Citizen’s Rally Prevents Porno Bookstore from Opening     3/13/2002

Citizen’s Rally Prevents Porno Bookstore from Opening
By Martha Kleder

“You never know how many like-minded people are out there until you take the first step.”
— Dianne Esplin

A local citizens’ rally started by a neophyte family advocate has stopped the opening of an adult book and video store in a local strip mall in Washington state.

The Thistle mall, located in Auburn, Washington, just south of Seattle, was a frequent stop for Auburn families. Containing a pizza shop, a dry cleaner and a pet store, it is just blocks from the local school.

Led by resident Dianne Esplin, about 500 citizens attended a meeting March 5 with the owner of the strip mall and Paul Chung, the owner of the “Deja Blue” adult shop.

“I first saw the sign for Deja Blue when I was bringing my children home from the doctor,” Esplin told C&F Report. “From there, I tracked down the mall’s owner to voice my concerns and to arrange a meeting among the mall owner, Mr. Chung and concerned citizens.”

Esplin, 34, is a church-going mother of three who wouldn’t describer herself as an activist. She even told us that she previously “hadn’t been connected” to her neighborhood. She added that she was surprised at how quickly her efforts paid off.

“I told some friends about the meeting and they took it from there,” Esplin said. “They made flyers and distributed them in the community. On the evening of the meeting, about 500 people were on hand, many with picket signs.”

“I was teary-eyed at this outpouring because I fully expected to be the only one from the community to attend,” she said.

State Director Anne Ball of Concerned Women for America of Washington was in Auburn the evening of the meeting, starting CWA’s new prayer/action chapter.

“We were praying about this very issue on our first night,” Ball told C&F Report. “It’s thrilling to see this mom bring others in her neighborhood together to uphold a higher community standard, protect their kids, and preserve their property values. We need more Dianne Esplins in this state!”

The meeting became rather heated at times as citizens made it clear that Chung’s sex business was not welcome and that their protests wouldn’t end until his shop was gone.

“We don’t want you here,” shouted someone from the crowd. “We want your sign down in three days and we want you out of our neighborhood.” The meeting was covered by three of four local television networks including KOMO-TV 4 (online article and video), and a south King County newspaper.

Moments after the meeting, Chung, an Asian immigrant who spoke through an interpreter, said that he would not open the adult store.

“These Auburn people,” Chung said, “I guess are not ready for the store yet.” Chung continues to operate a restaurant in the same strip mall.

Esplin said Chung was genuinely surprised by the community reaction and even broke into tears at one point during the meeting.

“I am most encouraged by the number of men who showed up that evening,” said Esplin.

“The men, who numbered about half of those in attendance, kept the meeting from becoming overly emotional; they kept it calm,” she added. “They also made it clear to Mr. Chung that his patron base, the men of our community, didn’t welcome him either.”

Some in the media have sought to portray her efforts as racist, but Esplin dismissed the charge as ridiculous. “I wouldn’t have done anything different if it were a white male who was opening a porn store,” she said.

When asked what was the biggest lesson she had learned about fighting local pornography, she said it was the surprising result of faithfulness.

“I can’t recall how many people have come to me and said, ‘We saw the sign, too, and were sick to our stomachs, but we never knew what, if anything, we could do about it,’” Esplin said.

“What I did — simply arranging a face-to-face meeting — wasn’t big, but it became huge,” she added. “You never know how many like-minded people are out there until you take the first step.”

TAKE ACTION
Contact Diane Esplin and thank her for getting involved and helping to protect children and families in her neighborhood from the evils of pornography. She is also looking for input from other pro-family activists who have successfully fought against pornography in their communities. She can be contacted by e-mail.

Another excellent resource in the battle against porn is the Cincinnati-based Citizens for Community Values, led by Phil Burress, who can be reached at (513)733-5775.

Peter LaBarbera contributed to this article.

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