WM: I don't think every cop out there is dumb as a bucket of hair. Peter: I never said any cop out there was dumb as a bucket of hair or whatever. The fact is, women and men in prostitution, whether they are forced into it or not, are vulnerable to blackmail by rogue cops as long as prostitution is illegal. And this certainly compounds the misery of those who were forced into this profession. If you want to believe that every cop out there is a law abiding citizen, Wizard, go ahead, that's your privilege, a privilege that white Americans can easier afford.
WM: And you would understand more by going on court watch to see the judges adjudicate. It's interesting. Peter: I'm sure it's very interesting. Problem is I volunteer at an adult learning center on top of working 40 hours a week to pay for my food, clothing and shelter. Because you stated that some of our local judges are in the habit of prosecuting prostitutes while letting their johns and pimps off the hook, you have an obligation to identify these judges. As long as you continue to hedge on this, Wizard, then I cannot help but assume that you purposely misrepresented the facts in order to make your position look more credible than it really is. WM: Women's prisons and men's prisons are not exactly the same. In men's prisons child abusers usually wind up dead. Peter: This response totally hedges my concern, especially in regard to the safety of men and women in prostitution who have a history of childhood sexual abuse and were forced in to prostitution. Sending them to prison will only add to their history of victimization. Furthermore, any man or a woman who has done nothing more than accept money for sex should NEVER be locked up with hardened criminals. As far as prostitutes in prison benefiting from a rest and good food, I continue to find that perspective not only naive, but shocking. Again, our prison system operates on punishment rather than rehabilitation, for women as well as men. Wizard, when you first expressed your opinion about prostitution on this post I thought you were speaking from a compassionate, albeit misguided, position. Now it's become clear to me that you have no compassion for any prostitute, especially the women out there on Franklin Avenue who have a history of poverty and childhood sexual and physical abuse. Your position in regard to these women and the problem of prostitution in Minneapolis is no different than that of the Christian Right. You simply want to lock women and men behind bars whose behavior and choices personally offend you, even when their actions involve mutual consent and hurts no one. And if you really care about children in prostitution and the adult women who were forced into prostitution, you wouldn't be using derogatory terms like "whore house" . Nor would you advocate prison sentences for these victims. Again, I feel child prostitution should never be legal, but legalizing adult prostitution will curb child prostitution more effectively than our current laws. And now I'll be the gentleman and allow you the last word on this exchange.----------Peter Schmitz CARAG TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
