 Police
in New York City are allegedly targeting gay men in video stores and other adult
establishments for arrest under the charge of prostitution.
The arrests seem to follow a similar pattern time after time: a handsome young
man chats up an (often older) gay man, suggests that the two leave the business
in order to engage in consensual sex, and then, as the pair leaves the
establishment, offers to pay for the encounter.
The comment about payment does not have to be acknowledged or agreed upon to in
order for police waiting outside to seize the target and place him under arrest.
It seems that gay men have become pawns in what may be a legal game to target
and close adult oriented businesses under the city's so-called nuisance
abatement law, which provides grounds for the city to order the closure of
businesses at which criminal activity is demonstrated.
And it's certainly no coincidence that these sex stores are getting closed down
after a slew of prostitution arrests.
Update:
False Arrests
15th February 2009. See
Gay City News
Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau has agreed to meet with community
leaders about the false arrests of gay men for prostitution at Manhattan porn
stores.
State Senator Tom Duane said, I told him why it so important to meet and why
the community is up in arms about this and he agreed, though an exact date
has not been set yet.
Update:
Protest
16th February See
article
from
towleroad.com
On hand were a number of familiar LGBT activists: Brendan Fay, Gilbert Baker,
Ann Northrop, Father Tony, Eric Leven, John Weis and journalists Andy Humm and
Duncan Osbourne. It was Osbourne's relentless pursuit of this story that brought
the entire illegal campaign to light.
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