Proposed Loitering Law for Aurora Ave
The Seattle City Council is considering and proposing a new loitering law targeting activities related to prostitution. They are meeting this week to discuss it, I firmly believe that this proposal will pass at some point. The new proposal heavily targets buyers (or johns and what they now call exploiters). I think they're going about this all wrongly, putting too much emphasis on buyers rather than including sex workers, but that's a lesson they'll have to learn. The proposal wants to use diversion for sex workers rather than prosecution, wonder how that will work-out when the girls they arrest flee the city to work another city out of state. At some point they're going to have to learn that a lot of SWs aren't interested in diversion or another career path. Also, item number 2 listed below is targeting so-called "traffickers" (pimps). I'm not sure how exactly they're going to nail a lot of those folks. This just has failure written all over it, but who the fuck am I.
[URL]https://council.seattle.gov/2024/08/06/proposed-legislation-to-address-commercial-sexual-exploitation/[/URL]
The main highlights are as follows:
1) Creating a new loitering law targeting the buyers of commercial sex. Unlike Seattle's old prostitution loitering law that was repealed in 2020, this legislation provides multiple grounds for arresting buyers whose actions are generating a highly lucrative sex trade; a trade so profitable that it is fueling regular gun battles over turf. As for sellers, the legislation makes clear that diversion, not prosecution, is the preferred approach for people engaging in prostitution.
2) The legislation includes an entirely new offense of promoting loitering for purposes of prostitution, to target sex traffickers. This offense is a gross misdemeanor.
3) Establishing a Stay Out of Area Prostitution (SOAP) around Aurora Avenue north of North 85th Street to North 145th Street. This means anyone arrested or convicted of a prostitution related crime could be prohibited by a judge from being in that area with limited exceptions.
Aurora 2:30 pm on Wednesday
Running errands today, took the opportunity to check out the talent. Many fine lady's (no BBWs!) out at 2:30 pm. Mostly up by 140, a few closer to 130. Crazy. Did not stop, no time.