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Last week, WW examined the untold story behind the April arrest of former Oregon House Speaker Dave Hunt in what Portland police called a “human trafficking” sting. In fact, 85% of the arrests made by the Portland Police Bureau’s Human Trafficking Unit (including Hunt’s) result in a single charge of commercial sexual solicitation—that is, trying to purchase a consensual sex act (“The Sting,” Oct. 20, 2021). WW spoke to a sex worker who said Hunt was a regular client and an ideal, respectful customer. Sex workers who spoke to our reporter said police stings only serve to frighten away regular clients and make their work more dangerous. Here’s what our readers had to say:
Jonarama, via Reddit: “JFC…They don’t have the staff to adequately respond to violent crime emergencies, but they can do multiple undercover sting operations to bust people trying to hire a sex worker?
“They can’t do an undercover sting to find who’s buying stolen catalytic converters by the bushel. But by Christ they’re keeping us safe from a willing buyer and a willing seller trading sex for money. Who found one and other online and are committing their ‘crime’ behind the closed doors of a hotel room.
“People. They don’t need more staff. They have no earthly idea what to do with the staff they have.”
Storm Large, via Twitter: “Thank you @wweek for amplifying the voices of these brave and brilliant humans. #decriminalizesexwork #sexworkisrealwork”
Bonnie K. Belknap, via wweek.com: “Yes, that is exactly what women in Portland need to be empowered: unfettered prostitution, more strip clubs (even though we’re already the strip club capital of the U.S.), more public images of scantily clad women, more pornography teaching young men women are the equivalent of red meat.”
TK, via wweek.com: “Doesn’t seem unreasonable to think if the PPB is indeed short-staffed, resources should be directed to the meth/heroin/fentanyl problem that snowballs into homelessness, violence and property crime. Or steering resources to get a lid on shootings. Or pretty much anything, really.”
Jenn Chavez, via Twitter: “Fantastic and extremely detailed story by Karina [Brown], which includes several sex worker perspectives on how the targeting of buyers of consensual sex work (i.e., the ‘Nordic model’) makes them less safe, not more.”
OregonJive, via wweek.com: “It wasn’t possible for WW to find one current or former sex worker who, I don’t know, doesn’t think it is such a groovy profession? A great majority of people hate their jobs, in all fields, seems strange that having to sleep with random strangers for money would have such a high satisfaction rate.”
Joshua Marquis, via wweek.com: “It is a usually male fantasy that there are lots of self-actualized Ph.D.s who do sex work because they like to meet new people. Maybe some older (using that term advisedly) sex workers can handle it, but most of the 15-year-old runaways on drugs are being trafficked.”
LETTERS to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: Willamette Week, PO BOX 10770, Portland, OR 97296. Email: mzusman@wweek.com.