The Tarot Room – Georgianna

The saga continues … Meridian, Mississippi has changed their minds again. Fortune-telling is now legal.

City council voted 3-1 on Tuesday in favour of rescinding the longstanding, and hotly debated ban on fortune-telling in the city.

Threats of legal action by the American Civil Liberties Union prompted the change of heart. A lawsuit would be expensive, and the city would likely lose on constitutional grounds.

But not all councillors were convinced, and psychic readers won’t be able to set up shop just anywhere in Meridian.

Though such businesses are now legal, according to the Sun Herald, business zoning classifications for where they’ll be allowed will be highly restrictive.

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Members of the Meridian, Mississippi City Council are back at the table talking about fortune-telling.

And the debate is going strong. On one side, Ward 5 councilman Bobby Smith is absolutely opposed to rescinding the present ban. He’s been against it from the start and remains firm.

On the other side, there’s council president Jesse Palmer who maintains that it’s not really up to the council to decide if psychic readers should be allowed in Meridian or not.

He feels that they firmly believe in what they do, and it’s not up to him to say whether they’re right or wrong.

He’s also concerned that the ban is illegal. And he’s likely correct given that Maryland’s high court ruled last year that bans on fortune-telling are unconstitutional.

Undecided on the issue is councilwoman Barbara Henson who says she just doesn’t know yet how she’s going to vote, though she’s uneasy about the whole thing.

If the ban is rescinded, psychic businesses will be limited to a newly designated B-4 district.

They will also have to be least 1,000 feet from any existing fortune-telling business, and 500 feet from any residence, child care facility, church, or school.

Council will make what they hope will be their final decision on June 21st.

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Meridian, Mississppi

This week, the Meridian, Mississippi City Council voted to maintain a 38-year old ban on fortune-telling, despite taking steps to rescind it last month.

In a 4-1 vote in favor of keeping the ban, the council acted against the recommendation of the city attorney who believes it to be unconstitutional.

And given that Maryland’s high court determined last year that it was, he’s probably right.

The lone voice against the ban was Dr. George Thomas of Ward 1. He wants to avoid a lawsuit, feeling that it’s better to drop the ban and zone the readers, than to face a legal challenge the city is likely to lose.

Mary Perry of Ward 2 disagrees and voted to maintain the prohibition. She said she based her decision on her religious beliefs, what the bible says, what’s legal and what’s in her heart after prayer.

Meridian is the final resting place of Callie Mitchell, the Gypsy Queen. When she died in 1915, services were held at the Episcopal church and over 20,000 people attended.

Her burial site at the Rose Hill Cemetery is now a city attraction. I wonder what she would think of the ban.
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Thanks to Jason for being the first to let me know about the vote.

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