Chicago Offers Pimps Free Ad Space

Chicago's police department is publishing the photographs, names, and partial addresses of the city's alleged johns and pimps on a public site. The Web site (which tactfully reminds us that the humiliated men are "presumed innocent") is apparently not part of the "Choose Chicago" tourism pitch, but an attempt to "out" offenders and clean up Chi-town so its residents can continue to wallow in the prairie mudhole unblemished by the louche impulses of their friends and neighbors. Money quote:

And despite the public humiliation factor, Daley said the city's effort is built on compassion for victims -- starting with the prostitutes themselves -- some 25,000 women selling sex in Chicago over the course of a year.

Comments

6Gun | June 23, 2005, 6:31pm | #

Lawyers, if it's outright slander disclaimed as innocent-till-proven guilty, is it still outright slander?

Beware the presumptive guilt of the rad-feminization of America.

mk | June 23, 2005, 6:48pm | #

starting with the prostitutes themselves

Your reference to the article just says that pimps and johns will be featured. The site actually shows pictures of the alleged prostitutes as well. If Daley is concerned for the sex workers, he sure has a funny way of showing it.

mk | June 23, 2005, 6:54pm | #

Hmmm. THe article says that Prostitute's pics will be shown, but it's hard to tell if the actual pics are of hookers or johns. Well, except for the cases that are obvious, which is most of them.

kmw | June 23, 2005, 7:08pm | #

You know, the more I think about this, the better it sounds.

If you know the name and picture (and general whereabouts) of a ho, you won't have to worry about any undercover officers busting you. Just march right up, introduce yourself, and name your price.

Brilliant! Probably unintended consequences, but brilliant nonetheless.

Stevo Darkly | June 23, 2005, 7:14pm | #

Why do most of these guys all look like they could be related to each other? Sort of like a big Walton clan of vice patrons.

PS: One person looks kind of feminine in the face, but is identified as male.

kmw | June 23, 2005, 8:00pm | #

Off topic, just out of curiosity...

Do the cops do vice busts in Watts? Just wondering, seems like it'd be a dangerous job, and I can't imagine there would be too many volunteers.

Bob Hawkins | June 23, 2005, 8:00pm | #

Boston has one of those cable programs where they show men convicted of soliciting prostitutes. The mayor of Boston, Tom "Mumbles" Menino said the purpose of the show is "to show the faces of these johns so that their neighbors can identify with them."

Windypundit | June 23, 2005, 8:32pm | #

The real tourist's guide to Chicago is Citizen ICAM. It allows you to query the Police Department's database of reported crimes by geographic region. Want to know where to find drugs for sale near your hotel? Just query a few areas until you find where all the narcotics busts are, and that's where you'll find the dealers.

(The data entry is not exactly real-time, so you might want to query for the previous month's crimes to make sure you see them all.)

Jon H | June 23, 2005, 9:05pm | #

Stevo Darkly writes: "PS: One person looks kind of feminine in the face, but is identified as male."

Your basic Chicago tranny ho.

Ammonium | June 23, 2005, 9:14pm | #

The people on the website seem to change each day.

I haven't ever seen any females on there. From my research watching Cops, it seems like the transsexuals are prostitutes -- not johns. So maybe this website is only showing men involved in the business? Sounds like a violation of some part of the Constitution (do we still have a Constitution?)

Mr. Nice Guy | June 24, 2005, 7:55am | #

It's a little extreme, but necessary, that the government publicly humiliate peaceful American citizens engaging in adult, consensual behavior. Otherwise, they wouldn't do it.

Phillip Conti | June 24, 2005, 9:01am | #

I personally dont see why the government should attempt to humilate johns instead of humiliating deadbeat dads.

Mr. Nice Guy | June 24, 2005, 9:35am | #

Phillip:

C'mon. You need to wake up. It's okay for a guy to fuck a woman and leave her to raise a baby on her own, but it's NOT okay for a dude to fuck a chick and then pay her for it. Duh.

Kevin B. O'Reilly | June 24, 2005, 10:17am | #

Chicagocrime.org coordinates the Chicago Police crime data with Google maps. Cool stuff. I've looked at the site a couple of times and I think it only lists solicitors. That's certainly what it says right at the top. The female-looking men are obviously transvestites.

Henry | June 24, 2005, 10:25am | #

I'll second Mr Nice Guy's comment. Both left and right wings want to criminalize sex. Sex is the psychological problem America still can't get over.

Prostitution is a crime of human rights, just as rape is a crime of violence. They're still sex-related crimes of course, so it's hard to draw clear lines, but if we're really so concerned about human trafficking and abuse, why don't we solve that problem as such. I don't think criminalizing sex is going to do it.

I hate to say the solution might be legalization and regulation, but I don't know what else to think. I also realize that in places where prostitution is legal, local mafias end up running the industry, but there's got to be something better than embarrassing people with bed-cams.

Thomas | June 24, 2005, 11:01am | #

Why would we assume that these men are humiliated?

I mean, isn't this the New and Improved Reason, embracing libertinism as well as libertarianism?

No self-respecting libertine would think caught paying for sex has humiliated himself. Instead he's proved his willingness to sacrifice for his highest impulses. Practically heroic activity.

Elam Bend | June 24, 2005, 11:19am | #

The Chicago program is only targeted to those who work and shop in the public; literally, the street walkers. The city prefers that these things not be done in public. (and I do think that the crime and drug rate among these pros is higher than among some of the more discreet ones)

More 'discreet' professional service is openly advertised in the back pages of likes of Chicago Reader or under Erotic Services in Craigslist.

The Craigslist entries make for some interesting reading as some of them seem to be wildcat pros, going for a cash infusing.

Of course, for a different kind, but similar transaction, check out Casual Encounters, where the plead for sugar dadies and special arrangements is often made.

I must confess that I have no hands-on experience with any of this other than trolling the more pruient sections of craigslist.

Lexington Green | June 24, 2005, 1:11pm | #

This is not about puritanism, it is about "broken windows" and removing low-grade criminality from neighborhoods which have enough problems already. There is no one who wants this trade to be occurring on the street where they live, or to put up with the related criminality which is always associated with it. As to libel, it is only libel if it is false. If someone is put on the website who did not, in fact, speak to a prostitute as the website indicates, that might be libel. But if it is true that person A spoke to person B at a particular time and place, that is not libel. I live in the Chicago area and I have long thought that Chicago should move toward the New York model of quality-of-life policing and this is a step in the right direction.

Mr. Nice Guy | June 24, 2005, 1:16pm | #

Lexington:

So the state should be free to punish people via humiliation without due process?

DBL | June 24, 2005, 3:42pm | #

The public identification of someone as a john or as a pimp is clearly slanderous. However, truth is a complete defense to a charge of slander. Bottom line: if the City has falsely slimed you, sue 'em, you have a good cause of action; but if you in fact are a pimp or john, tough luck.

Anne | June 24, 2005, 5:44pm | #

I read that the Kansas City (MO) Police Department discontinued this program after finding that it had no impact on prositution arrests. Being arrested is enough of a deterrent, in my humble opinion.

Anne | June 24, 2005, 5:45pm | #

That's prostitution. My apologies for not proofreading enough!

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