THE MESA CITY COUNCIL HAS DECIDED RYAN COLEMAN WON’T BE ALLOWED TO OPEN A TATTOO PARLOR AT DOBSON AND BASELINE ROADS (Tribune file photo).

I don’t have any tattoos, never wanted any. But several members of my family do. None of them are gang members or are living a life of crime. And all of them would fit comfortably into the lifestyle of west Mesa’s Dobson Ranch subdivision.

So I am thinking of my own family when I say I’m shocked that only Mesa Mayor Scott Smith seems to understand the troubling discrimination behind the CIty Council’s rejection of a new tattoo shop at Dobson and Baseline roads. Tattoo artist Ryan Coleman met all of Mesa’s zoning requirements and he seems quite sensitive to the seedy reputation of his industry, as he pledged to not ink gang or racist tattoos on anyone.

But the Dobson Ranch Homeowners Association is adamant that allowing one more tattoo shop next to a massage parlor, a hair salon and a manicurist would drive their community into a tailspin. Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh focused on the “nearby” locations of two other tattoo shops, ignoring the fact that Mesa has a 1,200-foot buffer zone in part to avoid an undue concentration. Should tattoo parlors be kept a mile apart instead, or maybe five miles apart? Maybe Mesa finally would be “safe” if we allowed only one shop in the entire city.

The Angel Tattoo case seems ripe for a winnable lawsuit, given that the City Council approved another tattoo shop in 2006 that was within 1,200 feet of a school, of all places. The Goldwater Institute already is going after Tempe for adopting a similar “just say no” attitude.

A Tribune editorial on the subject points out that tattoos are a popular cultural phenomenon, not a perverted habit better kept to the shadows. If government can get away with refusing to allow this legitimate business to operate because of public pressure, I just hope that your neighbors don’t come to hate what you do for a living or your business could be next the target.