Taking Phoenix ads personally, group aims to curb distribution
It wasn't the political or entertainment coverage that had Robert Joyce so upset when he grabbed a recent copy of the Boston Phoenix.
Joyce, a lifelong Roslindale resident, said he was shocked at the adult classified ads insert near the back of the alternative weekly. The section is known for personal ads that feature massage and escort listings alongside blurbs for "naughty local girls."
Last month, the 60-year-old attorney organized the volunteer group Support Community Decency Inc. to raise awareness about the insert with businesses that distribute the free publication, which he says is "inconsistent with the cherished values of the community."
The group of about 30 members has targeted nine West Roxbury businesses that distribute the Phoenix. Eight have agreed to stop distribution, according to Joyce.
Support Community Decency has generated mixed reactions among residents, some of whom have raised First Amendment concerns in neighborhood newspapers.
"Joyce has embarrassed the Parkway," was the headline for a piece by columnist Don Hubbard in the Roslindale and West Roxbury Transcripts. "We're no Taliban," read the headline for an article in the West Roxbury-Roslindale Bulletin in which Joyce defended his group's actions.
A statement issued by Peter Kadzis, executive editor of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group, said Joyce "is active in the antichoice, antigay marriage movements" and "is trying to halt the Phoenix from circulating for political reasons." Joyce, who denies that political ambitions are behind his efforts, lost an independent bid for the state Senate in 2004 to incumbent Marian Walsh. He also maintains that his objections to the Phoenix do not involve constitutional issues. "We are not challenging its legality; we were challenging its appropriateness," he said.
RICHARD THOMPSON 