City council member changes Seattle prostitution bill to target pimps
(The Center Square) – Seattle City Councilmember Cathy Moore, following community feedback, is adding amendments to her proposed bill to address commercial prostitution that targets promoters.
Council Bill 120836 seeks to create a new loitering law that targets buyers of commercial sex, including charging people who promote loitering for purposes of prostitution in Stay Out of Area of Prostitution, or SOAP, zones with gross misdemeanor offenses.
The bill would also restore the misdemeanor crime of prostitution loitering, which the Seattle City Council removed from the Seattle Municipal Code in 2020 because it was deemed to disproportionately harm people of color.
Moore said her proposed legislation would provide multiple grounds for arresting buyers who are generating a sex trade that is so profitable that it is fueling regular gun battles over turf.
However, after a public hearing last month, Moore has added amendments to her bill to address concerns from Seattleites.
The proposed changes include limiting potential SOAP orders to buyers and promoters and not sellers, requiring police officers to be trained on the best practices in consultation with survivor groups, and creating arrest policies that explicitly state diversion and referral to services are the preferred approach for prostitution loitering.
The amendments seek to appease citizens’ concerns about the original bill. Some believe the proposed legislation disproportionately targets homeless individuals and people of color.
“Since I announced the bill back in August, I’ve made a concerted effort to listen to my constituents so we could potentially adjust the legislation to make it better,” Moore said in a news release on Sept. 6. “I believe this package of amendments I’m offering today does that, and I strongly urge my colleagues to support the changes.”
The northern part of Aurora Avenue is well-known for being a common location for sex trafficking. Moore argues that the increasing rate of prostitution coincides with the increasing rate of reported gunfire in the area as well.
During the public hearing on Aug. 13, Moore showed videos of gunfire and prostitution occurring alongside Aurora Avenue. Residents from the neighborhood also revealed the violent crime they were victims of and called for Moore’s bill to be approved.
The legislation is up for another public hearing at the Public Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday. If passed out of committee, the legislation could be voted on by the full council as early as Sept. 17.
