So long as there has been a city called "Seattle," prostitutes have haunted its streets. Every spring, neighbors confront the crime others embrace. Women and men, boys and girls, perform sex acts for money, lots of money, in parks, cars, and rented rooms. Sometimes, one gets popped by a cop, but is soon back on the same corner, flagging down a date.
This year, the South End may change this pattern.
A SOAP ordinance-"Stay Out of Area of Prostitution"-may come to Georgetown and Beacon Hill. On Feb. 24, Assistant City Attorney Tuere Sala, the City Attorney's liaison to the Southwest and South Police Precincts, led a workshop on SOAP designations at the Beacon Hill Lutheran Church.
"We were working on some problem motels in Georgetown, and since the time was right, we worked with Captain Byers from the South Precinct to include parts of Beacon Hill," Sala said.
Basically, SOAP affects an offender's probation. If a previously convicted prostitute, pimp, or john is charged with a crime in a SOAP area, a judge can address the matter in a new light. Probation could be revoked, or a new charge made. This not only discourages prostitutes and panderers from working in places within a SOAP, but it also affects how they do business as well. While the designation won't get rid of prostitution, it may push sex acts away from, say, Beacon Elementary School, the library, or away from homes in Georgetown unlucky enough to be near certain motels.
Advocates admit SOAPs do not address all the issues around street drug use, the sex trade, and violence, but they may help communities clean up their streets. Opponents raise concerns about police harassment and constitutional rights. However, all agree something should be done.
"It's a victimless crime where we're the victims," a long-suffering homeowner said.
"I drove past three prostitutes on the way to this meeting," another commented.
A packed audience learned how to counter the gritty trade. The boundaries for the new SOAPs will depend on the amount of community support.
"People have to write letters, or send email - in the next two weeks," Sala emphasized.
Why the tight deadline?
A judge will decide by late spring whether the conditions warrant an ordinance. It takes time for the paper to work its way through decision, so neighbors must act soon. The judge will base the decision on community input and police statistics.
"You have to have both," Sala explained. "The area with the greatest amount of the two factors will determine the boundary."
Although the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a similar Cincinnati law, the Seattle ordinance should stand, since it affects only people in the sex trade caught committing a crime and who have then been charged. SOAP laws won't apply to known prostitutes in the wrong place at the wrong time, or suspects who look like prostitutes. SOAP areas already exist in several city neighborhoods to the north and south, which leaves Georgetown and Beacon Hill caught in the squeeze, as tricks, pimps, and prostitutes stake out turf.
Conducting prostitution stings require undercover police work, which is very expensive. Still, SOAP areas give cops an enforcement tool.
"Police can approach prostitutes on parole in SOAP areas and start a conversation," Sala told community members. "It's not about automatic arrests."
When would the SOAP areas take effect?
"My aim is for the end of April, 60 days," Sala asserted.
She also emphasized that, when writing letters, community members should talk personally about how prostitution has affected them and their neighborhood: go into as much detail as possible.
Letters should be posted by March 15, and sent to: Tuere Sala, Assistant City of Seattle Attorney, 3001 South Myrtle, Seattle, WA 98108. Email can be sent to tuere.sala@seattle.gov. For more information, call (206) 233-2020.
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