Carman Fox

Operation Northern Spotlight

susi

Sassy Strumpette
Jun 27, 2008
1,465
285
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@the Meat Market!!!lol
the following warning is being issued by the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform.

THIS DOES NOT IMPACT VANCOUVER PROPER

The VPD are not participating in this action. The Burnaby RCMP and Richmond RCMP are also not likely to take part ( I am waiting to hear from them) but other cities in the lower mainland in particular where there are RCMP detachments are, are at risk. So be vigilant and if your spidey sense is tingling, trust your instinct!!!

October 2018

Operation Northern Spotlight is an anti-trafficking initiative carried out by police and other law enforcement every year. Police target predominantly female sex workers at hotels, motels, massage parlours and other places where sex workers work. They do this in an attempt to “rescue trafficked or under 18s in the sex industry.” Even though police will tell you they are seeking victims, they often treat sex workers like criminals.


When? The Operation takes place annually during for 3-4 days in the first weeks of October. Other similar Operations take place throughout the year.

Where? Anywhere in Canada.

What can you expect? To gain access to sex workers, police and law enforcement may pose as a client booking an appointment or they may show up alone or in groups of 2-4 to an indoor location where sex workers are working. They may or may not show identification when they are invited into the room, and they may only reveal who they are after sometime into an appointment. Armed police officers will ask questions such as if you have been forced to work, what you do on the job, how much you earn, how you spend your money, where you live, about boyfriends or other men in your life or work, if you have thought about working at something else, among other questions. Sex workers have had various experiences with these operations, though most have reported to us that they find them intimidating. Others may not find this intimidating and just answer questions and move on. How you feel about the presence of police in your workspace is typically dependent on your history and your social positioning. Most sex workers tell us that this operation has not only negatively affected their immediate sources of income, but also compromised their health and safety. News reporters may also be present to ask you questions.

What are your rights?

You can ask the officers if you are under arrest or being detained. If not, the general rule is that you have no obligation to identify yourself to the police, or to answer any other questions. This can be difficult, however, for some sex workers who know that not providing information may cause more trouble with police. Some people panic and talk to police because they fear staying silent makes them look guilty. Your silence cannot incriminate you, but your statement might. Be aware that police may identify as “Victims Support Unit”, and may say they are going to help you. They may, however, later use your statement against you (e.g., for a criminal investigation or for Canada Border Service Agency). Even if you are arrested, you have the fundamental right to say nothing else until you speak with a lawyer. If you choose to speak to the police, share the least amount of information as possible. With reporters, you are under no obligation to answer any of their questions.

What can you do?


Make a plan in advance:

* Know the law and your rights

* Think about who you should call – try to memorize these number as you may be denied or delayed in accessing a phone

* Other tips found in these documents may be helpful for sex workers:

o Who is Who? (Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Worker Advocacy Network) Helps to identify which law enforcement is visiting you and what their powers are https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/5bd754_748f9f3d7c9a4139b999f5b4a26b9f7a.pdf

o Police Powers, Incall and Outcall (Stella, l’amie de Maimie) http://chezstella.org/docs/en/stella_incalloutcall.pdf o Working in Canada Without Canadian Citizenship: http://chezstella.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Working-In-Canada-Without-Canadian-Citizenship.pdf

As usual, trust your gut! If you have an odd feeling about a date and can afford it, err on the side of caution and don’t book it. We will let you know when the stings are over and you can resume working normally.

If you happen to get caught up in this sting, please call your local sex work organizations listed below, and share as much detail as you can remember.

Groups available for sex workers to reach out to about Operation Northern Spotlight:

Canada wide: Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform, [email protected] Sex Professional of Canada (SPOC), [email protected] 647-829-7320 EDMONTON: PIECE Edmonton, [email protected] LONDON: Safe Space, 96 Rectory Unit A [email protected]

TORONTO: Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network ), 416-906-3098 / [email protected]

MONTREAL : Stella, l’amie de Maimie, 514-285-8889, [email protected] or [email protected] SUDBURY: Sex Workers Advisory Network of Sudbury (SWANS), [email protected], Tracy Gregory, 705-280-8005 [email protected]

VANCOUVER SWAN Vancouver: [email protected], 604 719 6343 (English)/778 865 6343 (Chinese)
 

Lo-ki

Well-known member
Jul 18, 2011
3,671
1,801
113
Check your closet..:)
Thanks for the post Susi...:)
 

treveller

Member
Sep 22, 2008
627
7
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The contact in Victoria would be PEERS at 250-388-5325 but like Vancouver proper, the police in Victoria proper are treating sex workers with substantial respect. I have little idea of what it's like in the surrounding municipalities but I have not heard of any problems and have had positive feedback from some officers.

As I understand it, when the police want to talk to you there are three possible situations.
- You are free to go and there is no need to answer any of their questions. In an incall I expect this also means you can tell them to leave.
- You are being detained but you are not under arrest. The police can be forced to explain why you were detained and if they don't have a good answer they are in shit. You need to identify yourself and they can pat you down for weapons. A thorough search is not allowed. There is no need to answer any of their questions.
- You are detained and under arrest. The police can be forced to explain why you were arrested and if they don't have a good answer they are in shit. Again, you need to identify yourself. In this case, they can subject you and your property to a thorough search.

It's the police who determine what the situation is and they can change things from one situation to another as they wish but they can also be forced to explain their choices.

I understand that knowing this will not make the experience any less painful or difficult.

I can't say what anyone should do but it would be amazing to see someone, somewhere in Canada, take the police to small claims court for failure to pay any agreed sum for the worker's time. Just as the workers are expected to pay income tax for work that has been made illegal, the police should be forced to pay what they agreed when they set up an appointment. Maybe we could all chip in for a lawyer.

As the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform collects more information on the individual police departments across Canada, it may be possible to select one police department that uses Operation Northern Spotlight in a particularly offensive way. It may be possible to work towards having the police chief in that department replaced by a chief who has more respect for sex workers.
 

Quarter Mile'r

Injected and Blown
May 17, 2005
3,599
133
63
Out of Town
the following warning is being issued by the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform.


Operation Northern Spotlight is an anti-trafficking initiative carried out by police and other law enforcement every year. Police target predominantly female sex workers at hotels, motels, massage parlours and other places where sex workers work. They do this in an attempt to “rescue trafficked or under 18s in the sex industry.” Even though police will tell you they are seeking victims, they often treat sex workers like criminals.
There most likely will be a few other involved as well.

https://www.ups.com/ca/en/help-center/sri/ibet-exam.page

IBET, CBSA, RCMP, etc.

Back in '07 I think it was we had our Black Thursday or was it Friday?
Anyway, can't exactly remember but the forces hit 18 different AMP locations right
out to and including Surrey all on the same night right around the same time.
They did not find a single under age sex worker
or one that was illegally here. They all had qualified ID's and were of age.
Man did it turn out bad for them as they were embarrassed as hell walking
away with nothing.

That was a sad day indeed as a couple of my fave AMP's got shut down.
Lotus in Surrey and Ocean in Coquitlam. Oh the days when Korean K**** used
to work at Ocean..............sigh............ And one other legend got her start there
if I'm not mistaken. I remember watching it on the news when the crews were
going into Ocean and a couple of poor pooners were in handcuffs and the
girls didn't look to happy neither. Geeeeezus.

Well not Lotus right away but soon after. Hmmm, makes me wonder where R******
from there is these days? It all Brings back some fabulous memories. :)





.....................QM'r
 

AuldMagpye

Member
Jul 30, 2018
93
29
18
How should the police investigate or discover trafficking? Them righteous do-gooders are a pain who want it all to be shutdown and everybody live their ideas of a proper life, but to think there ain't no sex slaves out there is not much better.
 

susi

Sassy Strumpette
Jun 27, 2008
1,465
285
83
55
@the Meat Market!!!lol
the smash, humiliate and arrest approach does nothing to find trafficking victims...it undermines trust in police and makes sex workers not report exploitation if they witness it.... also, sex buyers are unlikely to report if they feel their lives might be ruined....

in vancouver, thanks in part to reporting by sex buyers, several exploiters have been arrested and prosecuted...

so to answer your question, the way is to decriminalize sex work and build trust in police so that those who are best positioned to report sex trafficking, will report sex trafficking...like here in vancouver...

the compromising of the safety of the entire sex industry via raids and humiliation to "save" sex trafficking victims does not work and puts so many at risk....so saying how else should they find the victims...is shallow and counter productive...

they should do the hard work, which they are paid to do, and work WITH us...not broadly criminalize us and hope they can find the victims which they believe exist....there is trafficking...but not to the extent they say in order to justify this kind of action....

notice they said in the winnipeg article that they arrested 4 youth "at risk"...is that how you help people? by arresting them?

anyway, this kind of action is well known to not help in the fight against trafficking, it displaces workers (parlour closures) and undermines trust in police so no one reports....

love susie
 

westwoody

Well-known member
Jun 10, 2004
6,458
4,040
113
Westwood
The four youths arrested had outstanding warrants.

Also sixteen cars were seized, not sure what the protocol there is.
 

treveller

Member
Sep 22, 2008
627
7
18
There is lots that a police department can and should do to find anyone who is being exploited or abused. Operation Northern Spotlight (ONS) has little or nothing to do with that.

ONS is a PR stunt designed to serve the political interests of some police departments, prop up there budget requests and give the officers involved a fun way to collect overtime. If you can prove this to local tax payers then there is a chance of shutting down the operations, both in the department you target and in other departments that don't want the bad press.
 

AuldMagpye

Member
Jul 30, 2018
93
29
18
Thanks Susi. Decriminalization would be a giant first step . Unfortunately, social stigma is harder to defeat.
 

westwoody

Well-known member
Jun 10, 2004
6,458
4,040
113
Westwood
Winnipeg Police hq building renovations are $200 million over budget.
They aren’t worried about a little overtime pork barrelling!
 

treveller

Member
Sep 22, 2008
627
7
18
Winnipeg Police hq building renovations are $200 million over budget.
They aren’t worried about a little overtime pork barrelling!
Is it the police or the taxpayers that you think aren’t worried about a little overtime pork barrelling? In any case, it's the way you package it for the public that counts.

The renovation money is going to well connected contractors. The officers want more of the taxpayers money as well. Don't underestimate the motivation provided by a few thousand extra in the pay cheque. But the money would only be part of the motivation. Some officers are bigoted control freaks and thugs to some degree and harassing sex workers will be entertainment for them. Then the cars are sold to pad someones government budget.

It would be interesting to get the cost figures associated with ONS for one of the police departments. The police are probably exempt from Access to Information legislation so you need to formally ask for the numbers then go to the public with complaints that the police are spending so much for so little that they have to hide the numbers.
 

westwoody

Well-known member
Jun 10, 2004
6,458
4,040
113
Westwood
I typed out a long rant but it got deleted accidentally.

All the guilty parties are well known.
$200 million on police hq.
Tens of millions on new district police stations.
Tens of millions on fire halls.

All into a few rich well connected people’s pockets.

Anyone who thinks all business people are trustworthy by default is an idiot.
 
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MissingOne

awake but not woke
Jan 2, 2006
2,170
350
83
hey...i own a business....c'mon people....

where's the love for small business owners?

love susie
Me too. Blanket criticism of business owners is about as wrong as, say, blanket criticism of the unemployed.
 

treveller

Member
Sep 22, 2008
627
7
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SORRY...SORRY...SORRY !!!!

When I said "business people in BC want us to keep First Past the Post" (and I suspect when westwoody said "Anyone who thinks all business people are trustworthy by default is an idiot") I was talking about 10 or 20 business people who are big enough to tell the government what to do with some authority. The BC managers of several international logging companies, investment firms, mining companies, newspaper and media chains and advertising firms (Jimmy Pattison Inc.)

Again, SORRY...SORRY...SORRY !!!! Not talking about small business. In the words of a great man, but with much greater sincerity, I miss spoke!!!
 
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