TARBORO, N.C. - The unopened Majestic Adult Center in downtown Tarboro isn't such a majestic new presence, if you ask some locals.
According to The Daily Southerner, a Town Council meeting last week saw three particularly vocal residents speak out in stern opposition to the store, whose move in has prompted the council to draft a new zoning ordinance for adult businesses.
One of the opposers, Jeana Braswell, told the council, "I'm standing up for the Lord, so pay attention."
Braswell said allowing a "smut shop" into her "classy town" posed a giant threat to the community, citing as cases-in-point the upcoming Easter Tournament, which brings in out-of-town high school baseball teams, and Halloween trick-or-treating downtown, which could rouse children's curiosity about the store when they see "toys" on its windows.
"We'll have a lot of explaining to do," Braswell said.
Both Braswell and Linda Knight, who followed her at the podium, operate day care centers.
Said Knight, "Tarboro doesn't need this."
Rev. Roy Gray also spoke out, asking, "How will Tarboro benefit from this?" and emphasizing that it was the "moral obligation" of men and women in the town to "protect the children."
The proposed zoning ordinance would require adult businesses to be located no less than 1,000 feet from day care centers, churches and other such establishments, and have opaque windows. If the ordinance passes, the Majestic Adult Center would have one year to come into compliance.
The council unanimously agreed to meet again Feb. 20 to call for a public hearing at its March meeting. The Majestic Adult Center is currently empty.
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