I appreciate that your experience is your own, and I’m not going to try to discount the fact that this is something that really vexes you. I’ve lived in the neighborhood forever and have seen some practices that make the stomach turn and the heart ache -you think Capp street is bad, go hang out on Julian during the day. I believe there are very few things in this neighborhood that require calling the ineffective and out of touch police department and I simply disagree that sex work is one of those things. Unfortunately for you, you live in a neighborhood where sex-work occurs (albeit not under the safest conditions). I maintain as I said earlier, that when neighbors make active overtures to people whom are otherwise deemed to be a nuisance, that nuisance usually becomes an ally. Recently one of the coolest things to happen to me in a very long time was at about 3 in the morning, I was being harassed by people I’ll call jocks when a person who spare changes around a lot emerged from behind a car, scared the jocks away from me and walked me home. On Capp street a few years ago, I was approached by a guy who mistakenly thought I wanted to felate him and he was very persistent. This lady and her manager chased him off the block and offered me a cigarette and walked me half-way home. They recognized me from before. I still run into ‘em from time to time, and we still give each other the what’s up.

I don’t believe in absolutes. Not all sex-workers and managers and clients are rosy bright eyed neighborly optimists, nor are they all leacherous vultures conspiring to tear down someone’s idea of what a neighborhood should look like. I have spent the wee hours on Capp street (I’m a night person, you’ve probably seen me reading on your stoop at 4 am, and probably thought I was “some bum drinking beer”). Have you ever tried to have a conversation with the people who are bothering you?
Just some of my thoughts.

check it out…then write back!!

check it out…then write back!!

the former prostitutes 20 years ago were a bunch of individual crack-heads. one only went to the mission to scrape the bottom of the barrel for sex. it’s totally different now. they’re young (most are 15+ years old), and have pimps that could probably kick both of our asses (& wouldn’t hesitate to shoot a bullet through our heads if we got in their way).

so you’re right…i choose to live in the neighborhood w/the best weather in sf, knowing there would be some harmless ho’s here & there. now the pimps are taking over…

i don’t think anybody realizes the severity of this issue unless you’re in the hood between 2ish and 4ish in the morning…

Ultimately the issue comes down to quality of life. You chose to live in a rough area. Deal with it. If you don’t like it move to NV or PH or GP.

That said.. the City needs an official red light district. It is a waste of LE $ to go after hookers and a potentially huge windfall of $$$ to implement a reasonable taxation plan. It would be safer for everyone involved and would eliminate the quality of life problems.

And “johns” aren’t the only ones that harass women or proposition them. Most of the men that have harassed me couldn’t have cared less whether I was actually a hooker or not. Many men just enjoy intimidating women. It’s fucked up but it says more about how men are raised in this culture than it does about streetwalkers.

Violence should always be reported. Prostitutes, bodyguards/managers and their clients do not necessarily equal violence. I’ve met a lot of prostitutes in my day, and I’ve never met one who had a stereotypical pimp. Not saying they’re not out there, just that I don’t think it’s as common as you apparently do.

To everybody else: We’re talking about prostitutes in the Mission WITH PIMPS,not sex workers in general. Our prostitutes do INDEED come with pimps, are often underaged, and most likely forced into this trade by a MAN. They are driven in, belitted and scremed at, often hit, to make money for the PIMP. And yes, we experience this, first hand.

Please do your homework. Take a walk in the early morning…around our blocks…not other blocks, but specifically around Capp and 18th and Shotwell and 20th…and experience what we live through, nightly. If you’re a sex worker, you will readily realize that our prostitutes are NOT in the same league in YOU! They do not have the luxury of working from their house. They have to talk the streets and solicit money…not for rent…but for their pimps, or they will have the shit kicked out of them. PLEASE, do your homework before you theorize what we have to LIVE through, every fucking night. We don’t want to compare apples with oranges!

get your stories straight…