Seattle cops are in relentless pursuit of prostitution despite public opinion.
2024-02-13
elrond
In the twilight of a spring evening last April, a young woman positioned herself outside the Lowe’s hardware store on the intersection of 125th and Aurora, eagerly seeking potential customers. She stood solo by the entrance to the parking lot, adorned in attention-grabbing moon boots, a cropped reddish tank top, and a notably brief black skirt, barely concealing her rear.
Recalling the .....
Sex Workers Are Fighting to Get the COVID Vaccine
2021-02-13
elrond
For 28 glorious hours this week, Solana Sparks thought she could get a COVID-19 vaccine. That's because a public health official in King County, which includes the city of Seattle, told her that Washington state would soon begin prioritizing sex workers for vaccination.
But about a day after Sparks tweeted out the good news, she said she was told the whole thing had been a “misunde .....
Seattle City Council votes to repeal 2 loitering laws
2020-06-23
elrond
The Seattle City Council voted unanimously Monday to repeal two laws over concerns about disproportionate impacts on Black and Indigenous people and other people of color.
The council voted to remove the crime of drug traffic loitering and prostitution loitering from the city's criminal code.
The first ordinance allows officers to arrest people suspected of soliciting drugs in publi .....
If We Defund the Police, We Must Also Decriminalize Sex Work and Drugs
2020-06-09
elrond
Minneapolis City Council obtained a "veto-proof majority" to dismantle its city's police department and rebuild "a new system of public safety." And New York's mayor, Bill de Blasio, pledged to cut the budget of the largest police department in the US, NYPD, and reallocate the funds to social services. In Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan is facing growing demands to cut SPD .....
Corona Virus has decimated the sex industry in Seattle
2020-03-16
elrond
SEATTLE — In the epicenter of America’s coronavirus outbreak, sex workers are one of the first groups making adjustments.
Some have started taking their temperature every morning and asking their clients to do the same. Others have instituted no-kissing policies. Those who can afford to are setting up webcam sites or leaving the city entirely.
Still, the sex industry in Seat .....
Coronavirus Fears Are Decimating The Sex Industry
2020-03-12
elrond
SEATTLE — In the epicenter of America’s coronavirus outbreak, sex workers are one of the first groups making adjustments.
Some have started taking their temperature every morning and asking their clients to do the same. Others have instituted no-kissing policies. Those who can afford to are setting up webcam sites or leaving the city entirely.
We’re telling people to w .....
Trafficking industry hit as ‘sex worker’ chatbots fool thousands
2020-02-14
elrond
Sex trafficking in a US city was significantly disrupted by a non-profit group that deployed decoy chatbots in conversations with tens of thousands of men. During a two year trial, Seattle Against Slavery posted fake advertisements which connected people to sex chatbots which ultimately led to a deterrence message. This saw a 50 % decline in people searching for keywords such as a teen escort . .....
The Benefits of Legalizing Prostitution
2020-01-26
elrond
An article on the Benefits of Legalising Prostitution. It looks at the model of the Netherlands where prostitution was once criminal and is now seen as a job. It shows how the Netherlands has reduced those being forced into prostitution. It does not look at the alternative model of decriminalisation operated in New Zealand, New South Wales and The Norther Frontiers. Decriminalisation removes the .....