it is unclear how other jurisdictions will react in the province as i said in my post, this only applies to the CoV proper. there have been stings against sex buyers buying from street level workers during that time but that is also winding down.
there is an understanding here that criminalizing either side of the transaction is bad for the sex workers. so, protecting the "ladies"(there are male and trans workers also) also means not arresting sex buyers. please see pivot report " my job should not cost me my life" -
in simple terms, what is bad for clients - you - is bad for sex workers _ the ladies_ so, while some are saying "leave up to the sp's to deal with, we already are. we have had your backs for years...don't you guys know that?
would i go to court for a regular client? hell yes. would i stand up and say to the world, my clients are not rapists!! yes i would and have....many times...to the police, the city, students at ubc sfu, fraser valley u, u of vic....
i know you guys are scared...welcome to our world i guess....but please...remember we have always stood beside you and that will not change.
inside the city of vancouver, adult consensual sex work is not a priority, meaning they do not intend to interfere whether that be with seller or buyer, not the vpd or CoV.....unless you are an extortionist or seeking young people to have sex with, a business owner fining workers into debt servitude or threatening workers with "outing" for example to get what you want and what they do not want to do...ie- bbfs - you have nothing to worry about...inside the city....
i am sorry that we don't have the same agreements with RCMP, etc down the lower mainland...we tried....it just didn't happen and i am one person...i said this sometime ago that i could not afford to do what would be required, i couldn't and it did not get done.
also, uncalled for drama and undermining of work moving forward was a serious hindrance. in fighting has always been a serious problem for our movement and ego always plays its role. its sad but true. if people could have dropped the drama, we may have been able to do it...
this bill will have no real impact in vancouver, regardless of whether the focus is on arresting buyers or sellers...
MM, the CoV are trying not to insight the feminazis. thats why the focus is on safety and ending exploitation, which we all agree is important. no one want people to be human trafficked or exploited. thus the language used to craft the release. i contributed to that language and agree that saying "end exploitation" and sex worker safety" are the way to go...its about controlling the message.
if they say " buy all the sex you want in vancouver" it becomes a bomb....if they say"end exploitation"...its what people expect and produces a calm reaction....we DO want to end exploitation...we (CoV and VPD) just disagree with the federales about how to do it...and that's where discretion comes in...police and the city have discretion in how they enforce the law.
we are seeing increased trust, and increased reporting of violence and exploitation in vancouver, what we are doing is working...not always, ther is still problems within the system, i am the first to admit...but here more than any where else in the country we are seeing change for the better...
in the end, you guys have to decide for yourselves how you will react. will you cow down and hide? will you live as before? will you try to drive the prices down? will you stand up and be counted?
its up to you.
i can only tell you the truth of what i know and why things are the way they are here as opposed to elsewhere...
you must decide what you are comfortable with.
love susie
