Good reasons for MP crackdowns.

[DaBoneman]

Maybe because it's early in the morning or maybe for lack of sleep but I can't stop laughing about this quote in today's Vancouver Sun. According to Richmond spokesman Ted Townsend the crackdowns were prompted by concerns that some of the businesses might be engaged in criminal activities, as well as things like flouting the city's anti-smoking bylaws.

Damn those Hookers and Johns for smoking inside I hope they all rot in hell!!!

Interestingly enough of the 78 women arrested - all were over 19 and all were in Canada legally either as citizens or permanent residents.

 

[Quarter Mile'r]

Political postering when put into practise most times renders the results
of having the intenders looking like they just shot themselves in the foot.

But oh the media circus portraying the point of illegal aliens and busting
MP's was forefront in their reports on the tube. With only a tiny snippit
of the fact that no illegal aliens were found.

Kinda reminds me of when Bush went into Iraq looking for weapons of mass destruction and literally went in pounding sand.

Here's a hint PD, you had the right idea to begin with maybe you should
excercise that idea again and hit the micro's once more.
Wasn't it reported that the things you were looking for were found there
like the criminal element being grow ops, credit card fraud, illegal aliens,
money laundering etc? You expected to find that in legit businesses who
hold a business license who pay money to the crown for that business
license?
Way to go Sherlock !!!

Yah well done PD, hope you had your jollies for the night.
Oh yah and one other thing (PD) you reported that the investigation is
on going. Does that mean your actually going to go where the problem is?

I sure hope so as nothing would make me more happy than to see those
guys who peddle young girls against their will into sex slavery get their
nuts skinned in a media circus. Do that and I will stand and applaud !!!!

..........QM'r

 

[Maury Beniowski]

It is astonishing that after months planning a combined law enforcement investigation and raid with multiple search warrants - allegedly to battle human trafficking and sex slaves - not a single undocumented alien was found ANYWHERE!

Is that ironic, or pathetic?

Yes and no. The police routinely conduct visits to all the Lower Mainland massage places, and depending on the establishment's past performance or record, this could occur three or four times a year. These are unannounced visits, and they deal with the same issues as the ones that happened Thursday - only this one was televised, and coincidently occurred on the anniversary of the Montreal incident, and the Conservative government's pronouncements on the human trafficking problem.

 

[HaywoodJabloemy]

What bugs me is the media initially reporting this by saying that a huge "people trafficking/sex slavery" (the two terms have very different meanings and are not interchangeable) ring had been busted, then failing to follow up or downplaying the facts about no illegal aliens or anyone under 18 being found, and last I heard no charges yet against anyone who was arrested. The cops are blatantly two-faced and telling the media what they want to hear strictly for PR purposes, when anyone who thinks about it should be able to see what a giant load of crap it is. Is the media too dumb, or afraid to question anything the cops say, or are they confused or unable to admit that there may be women who don't have guns pointed at their heads doing sex work?

 

[westender]

The clip I saw on CTV showed a young Asian girl (back to the camera) with her hands hancuffed behind her back surrounded by huge cops in bullet proof vests.

Someone has some explaining to do.

 

[georgebushmoron]

Is the media too dumb,

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Journalists are among the most stupid of people in the world.

 

[westwoody]

The "Objective" media are so thrilled to be allowed to come along on this sort of thing that they get caought up in the fervor and print anything the cops tell them to. I have seen reporters print absolute nonsense, little more than PD press releases masquerading as news.
"Ongoing investigation" is the cops way of avoiding questions, for example, you might say "Where were all the illegal aliens in that massage parlor bust", to which the cop will respond "I cannot answer that because the investigation is ongoing".

 

[Man Mountain]

The "Objective" media are so thrilled to be allowed to come along on this sort of thing that they get caought up in the fervor and print anything the cops tell them to. I have seen reporters print absolute nonsense, little more than PD press releases masquerading as news.
"Ongoing investigation" is the cops way of avoiding questions, for example, you might say "Where were all the illegal aliens in that massage parlor bust", to which the cop will respond "I cannot answer that because the investigation is ongoing".

Actually, the way I heard it was that the police shot the footage themselves during the raid and supplied it to the media outlets for the story. So the rest of your argument may actually be even more accurate that they're simply towing the line. But at least one reporter did a follow up to the story at a Richmond massage parlour. That's gotta count for something in the look for some "balance."

 

[OTBn]

Maybe VPDs avoid busting the micros unless they are really forced to, because micros are more likely connected with organized crime syndicates, which may have embarrasing evidence against some key cops.

Oh my! Call the media - organized crime has the goods on the coppers! That explains it all.

 

[HaywoodJabloemy]

everyone one WAS charged with bawdy house charges from what I know...

Where did you hear or read that? Not saying it isn`t true, but I did a google news search and looked through a few articles and wasn`t able to see anything about any charges, common bawdy-house or otherwise. This CTV story from last night says "But so far, no charges have been laid. Police have released the 108 people they arrested."

Good to see at least a few people in the media have started asking questions after realizing they`re being fed a load of PR crap by the cops.

...Police say some of the women working in the parlours were brought to Canada as sex slaves...

"Of those 78 women, 52 agreed to seek immediate assistance from the provincial victims centre response team," Ard had said on Thursday.

However, CTV Vancouver`s Lisa Rossington later reported that none of the women have since asked for help.

Pressed to demonstrate that the women were being held in Canada against their will, authorities admitted all of those arrested are in Canada legally...

The media being stupid or lazy by just repeating what cops tell them is understandable, but this CP article in Friday`s Montreal Gazette is presented as a news story, when it`s really opinion pushing a deliberately dishonest agenda.
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazet...=05886b31-b581-4aa5-b79b-8875a6f22aa9&k=87468

Apparently they don`t know the World Cup in Germany was six months ago. And as described in this Perb thread, the fear mongering over trafficking was nonsensical to begin with, and was clearly proven to be unfounded during the World Cup. The writer of the CP story obviously wants to attempt to claim that legal prostitution promotes trafficking, and doesn`t care if she has to lie to prove it. Near the end of the World Cup this was in a National Post editorial.
"..it is clear that Germany`s critics got it wrong...
in fact, legalizing prostitution has helped stop trafficking..."

And a similar column in Saturday`s Vancouver Sun by Daphne Bramham, who also has a habit of repeating fabricated false facts. "During the competition, police in cities like Munich, Berlin and Cologne reported the number increased as much as 63 per cent." No, wrong, completely false. Business was actually reported as being a little slower than usual during the World Cup.

 

[Gauss]

It is all still very confusing. I'd love to hear from someone who was on the "inside" (of those handcuffs). That would give a better perspective.

On CBC Radio, I heard a police officer say that they are still working on bringing charges and that five ladies from one establishment had re-contacted victim services, implying that this contact would give him evidence to pursue charges.

However, this was right after an interview with a representative of victim services who stated in no uncertain terms that NO information from their counselling would be passed back to police? This same person seemed adamant that any woman having sex must be suffering from exploitation.

It really appears to me that Vancouver doesn't have a serious problem, but I think the only way to be sure is to but rid of these silly bawdy house laws so that the legitimate operators can be more open and force out the abusers. (Actually, I'd also favour dropping all these silly immigration laws so no one could make money smuggling people into Canada illegally.)

------------------------------------
Someone once commented that my daughter shouldn't have to sleep
next to a room where people might be having sexual intercourse.
My wife and I have the bedroom next to hers!