Brothels protect sex workers

Not for nothing is the world’s oldest profession a survivor of countless proscriptions and aspersions.

The city of Spokane’s idea in discussion now, mentioned by Councilman Jon Snyder at the Dec. 15 City Council meeting, to confiscate the vehicles of suspected customers, will also be ineffective. Indeed, such an ordinance likely will result in costly and unproductive litigation. Imagine trying to explain the difference in the intent between stopping for one reason or stopping for another. Then, failing a conviction, the cost of defending a defamation suit.

Apart from outdated ethics and morality, the biggest problem with prostitution is the dangerous conditions under which our laws force it to work. The only victim of this crime is the sex worker. A few licensed, regulated, inspected and taxed brothels will do far more to curtail streetwalking than the harshest proscriptions you can impose and will go a long way to enhance the safety of sex workers and their customers.

Brothels would have left few, if any, streetwalkers for Robert Lee Yates to murder or blacken the reputation of the city.

I hope the city can do some new and courageous thinking about this issue.

Marianne Torres

Spokane