, who owns the 135 King St. building. The letters ask Goldberg to consider the negative effects that an adult store would have on the community.
Already, the City Council is considering amendments to the zoning law, regulating where adult businesses could be located.
Capital is scheduled to present its proposal to the Planning Board tonight, but Planning Director Wayne M. Feiden said the presentation will likely be postponed until the City Council takes action on its zoning amendments.
