If store wanted to be a good neighbor, it would go elsewhere

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, April 10, 2004

My husband and I and our three kids live next door to Taboo Video. When the store was being remodeling we asked, “What’s going in here?” They said, “A video store.” We thought Blockbuster, until just before they opened and the Taboo sign went up.

After they opened we asked, “Who owns this place?” When pressed, they answered, “We are owned by a corporation.” We found out that they got their business license two days before they opened.

Their huge lighted sign shines into our bedroom windows and no one will fess up to being the one with the authority to turn it off. What kind of good neighbor is this? Does a good neighbor lie to you about what they are doing and hide from you who they are? Whatever happened to neighborly virtues such as honesty, integrity and trustworthiness?

Do you trust a neighbor who speaks to you through their attorneys in a press release? Is putting up the largest fence they can legally use show that they know how to be good neighbors? A fence will not a good neighbor make. Fences are temporary barriers that can easily be torn down or vaulted.

What about the property values in the neighborhood? Having a porn shop within walking distance of your home makes this neighborhood unacceptable to many families. That alone drives down the value of property. Thanks to our friendly neighborhood porn shop!

How many of your good neighbors have armed security guards nightly patrolling their parking lots? If Taboo Video was serious about being a good neighbor, they’d move.

Everett