The Michigan Daily-Saturday, June 7, 1980-Page 3
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Danish News
defies court
order, opens
for business

By MITCH STUART
The Danish News Co., a controverisal
adult bookstore on N. Fourth Ave.,
yesterday opened its doors to the public
in apparent violation of a recent court
order that closed the store.
Mayor Louis Belcher vowed last
night to enforce the order and close the
store by any means necessary.
WASHTENAW COUNTY Circuit
Court Judge Henry Conlin had ordered
the store to close last Wednesday, May
28.
The main issue is the bookstore's
alleged violation of a city zoning or-
dinance. Conlin's order was intended to
keep the store'closed while that issue is
decided.
Tim, a bookstore employee who
Merchant
battles "U.'
for space,
in Union
By JOYCE FRIEDEN
University authorities are currently
embroiled in a legal battle with a local
merchant over the right to occupy a
portion of the ground floor of the
Michigan Union.
The dispute involves the 'Paper
Chase, a copying center currently
operating at the old Union Station en-
trance next to the pinball arcade.
ON MARCH 19, the Univeraity,
through private attorney Graydon
Ellis, Jr., filed suit against Paper
Chase owner Bob Gordon for "ter-
mination of tenancy." According to
court records, the University claims
Gordon's lease expired April 30, 1979,
and that he baa been operating without,
a lease ever since.
But Gordon claims the University in-
tended to re-lease the property to him,
and continued sending him bills for the
rent even after his lease officially ex-
pired. "They sent me a rent bill for
May," he said. "If they did not intend to
renew my lease, then why did they send
me a bill?"
On May 2, Gordon filed suit against
the University. He charged that the
University blocked the fire exit of
See PAPER, Page 11

refused to give his last name, said his
boss called him yesterday and told him
to open the store for business. "They
said it was okay (to open). They said I
wouldn't get in trouble," Tim said.
TIM REFUSED to name the person
who authorized the opening, saying
only, "It's my understanding that iRt's
okay for us to open."
Shortly after 7 p.m. yesterday,
Belcher said, "I just ordered the police
to close (the store) down."
Belcher said he felt the move was
within his executive powers, adding
"I'm just going to enforce the judge's
order."
Belcher also said-he would tell police
authorities to utilize "however many
people we need" and authorize them
to do "whatever they need to do" to
close the store.
SOME CITIZENS who work or own
businesses near the bookstore have been
trying'to close Danish News since early
April. Recently, they formed the ad hoc
North Fourth Avenue Coalition to
strengthen their protests.
Particularly upset by the bookstore
have been workers at the Women's
Crisis Center, which is located directly
above the store. They say they have a
right to be located in an area which is
zoned to exclude adult bookstores.
Bookstorespokemen, however, argue
that the applicable zoning ordinance
violates their first amendment rights.
DANISH NEWS attorney William
Swor of Detroit filed an appeal against
the temporary injunction last week, but
did not know of yesterday's
development. "I don't know anything
about it," he said, "I didn't advise them
to open."
.Swor refused to comment further on
his appeal arguments, but he said last
week the first amendment issue will be
among them. He said there continues to
be confusion over the exact scope of the
court order.
Last week, Conlin issued an injun-
ction which said the store could not sell
pornographic material. Also, however,
Conlin issued an "opinion and order"
which prohibited the store from doing
business of any kind while the matter is
in the courts.
REGARDLESS OF that technicality,
however, Danish News yesterday was
apparently violating both parts of
Conlin's decision, since the store was
both open for business and selling the
same material that was sold before the
order.
Tom Darnton, Ann Arbor attorney for
the North Fourth Avenue Coalition,
See BOOKSTORE, Page 10

AN UNIDENTIFIED MAN enters the Danish News Co. on N. Fourth Ave.
yesterday. The adult bookstore reopened its doors despite a court order that
ordered the store closed last week.
Students to confer
weekly with Union

renovation
By BONNIE JURAN
University -students, staff members,
and an administrator who worked
together on the Michigan Union
renovation proposal last year agreed at
a conference yesterday to re-establish
weekly meetings for the purpose of ex-
changing ideas and information.
The decision was reached after the
students expressed concerns to
Assistant Vice-President for Student
Services Thomas Easthope and interim
Union Director Suzanne Young about
recent recommendations on proposed
renovations that have been made
without their input.
ACCORDING TO law student David
Schaper, the students will serve on a
"core committee" which will:
" Send information to interested
students to keep them up-to-date on the
renovation plan's progress;
" Act as a sounding board for the per-
sons currently hammering out the
structural details of proposed changes,
and for the architect hired to design the
actual plans for the new facilities;
" Voice the opinions of all concerned
students; and,

group
" Formulate the structure of a
proposed Union Board, which will over-
see the building's operations in the fall.
ACCORDING TO core committee
member Brad Canale, the board will be
comprised of approximately 60 per cent
students. The remaining members will
consist of faculty, alumni, and ad-
ministration representatives, he said.
Schaper said debate is likely to occur
over the method by which board mem-
bers will be selected. He added they
could be chosen in general elections, by
activity leaders, and/or by other board
members.
During the meeting, Easthope con-
ceded the Union renovation project "is
going a lot slower than we had hoped."
He said the main problems confronted
by an informal committee presently
developing the structural details of the
proposed changes are "a lot broader
and deeper than we had thought."
HE ADDED the problems which are
"obvious to the eye .. .(are) merely
the tip of the iceberg."
According to Easthope, it is '"the hid-
See STUDENTS, Page 11