[LAF] Blog post on de-criminalisation of prostitution in San Francisco

[Echo of Freedom]

> * Are you saying prostitution is somehow a solution to poverty ?

Nope, prostitution is as much a solution to the poverty as 'right to work' or 
other capitalist exchanges (i.e. not a solution at all). But it is a way that 
some people survive poverty, whether we like it or not.

There was this article about some country where people were eating clay cakes 
out of hunger. Now eating clay is not a solution to hunger, but neither is 
banning eating or making clay cakes.

> * Most  supporters of the proposition are so called right wing 
> "libertarians"

I am against prostitution, i believe that it is capitalism on steroids, but i 
will not support criminalisation of already marginalised segments of population.

Most of supporters of "working class" are supporters of strong government. But 
that doesn't mean i have to equate workers with the capitalist system.

> * Most prostitution is based in poor areas, its the poor people who have 
> to suffer from the pimps, the men who harass women  who  are not  
> prostitutes and yes the dirty needles and discarded condoms which are a 
> health hazard for poor people who don't have access to health care or 
> indeed health education *

Yes, and most drunken brawls are started by workers, and that doesn't help the 
community.

> * Why should people who LIVE in the district not have a say  this is 
> grass roots feeling not the state imposing from above  its not a 
> question of being anti sex but being *
> * anti chimerical sex *

That's a tough question, and i don't have the answer to that. To which extent 
can the community decide who can be a part of it and enter their "territory". In 
this case i'm uninterested in their arguments as to why they don't want somebody 
to be there, they either can exclude people or they can't... and i don't know 
what i think about this question yet.

For now i'm on the side of caution and will support the right of an individual 
over the right of the community.

> * Why do so many people on the libertarian - left have such a different 
> attitude to the SEX industry than to other forms of commerce ? *
> * * 
> * Ed *

I don't know. Why do they?

> --- On *Thu, 10/30/08, Echo of Freedom /<EchoOfFreedom at riseup.net>/* wrote:
> 
>     From: Echo of Freedom <EchoOfFreedom at riseup.net>
>     Subject: Re: [LEAF] Blog post on DE-criminalization of prostitution
>     in San Francisco
>     To: "List - London Anarchist Forum" <laf at lists.aktivix.org>
>     Date: Thursday, October 30, 2008, 8:29 AM
> 
>     Echo of Freedom wrote:
>     >
>     http://www.melissagira.com/2008/10/29/keeping-san-francisco-safe-from-prostitutes/
>     > 
>     > Who really is opposing Proposition K, a ballot initiative now before San 
>     > Francisco voters, which would forbid the City from spending public funds
>     on 
>     > arresting and jailing sex workers? Even among sex workers, this ballot 
>     > initiative is not without controversy. We do recognize one common ground:
>     that 
>     > so long as sex workers are criminals, sex workers will never have full
>     civil and 
>     > human rights. Who would oppose the right of sex workers to organize their
>     own 
>     > labor, to have access to health care, to hold law enforcement to the same 
>     > standards as other citizens do? Who would say that it’s not important to
>     prevent 
>     > rape, assault, and even murder of sex workers, if it would risk reducing
>     their 
>     > property values?
>     > 
>     > The biggest opposition to Prop K USN’t anti-prostitution feminist
>     groups. It’s 
>     > “neighborhood associations.” Unlike even the most socially
>     conservative 
>     > feminists, they never say, I don’t want sex workers to be raped. They
>     say, I 
>     > don’t want to see sex workers. Don’t want to see them on their front
>     steps. 
>     > Don’t want to see their clients or “pimps.” Don’t want to see
>     condoms, or 
>     > syringes. In short: don’t want to see poverty, don’t want to see poor
>     people.
>     > 
>     > ...
>     > (for more see the link)
>     > 
> 
>     And make sure to read and re-read this part:
> 
>     "San Francisco’s Director of STD Control & Prevention supports Prop
>     K for this 
>     reason: if cops are using condoms against sex workers as evidence of intention 
>     to commit a crime, how does that keep anyone in San Francisco safe?"
> 
>     -- 
>     http://freedom.libsyn.com/       Echo of Freedom, Radical Podcast
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> 
>       "None of us are free until all of us are free."    ~ Mihail Bakunin
> 
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> 


-- 
http://freedom.libsyn.com/       Echo of Freedom, Radical Podcast
http://eng.anarchopedia.org/     Anarchopedia, A Free Knowledge Portal
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  "None of us are free until all of us are free."    ~ Mihail Bakunin