KHNL ran a story on sex trafficking in paradise. Did anyone else catch it?
[url]http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=14011020[/url]
[url]http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=14011020[/url]
(video)
[url]http://traffickjamming.org/SABrandonSimpsonRadioInterview.asx[/url]
(audio broadcast)
It looks like they (the elected officials) are going to starting the next round of "making examples out of mongers and providers". (again.) I'm sure for a little while, they are also going to increase the "attention" on AMPs. I'm sticking with what I know is a sure thing. Be careful out there!
This could be a rough year
[QUOTE=LeftysWing;1137972]I saw the news story, but the focus seems to be more on the pimps and human traffickers, not the actual girls and thier customers. [/QUOTE]I apologize for this very long post but it's an important topic. Anyway here's a summary:
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I think Hawaii hobbyists should be extra, extra careful for a while because bills in the state legislature that would drastically effect us are the motivation behind this crackdown.
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Stopping human trafficking is definitely a wonderful goal and the kind of horrible crime the police *should* go after relentlessly. But remember that many anti-trafficking activists are virulently opposed to hobbying in any form. For them "human trafficking" is their new code word for any kind of sex work. Just as the tenuous dangers of second-hand smoke were used to crack down on first-hand smokers (yeah that's my opinion, but it's also a strategy) recasting all prostitution as "slavery" allows them to go after it with renewed public sympathy. It's no longer a victimless crime to the mass of voters.
There's more going on here than just one crackdown. This is a big issue in the current state legislature which is potentially as divisive as civil unions. But this time those with a live-and-let-live attitude are in an even worse position because first they'll accuse you of defending slavery, and if you can get around that you're still a "pervert." It's a no-win.
Here are two lobbying groups on either side of the issue:
[b]Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery[/b]
[url]http://www.traffickjamming.org/[/url]
More like the Pacific Alliance to Stop Sex, IMO. You have to read a ways down the page, but it becomes clear they are out to punish anyone who thinks our hobby can be victimless. From the school of thought that says banning condoms prevents teen sex.
[b]Arresting Prostitutes is Legal Exploitation[/b]
[url]http://www.aplehawaii.org/2010HawaiiLeg.html[/url]
A sadly outdated and unfinished site, but the information is only a year old and (if you're willing to dig around in the folders) there are articles that lay out the arguments against criminalization quite well. Basically, the site's creator (Tracy Ryan of the Hawaii Libertarian Party) is afraid for women's safety at the hands of overpowered and unscrupulous cops. She posted on the current issue recently on Civil Beat:
[url]http://www.civilbeat.com/comments/8550/[/url]
Disclaimer, FWIW: I don't know the woman and definitely do not consider myself a Libertarian. But I agree with her on this at least.
Speaking of cops, remember that when a crackdown is publicly announced the point is to put pressure on the police as much as anything else. The moment they started planning the operation they started planning their next press conference when they announce "Mission Accomplished" to whatever degree they can. So now we've got a bunch of cops with a mandate who are going to try to maximize "results." And for good or ill, many of them won't be experienced vice cops.
Now I don't doubt they will go after the real scumballs, and more power to 'them in that regard. But I've had enough bosses to know there's rarely such a thing as "enough results." Some cops will cast their net wider than human traffickers for all the reasons that a salesman will go after every potential client. And it's very hard to catch those people as the culture of silence that surrounds it is so tough to crack.
So I for one am not going to make it easy on the cops or the traffickers. I'm going to watch how the legislation proceeds and hold off until votes are cast. If the police can't pad their quota with two-bit hobbyists like me they'll have to work even harder on the traffickers. It's a win-win-win for the good guys (me, the cops, and most importantly the victims).
I haven't even touched on what's in the bills, but this post is too long already.
