The Tarot Room – Georgianna

City Council may have decided that they don’t want fortune-telling in Meridian, Mississippi, but the rest of the town isn’t so sure.

Take a look at the WTOK report on citizen reaction to Council’s decision.

People might not be interested in getting a reading themselves, but they don’t like the ban. Especially if it draws a lawsuit for being unconstitutional.

Dana Jones of Meridian has started a petition asking that Council reverse its decision. If you’re from the area, you might want to sign.

Comments posted on both her petition page and the WTOK report seem to support lifting the prohibition.

I don’t know that they’re actually representative of the general population, but they’re clearly concerned about the influence of personal religious beliefs on political decision-making.

Council may have thought that they closed this issue last Tuesday, but it might not be done yet.

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Meridian, Mississippi City Council voted 3 to 2 on Tuesday, to maintain the city’s 38-year ban on fortune-telling, despite the risk of facing a potential lawsuit.

After months of debate, public input, and considerable soul searching, council’s made their final decision.

At least for now.

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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If the ban is rescinded, psychic businesses will be limited to a newly designated B-4 district.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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It looks like Meridian, Mississippi might just lift their ban on fortune-telling businesses after all.

Though City Council voted last April to maintain the 38 year old ban, just this week, the issue was revisited.

This time round, instead of only one voice in opposition to the ban, the majority of the Council seems to support the change.

It’s not that they support psychics, so much as they fear having a lawsuit brought against them for trying to enforce an unconstitutional law.

If the ban is lifted, council intends to have psychic or fortune-telling businesses restricted to particular areas of the city, not just to particular business zones.

Action will likely be taken over the next couple of council meetings.

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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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