This is the fifth of ten episodes in the KBOO Evening News Series, Sex4Sale.  This time we’re talking about the laws and regulations that affect the sex industry here in Portland.  What are those laws and are they working?

 The FBI is at the center of investigations of trafficking and sex crimes that cross state lines.  Here’s Agent Biehen on the Bureau’s focus on minors, both male and female:

F-2:

F-3: \

 The FBI gives something called “Title 18” authority” to the local police:

            F-8

 The US Department of Justice has a Violent Crimes Unit that gets involved in sex trafficking, a subject well be discussing in more detail in the next episode of this series:

 DOJ- X:  the segment should start around 1:40.

 Keep in mind that if you travel overseas to engage in trafficking, you can face federal charges here in the Portland when you get back:

 DOJ-3: you can be prosecuted if you traffic overseas.

 The Portland Police Bureau is dealing with local issues most often related to prostitution.

 The police say that they focus on eliminating demand:

 PPB-6

 

Given that most prostitution now is internet-based, we wondered how they deal with that:

PPB-5

So the Portland police follow what’s called “the Nordic model,’ going after customers.  That sounds enlightened, was our reaction.  But wait, here’s a different viewpoint:

             DG-3

             DG-5

 There’s also a problem in the language here, and it’s one that can lead to confusion:

 The Portland Police have decided to relabel “pimping” as “trafficking.”  They don’t like the word “pimp” because they feel that it suggests a lifestyle that’s has been glamorized in pop culture and that should be rejected at every opportunity:

 PPB-4

 This may seem like semantics but how we use the word trafficking is important.  Here’s Red Reid, an escort and activist, on this distinction:

 S-6.

 S-7: can’t have “safety calls.”

 Couldn’t the PPB have chosen another word for pimp instead of trafficker, a word that didn’t mislead and confuse the public?  How about “procurer?”   How about hustler, panderer, whoremonger…anything but “trafficker”!

 One other criticism that Red makes of the PPB has to do with what could be called “profiling:”

 S-9.  profiling of transgenders.

 This is a consistent error the police make with transgenders but it also happens with people of color.  A certain “look” can get you attention you don’t want.

 And we’d like your feedback. At the end of this series we’ll do a full episode in which you get to speak your mind on this subject.  If you have a comment or question about the series or about the sex trade, we’d like to hear it.  Call the KBOO Newsroom at 503-231-8032 ext. 202 and we’ll  hear you out and put you on the air.

 One of the worst crimes in the industry, and the one that seems to get the most attention, is that of “trafficking.”  We talked about it here in connection with prostitution, but it has a specific meaning.   Is it the most important crime in the sex industry?   Is trafficking a form of slavery?  We’ll take those issues on in our next episode.