Jim Smith was angry when he looked over the next aisle at the FYE Music & Movies store.
Just an aisle over from a section containing children’s cartoon videos, he noticed a section featuring adult movies.
The 24-year-old consultant of the anti-pornography group Ligthed Candle Society quickly complained to the store workers about the movies in a store that also featured children’s and family features. But he was quickly told that the store did not violate any laws by stocking adult movies as long as their covers were not offensive, the Deseret Morning News reported.
But Smith didn’t stop there. He then called police who responded by looking around the shop and told the activist that indeed, the store had done nothing wrong by carrying adult titles.
Detective Jed Johnson said that despite a thorough check of the store on June 29, there were no violations. The movies’ covers were shown to be inoffensive thus not illegal to display in the store, he explained.
Smith then went on to visit other stores like the Virgin Megastore and others and found adult videos as well, but when Smith called the police again, they also said there was nothing illegal about carrying adult titles.
Despite Smith’s arguments, police said they’ve received no other complaints about the stores.
Having had no luck in removing porn from the shops, Smith decided to shoot his own video outlining his findings at these video and music stores.
Smith says his footage will be added to an anti-porn documentary he’s making with Alex Boye, a former member of the British pop band Awesome.
But even as he rails against porn producers, Smith also complained that many Christians in Utah are consuming “massive” amounts of pornography which is fueling its growth in this community. But that he hopes people will help curb porn after they see his completed documentary.
Meanwhile, Smith is starting his own letter writing campaign to protest the stores, which also carry Hustler posters, T-shirts and Playboy products.
