letters
TO THE EDITOR
opinion/viewpoint
the massive and growing human
need.
If we are to fi nd a system that
works for all of us and life on
Earth, we will have to create a
social and economic system that
is not based upon growth and
competition.
I believe our only chance to
survive the mess we’re making
is to place cooperation above
competition — “together we
stand, divided we fall,” “love one
another,” “share,” “respect all
life,” “take care of one another”
and all that good, lovey-dovey
stuff.
Our time’s quickly running
out. Competition’s leading to not
only the demise of many other
species, but to our own as well.
Patrick Bronson
Eugene
BY TOBI HILL-MEYER
The Crackdown
Police action just adds to fear and mistrust
T
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he Eugene Police Department announced
recently that it was cracking down on
prostitution arranged online. Of
course, we are told, it’s not about punishing
people who fi nd few other opportunities to
survive when prostitution is the best avail-
able option. It’s really about the drug use,
unreported assaults, unreported robberies
and pimps. Yet a crackdown like this is only
going to make these problems worse.
Sex workers are less likely to report
assaults, rapes and thefts when they fear
arrest. Many of the other public concerns around
sex work, such as violence, drugs and other crimes, are in fact a result of
the criminalization of sex work. A police crackdown will only push people
further underground, where recourse against exploitation is harder to
access.
We’ve seen the result of an environment of police antagonism of sex
workers. In 2003, Gary Ridgeway confessed to strangling 90 women
to death, stating, “I picked prostitutes because I thought I could kill as
many of them as I wanted without getting caught.” For years there were
people who knew he was responsible for the killings, but because of their
own involvement in or relationship to sex work, they either did not come
forward or were not believed. As can often happen when police crackdown
on sex workers, many were as afraid of the police as they were afraid of
Ridgeway.
Online listings of erotic services had become a relatively safer option for
those engaged in sex work. The Internet has helped individuals effectively
compete with pimps and agencies and have more options to work for
themselves rather than a potentially exploitative “manager.” For those with
access to a computer, this alternative avoids some of the risks and dangers
associated with street-based sex work.
It’s not clear how EPD expects this crackdown to improve
anything. Eugene police Detective Rick Lowe is quoted in the R-G (12/13)
saying, “People involved in this sort of thing should be real cautious … We
want to let them know that if they aren’t careful, they could fi nd a police
offi cer answering their ad, or ordering up a police offi cer for themselves.”
The increased threat of arrest won’t get too many people to leave the
business — especially if they don’t have any other options — but it will make
them become more cautious and less likely to trust police.
Sting operations on craigslist.com and other online listings will make
such places less viable options for independent sex workers. The police say
they wish to protect sex workers from those who would exploit them. Yet
the more police position themselves as a threat to sex workers, the more
sex workers will decide to turn to various managers who can offer them
protection from the police.
Fear of police is not just about arrest. Sex workers are often targets of
violence because the shaming and stigma associated with sex work makes
violence less likely to be reported. The unfortunate reality is that the
people who take advantage of that include people who are police offi cers.
According to INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, a 2002 study found
that “24 percent of street-based sex workers who had been raped identifi ed
a police offi cer as the rapist.” Police hold a lot of power over people,
especially those involved in a criminalized line of work. In Eugene, we know
that well. That was essentially the issue with offi cers Lara and Magaña.
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very year on Dec. 17, gatherings are held around the world to
participate in the International Day to End Violence Against Sex
Workers. This year the Sex Worker Outreach Project organized a
march on Washington, D.C., to demand rights for all sex workers.
Some cities are considering decriminalization acts that would bar
police from investigating or arresting people solely based on engaging in
sex work. The intent is to create an environment where sex workers can
report crimes without fear. It may take some time before such policies are
enacted. In the meantime, however, perhaps we can get a law enforcement
strategy that prioritizes the welfare of those involved in sex work, rather
than one which creates an environment of fear and mistrust of police.
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Tobi Hill-Meyer is a Eugene writer and activist in LGBTQ politics.
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EUGENE WEEKLY JANUARY 8, 2009 7