Michelle Liu Photo
Protesters outside City Hall Friday.
In response to public criticism, New Haven is putting prostitution stings on hold while it develops a “Project Longevity”-style program for sex workers.
Police Chief Anthony Campbell told the Independent about the new effort Friday following a demonstration outside City Hall by a new organization of advocates for sex workers. The organization sprung up after this New Haven Independent report about the latest undercover sweep of women selling sex in Fair Haven and West River.
Campbell said the police are working with the city’s human services office and other groups to develop the new plan. Similar to a program in Seattle, it would operate like the city’s “Project Longevity” program for accused violent gang members: Cops would call people in to warn them of potential arrests, but offer them help to get out of the life first, such as referrals for housing or mental health or substance abuse programs.
“Community policing is about relationships,” said Campbell, who met with the activists earlier this week. “In the best interest of dealing with community policing and prostitution — which has been reported by many residents of the city — we would like to partner with church organizations and social organizations and develop a program that is similar to the Project Longevity program: identify people who are engaged in prostitution and offer them services before they make arrests.
“We understand that prostitution in many incidents is that many sex workers choose to engage in because they have other issues and they have no other way out. We also understand that many individuals are forced into the sex trade. We are not about to re-victimize them.”
“But we also understand that it is a choice of some people as to how they make their money. We cannot have prostitution be something that disrupts our community. It is a major complaint in many residential areas. We do not want children and many people in the community feel they are prisoners in their own community because prostitution is going on.”
At the rally, organizers condemned TV news outlets for publicizing mugshots of the women arrested last month.
“Bring that message back to your editors,” IV Staklo said to cheers. “Don’t ever put them up again.”
They also called to hold the police department accountable for promises like contacting the state attorney’s office to drop charges on the women arrested. As of Friday morning, that hadn’t happened yet, organizer Brett Davidson of the CT Bail Fund (pictured) told a crowd of about 20. Five of the women arrested have court dates on Monday.
Next time, organizers plan to mobilize faster: Some of the women have already accepted plea bargains, Davidson said. He acknowledged that the police department has expressed openness to meeting the activists’ demands.
Organizers will hold a meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the New Haven People’s Center to put together pamphlets of resources to distribute to “people on the streets and people New Haven is failing.”
Like others at the rally, Jonathan Chacón, a student at the Yale School of Art, argued that the culture of shame around sex work — by police and by the general public alike — needs to be changed.
“New Haven is supposed to be a community policing city,” said Nora Niedzielski-Eichner, a student at Yale Law School. “Shaming people for working is not a way to improve anyone’s lives.”
Criminal justice reform activist Beatrice Codianni said she and Davidson had spoken to some of the women, who were both surprised and touched that people cared.
Briam Timico, who said she has worked as a sex worker in the past, declared that sex work is real work that deserves to be decriminalized. She pointed to Kolkata, India, where sex workers have unionized as a form of protection.
“Whose streets?” Timico called out. “Our streets!” the crowd replied. “Whose city?” “Our city!”
Paul Bass contributed reporting.
Are these activists for real? They want to legalize prostitution? Many of these women are selling their bodies for drugs while many are forced into prostitution by pimps. They all need help! Yes, first help should be offered and if they refuse then they should be arrested. At NO point should prostitution ever become legal.