They'll be coming to get us soon...

[bluffcityguy]

Because all you ladies re being "trafficked"... even if you're not.

Feds Kill Yet Another Website That Makes Sex Work Safer

In the alleged interest of stopping sexual exploitation, government officials have seized yet another website that allowed sex workers to work more safely and independently. This move to make life worse for many marginalized women was funded with federal money earmarked for fighting human trafficking and carried out by a task force involving the FBI, the IRS, the San Diego Police Department, several nearby police departments, the U.S. Marshals Service, the California Highway Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Homeland Security. Because nevermind terror and human smuggling and mass shootings, there are adults having sex in unapproved ways!

The investigation into the website and two San Diego-area escort agencies has been ongoing for a year.

San Diego Police Captain Brian Ahearn said the task force's highest priority is rescuing sex-trafficking victims.

No victims were uncovered in this operation.

Cheers,

bcg

[JustaGuyinMS]

Sigh. As the rest of the western world grows up about sex, we seem to have regressed thanks to the efforts of the moral minority.

JaG

[SexyBritneyJ]

I don't understand why people conflate the two issues. If you want to stop trafficking, investigate and prosecute traffickers. This white knight bullshit ruins lives.

[mike1701]

Damn shame , BCG.

Things have changed way to much in the past several years..

[big boi terry]

When I 1st started hobbying at this level, I became friends with a well known provider, and we would discuss this situation often. For the life of me, considering all of the crime that takes place, I just couldn't understand why LE agencies put such a high priority on this particular subject.

In her words, and I can still hear her saying to me, 'its like shooting fish in a barrel Terry, it's easy for them '. Her theory was that the vast majority of guys that they caught were not hardened criminals, so the risk for them was minimal. Not to mention, profitable.

Sure, there is an element in the hobby that I'm happy that they are addressing, Pimps that prey on under age girls, or run away that are being forced into it. I've never studied it, but I would guess that it's a very small portion of the hobby, but it gets the most attention whenever they do find one.

All that I know is that my heart goes out to the hardworking, respectful gentlemen that get caught in stings. I know several guys that have been caught, and only one didn't have his like turned completely upside down. Morally I know that if you're married, it's not a good thing to do, but having a meeting with a mature woman, that consensually sees you, shouldn't destroy your life. SMH, it's actually depressing when you think about it.

[bluffcityguy]

Originally Posted by big boi terry

When I 1st started hobbying at this level, I became friends with a well known provider, and we would discuss this situation often. For the life of me, considering all of the crime that takes place, I just couldn't understand why LE agencies put such a high priority on this particular subject.

All of what you say is true; there are a couple other issues that drive LE suppression of the hobby.

On the streetwalker side of the house (not something any of us do here, right? ), the visibility of that activity drives public pressure on the police to clean it up. Y'know, I hate to bring y'all bad news, but we hobbyists and providers are a minority of the population, and most of the people who aren't us actively despise and look down on us. They want this kind of thing outlawed and suppressed.

As I have mentioned elsewhere, in a previous lifetime I have worked actively in the criminal justice system (on the defense side of the house), and I've talked to cops about this. Your average vice cop would much rather be working on suppressing the drug trade and busting guys who are pimping underage girls (or trafficking vulnerable adult women), and not harassing adult working ladies who are either single mothers trying to get by or ladies who sadly need to feed a drug addiction, and who need help with that more than they need punishment. However, when the general public sees streetwalkers traipsing up and down their streets*, or when they stumble across Backpage and see the escort and body rub ads, many of them get on their moral high horse and DEMAND that the cops put an end to it.

Cheers,

bcg

*And they do have a legitimate bitch there, inasmuch as streetwalkers walking your street does tend to lower property values and tends to attract other, worse forms of crime.

[nqualm]

News about sex sells and gets politicians re elected as tough on crime. Of course there is much more serious crime that they barely make a dent in, so a few busts polishes their images. I agree that our parochial attitude to sex in this country makes us look juvenile to the rest of the world. Our neighbor to the north has figured out how to regulate but permit consenting adult to congregate. Suppression of women and minors continues to need prosecution, but lets grow up and catch up with the world at large!

[theotherguy1]

If they wanted to get rid of trafficking all they need to do is to make the hobby legal. Require providers get a license and testing. Then make it easy for them to inform on the illegal providers. The hobby would self regulate. Providers would be getting competition out of the business so fast. Pimp would not want their ladies to get licenses because of the involvement with the legal system.

[SexyBritneyJ]

Originally Posted by theotherguy1

If they wanted to get rid of trafficking all they need to do is to make the hobby legal.

Actually, the research on the subject shows that to be untrue. When countries legalize or decriminalize prostitution, trafficking increases.

I personally look at it like our "war on drugs." It's ineffective and costly, and it ruins the lives of people who aren't hurting anyone else. If you don't like the sequelae of drug addiction, then crack down on the sequelae of drug addiction because people are still going to get high much like people are going to continue to engage in the world's oldest profession.

But, like I said in my earlier comment, they really are two separate issues. Trafficking doesn't just happen to sex workers. About half of trafficking victims are put to work in other industries. I wonder why we don't hear about them more often?


https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/lids/20...n-trafficking/

[2dogs]

Originally Posted by theotherguy1

If they wanted to get rid of trafficking all they need to do is to make the hobby legal. Require providers get a license and testing. Then make it easy for them to inform on the illegal providers. The hobby would self regulate. Providers would be getting competition out of the business so fast. Pimp would not want their ladies to get licenses because of the involvement with the legal system.

While I'm not against legalization. I am against more licenses. I'm so tired of licenses and regulations. We are regulated to death almost.

[JustaGuyinMS]

You're right on both points, Lovely Lady. I have worked in Germany, where prostitution is legal, and they still have problems with trafficking. Young women, often Thai, are told they will have jobs then are put in brothels. And trafficking is a big problem in some industries, as we've heard recently - chicken processing, fishing (mostly in S Asia), domestic workers.

Legalization is something I support, since it decriminalizes something that has been around for a very long time and usually hurts no one. But, it is unlikely to happen in the US because politicians are scared to take actions that will alienate some of their constituents, and those constituents are often the quickest and loudest to condemn...sigh.

JaG

Originally Posted by SexyBritneyJ

Actually, the research on the subject shows that to be untrue. When countries legalize or decriminalize prostitution, trafficking increases.

I personally look at it like our "war on drugs." It's ineffective and costly, and it ruins the lives of people who aren't hurting anyone else. If you don't like the sequelae of drug addiction, then crack down on the sequelae of drug addiction because people are still going to get high much like people are going to continue to engage in the world's oldest profession.

But, like I said in my earlier comment, they really are two separate issues. Trafficking doesn't just happen to sex workers. About half of trafficking victims are put to work in other industries. I wonder why we don't hear about them more often?


https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/lids/20...n-trafficking/

[Nasalstrip]

That is why I support decriminalization instead of legalization

[SexyBritneyJ]

I'll be traveling through Iceland and Sweden this spring. I'm very interested to see the results of the Nordic model with my own eyes.

[bluffcityguy]

Originally Posted by SexyBritneyJ

I'll be traveling through Iceland and Sweden this spring. I'm very interested to see the results of the Nordic model with my own eyes.

We shall expect a full debriefing on your return.

(I'm reminded of when Lily Blair (was she a one-L "Lily", or a two-L "Lilly"? I forget) went on vacation to Australia, with the full intention of plying her trade while there (since it's legal there, IIRC). Never did get a debrief out of that, which deeply disappointed me... )

Cheers,

bcg

[SexyBritneyJ]

I have no intention of plying my trade this trip, although I do intend to speak with some of the ladies there, since that (arguably) intersects with my other job.