Just another day in Woke Petoskey. A self-described atheist/witch, who sells Chakra crystals and magical oils in a downtown store, successfully lobbied public officials to repeal the city's anti-fortune-telling ordinance. (This article explains a little of the history of this ordinance. Former Petoskey public safety director John Calabrese was instrumental in getting the original ordinance enacted to curtail transients from scamming the unsuspecting public.)
Now Sarah Snider, owner of Poetess and Stranger, and her cronies can comfortably do "readings." That's the current term of art for "fortune-telling."
The tools of the, er, trade involve herb scrying, psychometry, and spirit boards. Madame Snider charges $150 for a reading.
According to the minutes from a past City Council meeting discussing the repeal, Mr. Calabrese opined "that background checks could be conducted as part of a permitting/licensing process which might deter criminals from setting up shop in the city."
ERG appreciates his call for responsible government by proposing a potentially practical solution to protect the public against fraud.
And we're gonna pass on sitting for a reading. Any reading. In any city. See Matthew 7:15.