HOconomy
01-13-05, 15:10
Cops reel in pervs, thanks to prostitution Web site
By O'Ryan Johnson
Sunday, December 19, 2004
A Web site that helps men the world over hook up with streetwalkers has outraged women's groups and become a tool for police interested in tracking down johns.
``This site is problematic, degrading and inhumane,'' said Mary Quinn, director of The Women's Center in Boston.
``(Prostitution) is one way women interact with men when their childhood has been interrupted by child sex abuse.''
The Web site World Sex Guide Forum (wsgforum.com) is a cyber den for men who get thrills from trolling side roads and back alleys for prostitutes. Johns trade tips on the best places to find hookers, where to be on the lookout for police and when to go on the prowl.
Perverse Bay State paramours can find information on prostitutes in Boston, Cambridge, Lawrence, Lowell, Holyoke, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Springfield and Worcester.
When one of these self-described ``mongers'' finds a good spot to pick up women, or a place to spend 15 minutes with them, he logs on and posts a note to the other wired johns with all the sleazy details.
In a recent monger posting in the Fitchburg section, ``Auto'' thanks members for telling him where to find prostitutes:
``Thanks for the tips guys. I did end up scoring in Fitchburg yesterday at around 2:30 after only about 15 minutes on the prowl. I think her name was Shauna or something like that, and I found her on Elm St., by the school. Kind of a sketchy pickup as school was just letting out and there were lots of people around.''
Heavy users of the flesh-peddler-friendly forum have screen names such as ``Boston Monger,'' ``Guess Who'' and ``Senior Citizen.''
But Quinn has another name for them.
``I think they're disgusting,'' she said.
Her group helps about 600 poor or battered women a week through counseling, arranging for psychotherapy, shelter referrals and group counseling.
The Web site has no listed owner. The domain name is registered to a post office box in Longwood, Fla., an Orlando suburb. An 800 number provided to contact the Webmaster is disconected.
The Web site's frequently asked questions section says a mystery man known only as Atta started the site in 1999. A fan known as ``Jackson'' took over and remodeled the site in 1999. He did not respond to e-mail requests for comment.
Jackson writes on the site that while the original board was meant as a study in prostitution, his version promotes it.
``Our mission is simple: finding women. . . . If you feel offended by stuff like this, I don't care.''
Just as drivers flash headlights to warn others motorists about upcoming speed traps, mongers post newspaper clippings of recent police stings, give new users advice on how to spot a decoy - a police officer posing as a hooker - and when to avoid the hot spots.
But while the mongers trade tips on how to stay out of jail, the eyes of the law are watching their cyber-chats. Cops in Lawrence check the site to track prostitution along the crime-ridden stretch of Broadway between Essex and Park streets.
In Boston, police spokeswoman Beverly Ford said officers use the site as an investigative tool.
``We are aware of the site and monitor it fairly regularly,'' she said.
She would not go into detail about how police use the site, saying that could hamper future investigations.
She said police have no plans to shut the site down, and that the forum is not breaking any laws by letting men swap information about streetwalkers.
``Just talking about it doesn't make it illegal,'' Ford said.
Here is the original link:
h ttp://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=59568
By O'Ryan Johnson
Sunday, December 19, 2004
A Web site that helps men the world over hook up with streetwalkers has outraged women's groups and become a tool for police interested in tracking down johns.
``This site is problematic, degrading and inhumane,'' said Mary Quinn, director of The Women's Center in Boston.
``(Prostitution) is one way women interact with men when their childhood has been interrupted by child sex abuse.''
The Web site World Sex Guide Forum (wsgforum.com) is a cyber den for men who get thrills from trolling side roads and back alleys for prostitutes. Johns trade tips on the best places to find hookers, where to be on the lookout for police and when to go on the prowl.
Perverse Bay State paramours can find information on prostitutes in Boston, Cambridge, Lawrence, Lowell, Holyoke, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Springfield and Worcester.
When one of these self-described ``mongers'' finds a good spot to pick up women, or a place to spend 15 minutes with them, he logs on and posts a note to the other wired johns with all the sleazy details.
In a recent monger posting in the Fitchburg section, ``Auto'' thanks members for telling him where to find prostitutes:
``Thanks for the tips guys. I did end up scoring in Fitchburg yesterday at around 2:30 after only about 15 minutes on the prowl. I think her name was Shauna or something like that, and I found her on Elm St., by the school. Kind of a sketchy pickup as school was just letting out and there were lots of people around.''
Heavy users of the flesh-peddler-friendly forum have screen names such as ``Boston Monger,'' ``Guess Who'' and ``Senior Citizen.''
But Quinn has another name for them.
``I think they're disgusting,'' she said.
Her group helps about 600 poor or battered women a week through counseling, arranging for psychotherapy, shelter referrals and group counseling.
The Web site has no listed owner. The domain name is registered to a post office box in Longwood, Fla., an Orlando suburb. An 800 number provided to contact the Webmaster is disconected.
The Web site's frequently asked questions section says a mystery man known only as Atta started the site in 1999. A fan known as ``Jackson'' took over and remodeled the site in 1999. He did not respond to e-mail requests for comment.
Jackson writes on the site that while the original board was meant as a study in prostitution, his version promotes it.
``Our mission is simple: finding women. . . . If you feel offended by stuff like this, I don't care.''
Just as drivers flash headlights to warn others motorists about upcoming speed traps, mongers post newspaper clippings of recent police stings, give new users advice on how to spot a decoy - a police officer posing as a hooker - and when to avoid the hot spots.
But while the mongers trade tips on how to stay out of jail, the eyes of the law are watching their cyber-chats. Cops in Lawrence check the site to track prostitution along the crime-ridden stretch of Broadway between Essex and Park streets.
In Boston, police spokeswoman Beverly Ford said officers use the site as an investigative tool.
``We are aware of the site and monitor it fairly regularly,'' she said.
She would not go into detail about how police use the site, saying that could hamper future investigations.
She said police have no plans to shut the site down, and that the forum is not breaking any laws by letting men swap information about streetwalkers.
``Just talking about it doesn't make it illegal,'' Ford said.
Here is the original link:
h ttp://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=59568