A few weeks ago, we had a pretty good discussion here on the site about prostitution in Ypsilanti and what tools we in the community have at our disposal to fight it. Several folks recommended stiffer sentences for johns, and perhaps even adding the element of shame into the mix, by plastering the photos of those found guilty of solicitation and prostitution on billboards. Well, it looks as though the city of Warren might be one step ahead of us. According to the “Detroit News,” their Mayor, James Fotus, after riding along with his police officers, decided to start posting the photos of prostitutes and johns on the City’s website, running them on cable television, etc. [note: The “Detroit News” link isn’t working, so the link above will take you to what seems to be a pro-prostitution website, which is the only other online source I found for the article. It’s work-safe, but I just thought that I should mention it.]
I have a few thoughts on this. First, I’m wondering, if this is successful in Warren, will it push more of the sex trade toward Ypsilanti. And, second, regardless of whether it pushes more prostitution here, if it is successful in Warren, what would it take for us to implement similar practices here in Ypsi? And, third, even if we were to pass new laws, do we have the manpower within our police department to act on them?
And as long as we’re on the subject, did you happen to see this article on the legal forms of prostitution practiced by University of Michigan students? Here’s a clip from CNN:
…A recent study of 475 University of Michigan undergraduates ages 17 to 26 found that 27 percent of the men and 14 percent of the women who weren’t in a committed relationship had offered someone favors or gifts — help prepping for a test, laundry washing, tickets to a college football game — in exchange for sex. On the flip side, 5 percent of the men surveyed and 9 percent of the women said they’d attempted to trade sex for such freebies.
And although they weren’t hard up for resources, the students surveyed “recognized the value of this socioeconomic currency system,” says Daniel Kruger, research scientist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, who published his findings in the April issue of “Evolutionary Psychology.”
“It’s more about getting what you want than getting what you need,” he says. “Unless you think everyone needs a $200 Louis Vuitton bag.”…
I’m thinking that if we publicized the fact that you can have sex with U-M students for money, gifts and help with homework, a lot of our street prostitution here in Ypsi might die down… I figure, it’s worth a shot.