Regarding the prostitution and trafficking ("Can Anyone Rescue the Trafficked Girls of L.A.’s Figueroa Street?" NY Times) it's hard to see that many will take serious interest. All I have to say is "Epstein" or "Ghislaine" and everyone knows not only who I'm talking about, but *what* I'm talking about: a wealthy, well-connected man and his longtime partner (allegedly) spent years trafficking young girls for the world's elite and documented the whole thing. We know only the tip of the iceberg from what's been gleans from a court transcript, survivor accounts, and couple leaked photos. The rest is up to the imaginations of those who dare. Yet just months later enough Americans cast aside last year's election promises, rolled their eyes, then let out a collective "Eh, so, moving on..." such that it's become fodder for memes rather than prosecution.
Are you really blaming prostitution, the world's oldest profession, on "blue governance"? I'm pretty sure I could find no few hookers, including some in dreadful circumstances here in Desantis' Florida if I were minded to go looking.
Prostitution? No. The brazen way it is conducted? Yes.
From the article:
"[The vice cops'] jobs grew even more challenging when California repealed the law allowing the police to arrest women who loitered with the intent to engage in prostitution. The repeal, known as SB 357, was intended to prevent profiling of Black, brown and trans women based on how they dressed. But when it was implemented in January 2023, the effect was that uniformed officers could no longer apprehend groups of girls in lingerie on Figueroa, hoping to recover minors among them. Now officers needed to be willing to swear they had reason to suspect each girl was underage — but with fake eyelashes and wigs, it was nearly impossible to tell."
I would also recommend the article SlowlyReading linked to.
The most effective arrests are of the customers. That's been known for a long time. When I lived here twenty years ago-- St Pete FL-- there was a big sting at a "no-tell motel" just blocks from me on the main road. It was mainly guys they were cuffing.
As for minors if the police really and truly thought this or that "lady" was underage why wouldn't they be willing to swear to that? We do not have mind reading tech-- no one could disprove it.
In any event I am really sick of everything being litigated in partisan terms. Aaron's articles are interesting for his take on matters religious, and for me (I am Orthodox and grew up Catholic) they offer some insight on the world of Protestantism, especially the Evangelical sort which is largely terra incognita apart from gossip about "what everyone knows" (meaning stuff that is at best half truths and often fallacious). It's a bit of a refuge from the Sturm under Drang on a couple other Substacks. Prostitution is indeed everywhere, including of minors, including of young men too. I know some tales from Baltimore (via a lawyer friend) that could curl people's hair. This sordid stuff, evil pimps, defacto and dejure slavery, and all is as old as civilization at least. It was not invented under Obama or Biden. I'm told it even flourishes in foreign nations, including those that get on their moral high horses and lecture us about our "terrible" treatment of women.
The problem with focusing primarily on getting the customers (who should be going to jail) is that it doesn't do a whole lot for the prostitutes themselves. Getting them off the streets and somewhere where they aren't being used and abused should also be a priority.
I agree, though I'm not sure punitive law is the best route to go down. Centuries ago Justinian and Theodora tried to address the problem of prostitution (which was quite legal at the time) and their program to do so consisted of trying to find gainful employment for the woman-- and it helped that the Empress had some personal experience in "the profession" in her youth.
But as long as there is demand for a service someone is going to full that demand so I do think that going after the customers makes some sense. That's especially in the case of underage prostitution.
Well yes. But again, the cops weren't using the repealed law to throw the prostitutes in jail. They were using it to arrest the prostitutes and get the trafficked ones somewhere away from their traffickers and give them a shot at getting out.
Regarding the trafficked girls on Figueroa Street, Abigail Shrier's earlier article in City Journal shows exactly how progressive """reforms""" made the problem much, much worse (surprise, surprise):
Regarding the prostitution and trafficking ("Can Anyone Rescue the Trafficked Girls of L.A.’s Figueroa Street?" NY Times) it's hard to see that many will take serious interest. All I have to say is "Epstein" or "Ghislaine" and everyone knows not only who I'm talking about, but *what* I'm talking about: a wealthy, well-connected man and his longtime partner (allegedly) spent years trafficking young girls for the world's elite and documented the whole thing. We know only the tip of the iceberg from what's been gleans from a court transcript, survivor accounts, and couple leaked photos. The rest is up to the imaginations of those who dare. Yet just months later enough Americans cast aside last year's election promises, rolled their eyes, then let out a collective "Eh, so, moving on..." such that it's become fodder for memes rather than prosecution.
Are you really blaming prostitution, the world's oldest profession, on "blue governance"? I'm pretty sure I could find no few hookers, including some in dreadful circumstances here in Desantis' Florida if I were minded to go looking.
Prostitution? No. The brazen way it is conducted? Yes.
From the article:
"[The vice cops'] jobs grew even more challenging when California repealed the law allowing the police to arrest women who loitered with the intent to engage in prostitution. The repeal, known as SB 357, was intended to prevent profiling of Black, brown and trans women based on how they dressed. But when it was implemented in January 2023, the effect was that uniformed officers could no longer apprehend groups of girls in lingerie on Figueroa, hoping to recover minors among them. Now officers needed to be willing to swear they had reason to suspect each girl was underage — but with fake eyelashes and wigs, it was nearly impossible to tell."
I would also recommend the article SlowlyReading linked to.
The most effective arrests are of the customers. That's been known for a long time. When I lived here twenty years ago-- St Pete FL-- there was a big sting at a "no-tell motel" just blocks from me on the main road. It was mainly guys they were cuffing.
As for minors if the police really and truly thought this or that "lady" was underage why wouldn't they be willing to swear to that? We do not have mind reading tech-- no one could disprove it.
In any event I am really sick of everything being litigated in partisan terms. Aaron's articles are interesting for his take on matters religious, and for me (I am Orthodox and grew up Catholic) they offer some insight on the world of Protestantism, especially the Evangelical sort which is largely terra incognita apart from gossip about "what everyone knows" (meaning stuff that is at best half truths and often fallacious). It's a bit of a refuge from the Sturm under Drang on a couple other Substacks. Prostitution is indeed everywhere, including of minors, including of young men too. I know some tales from Baltimore (via a lawyer friend) that could curl people's hair. This sordid stuff, evil pimps, defacto and dejure slavery, and all is as old as civilization at least. It was not invented under Obama or Biden. I'm told it even flourishes in foreign nations, including those that get on their moral high horses and lecture us about our "terrible" treatment of women.
The problem with focusing primarily on getting the customers (who should be going to jail) is that it doesn't do a whole lot for the prostitutes themselves. Getting them off the streets and somewhere where they aren't being used and abused should also be a priority.
I agree, though I'm not sure punitive law is the best route to go down. Centuries ago Justinian and Theodora tried to address the problem of prostitution (which was quite legal at the time) and their program to do so consisted of trying to find gainful employment for the woman-- and it helped that the Empress had some personal experience in "the profession" in her youth.
But as long as there is demand for a service someone is going to full that demand so I do think that going after the customers makes some sense. That's especially in the case of underage prostitution.
Well yes. But again, the cops weren't using the repealed law to throw the prostitutes in jail. They were using it to arrest the prostitutes and get the trafficked ones somewhere away from their traffickers and give them a shot at getting out.
“Supposed”
Regarding the trafficked girls on Figueroa Street, Abigail Shrier's earlier article in City Journal shows exactly how progressive """reforms""" made the problem much, much worse (surprise, surprise):
https://www.city-journal.org/article/predators-paradise