ok hunny!i get it!sorry.
as far as surrey women's center, THEY ROCK!! i would like to copy a post i made else where fo people to consider;
we contacted lynda malcom, VPD sex industry Liaison officer and forwarded info about mr.russell. she is very well connected to WISH as am i and the BCCEC ( BC Coalition of experiential communities-
www.bccec.wordpress.com ) i am assuming as i mentioned it in a couple meetings this week too that people made some calls on our behalf and now surrey supports are ramping up.
the surrey women's center also have ties to the BCCEC through a program for street level workers in surrey called surrey girlz that was run by BCCEC members and admined(had it's home at) the surrey women's center. BCCEC members have also worked there as far as i know...
they are non judgemental and the reporting process is confidential unless you wish to persue charges no one will pressure you to. the project report and process designed by the BCCEC in partnership with victim services, sex workers support services, sex workers and police can be seen on the link listed above.
i think it's encouraging that surrey is waking up and going to do something to protect sex workers. i also think this is a testament to the impacts we can make when we take action as a community. the rcmp will be a different story but i have also made very clear that there seems to be a disconnect between best practices employed by VPD and tactics used/police attitudes throughout the lower mainland. we are hoping VPD will apply some pressure on other police departments and as they are fellow police persons they may actually see results....cops listen cops...know what i mean?
dealing with police carries risk but i think we have managed to create processes that can protect the identities and privacy of workers or pooners for that matter...we are working on confidential ways to report human trafficking/ exploitation of a person...but that's another post!!
if anyone has any question or concerns please feel free to ask me anything!!
IMHO- surrey women's center bad date sheet= good idea!!
there are plans to create a bad date data base that is searchable for police use only... we assume that violent consumers do not only target street workers but also migrate between sex idustry venues. by combining info about violent consumers, we hope to recognize repeat offenders and be able to stop their serial behaviour...make sense?
we also assume that violent consumers do not act out these crimes in only one city of the lower mainland. if we are to really put together a clear picture we need other municipal police forces and rcmp detacments in the lower mainland on board.
a new idea is emerging that there should be an intergrated sex industry task force type deal....so that different areas aren't working at opposite ways of addressing these issues. we need one over all stratgey employed throughout the lower mainland...stop closing exotic showlounges and brothels if you don't want to see workers on the street. if workers are on the street and need help treat them with dignity and help them access support...not arrest now ask questions later...
we are also calling for them to stop charging consumers, it doesn't help anyone to arrest the people who pay our bills/wages.
and community policing partnership car- the following is a brief description of that idea; we must find ways to "police" our industry that are less harmful;
Recently the targeting of Health Enhancement Centers and increased enforcement against Exotic Show Lounges has once again jeopardized the safety of Sex Industry Workers. Clear policies and procedures for engaging sex industry workers do not currently exist and Sex workers are generally treated like criminals.
This criminalization has lead to a culture of mistrust between the sex industry community and the VPD. Sex workers are reluctant to report violence against them for fear of being judged and sex workers also fear being seen as working with the police and having to face reprisal from the “street” community.
During the Living in Community Project” we learned that the majority of complaints coming from residents and business owners in communities affected by sex work are nuisance related and cost a lot in police resources.
Developing a community-VPD partnership that brings together both perspectives by hiring one experiential person ( victim services trained sex industry representative) and a police officer to focus on the common goal of safety could begin to bridge these issues of mistrust and ensure fair treatment and support of sex industry workers during VPD operations.
All over Canada, law enforcement seem to be stepping up attacks on our community. Raids in Halifax, Winnipeg, Barry, Calgary, North Bay Grand Prairie, Ottawa and Vancouver have left the indoor escort and massage community shaken. 20 show lounges in Vancouver have closed since 1990 and neighbouring Coquitlam have just passed a by-law outlawing “sundry” or “undesirable” business including massage parlours and exotic show lounges.
We know historically how the elimination of employment choices and safe work environments has slowly but surely whittled away at the safety and stability of the sex industry and its workers. The lack of job opportunities caused by enforcement against us is forcing people to choose sex industry work outside of their comfort zone and contributing to increasing numbers of workers forced into the dangerous street level trade.
Recent raids also revealed another risk to our safety and I quote “ It was like- bang crash- and I was on the ground…I looked up to see 5 guns pointed at my head, my husband also on the ground and my son….with a gun pointed at him”. My friend expressed that she looked up at one young “rookie” officer and thought “this is the guy who is going to kill me…”
a community policing partnership are could employ a more soft approach to "policing" our industry, rather that the raids, guns drawn, down on the floor, the community policing team could go in with harm reduction supplies, take bad date reports, share info on bad dates talk to people, witness working conditions and asses whether a business was ethical or not....
anyway all in the works but not quite there yet!
any comments etc,welcome!!
love susie
Sex Industry Workers and the VPD have been working together in the newly formed, first of it’s kind in Canada, Sex Industry Worker Safety Action Group. The group has agreed on the following goals for the Community Policing Partnership Car Project.
Goals
• To provide specialized sex industry specific policing resources for victimized sex industry workers
• To connect sex industry workers to support services and organizations
• To build alternative strategies and best practices for police and communities to better cope with ancillary issues arising from the sex industry
• To consider the collateral impact on a case-by-case basis on strategies employed by the VPD when engaging sex industry workers.
• To work with residents and business owners in communities impacted by sex work to resolve their concerns
Expected Outcomes
Sex Industry Workers
1. Decreased numbers of assaults on sex industry workers
2. Increased feelings of safety for sex industry workers
3. Increased trust and understanding between the VPD and sex industry community
4. Higher numbers of Sex Industry Workers reporting violence against them.
5. Increased numbers of sex workers accessing support services
Systematic Outcomes
1. -gaps in services for sex workers identified and a more complete approach to support implemented.
2. -Reduction in work load related to sex industry complaints for police officers engaged in regular police operational duties.
3. Improved strategies to minimize unintended negative consequences to sex industry workers from police enforcement
4. -Increased involvement in prevention programs
5. -Increased understanding of best practices for engaging the sex worker community
Design Phase -
o Establish the SIWSAG committee as a steering committee
o Assign one police officer to the project
o Hire one sex industry worker consultant
o Design the program collaboratively
Both the police experience and the sex worker experience bring important information to the development of the pilot and inclusion of both will help to prevent any omissions or potential problems.