Wichita ? In the latest battle against sexually oriented material, a group of opponents are seeking a grand jury review to determine whether shops that sell such material violate state obscenity laws.

The group, which calls itself Operation Southwind, plans to deliver a petition seeking a grand jury review to Sedgwick County District Court next week.

The Wichita petition, which began circulating in February, targets seven businesses in Sedgwick County, but could eventually expand to include strip clubs.

Similar drives have been initiated in Hutchinson, Great Bend, Hays, Concordia and Salina.

“There are proven negative effects to the sex industry doing business in our communities,” said Jan Beemer, the group’s president.

The petition drive involves 21 Wichita churches, including Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran and Nazarene congregations.

Lawyers who have defended stores that sell sexually explicit videos, magazines and books say the effort is doomed to fail.

“These are constitutionally protected rights that these people have, whether they like it or not,” said Charles O’Hara, a lawyer who represents at least one of the businesses targeted in Wichita. “This is like a lynch-mob mentality.”

Phillip Cosby of Abilene is leading the charge, saying the trend among sex shops is to move to high-traffic locations in rural areas where restrictions are weak or nonexistent.

“They ambushed the county,” Cosby said.