In January, a 23-year-old woman sat in Phoenix Municipal Court listening to a prosecutor lay out the evidence against her. On the night of her arrest, she was scantily dressed, the prosecutor told the judge. She also had condoms in her purse and got into a car with a man.
In Phoenix, that was enough to charge her with a crime.
“Given the way the defendant was dressed, as well as a statement as to a date, and her getting in the vehicle with this witness — there is evidence of manifesting prostitution," a prosecutor told Municipal Court Judge Alex Navidad.
Or, more specifically, “manifesting an intent to commit or solicit an act of prostitution.” An obscure city ordinance in Phoenix makes this act a crime with a mandatory sentence of at least 15 days in jail.
The woman, whose name Phoenix New Times is withholding to protect her privacy, is one of more than 450 people in Phoenix who have been charged with manifestation of prostitution over the past eight years. The ordinance, which has been called unconstitutional by the ACLU of Arizona, allows the act of flagging down a car or wearing provocative clothing to be used as grounds to cite someone.
In 2014, the city’s prosecution of Monica Jones under the ordinance drew national outcry. Civil rights organizations condemned the arrest of Jones, a transgender activist and social work student. Even celebrities spoke out against the city’s use of the law.
But Phoenix has not stopped using the ordinance, according to data obtained by New Times.
A review of the data showed that hundreds of people — including 90 in 2022 — have been charged with manifesting prostitution since Jones’ case. Over the last two years, the majority of those charged were Black
It’s Phoenix. She’s lucky the cops didn’t execute her on the spot.
Y’all remember that time they did that? I remember.
The time? It’s only happened once? I remember it a bit differently.
Wait, you’re telling me police officers in Phoenix have executed a random person more than once?
Next you’re going to tell me they’ve recently kept slaves in air-conditionless tents in one of the hottest counties in the country.
I believe that the totalitarian government in Iran also polices dress codes.
Man, don’t you just love thoughtcrimes? They don’t even need to wait for you to actually do anything - they can just guess you intend to do something and jail you.
“No reasonable person would dress scantily” they say in a place that gets over 110f in the shade. “No reasonable person would carry condoms” they say when we have XDR Gonorrhea, HIV, and Hep C. “It was a known prostitution area” they say, assuming Google Maps publishes known prostitution areas so we can all know where to avoid. “It’s manifesting an intent…” but an intent is not a crime - there’s no injured party with a thought - what damages/punishment could possibly be awarded/inflicted to make a party whole?
It’s fucking farcical how lawyers will defend laws like this, yet also claim to follow logic and reasoning.
but an intent is not a crime - there’s no injured party with a thought
In this case there’s no injured party even if the “real” crime happens. It’s a whole new level of victimless crime.
I mean, prostitution CAN be a victimless crime, it is not always the case though. Sex trafficking is a thing after all.
Aside from that, jailing the “prostitute” is somewhat brainless though because you have no idea what the circumstances are to begin with. The logic totally falls flat on itself.
Prostitution is not human trafficking. Human traffickers force their victims into numerous occupations, but somehow prostitution is the only one where the job itself is illegal, and the only one where the trafficking victim is treated like a criminal.
I didn’t say human trafficking! Human trafficking like you said is a very wide range of work which can go so far as to include illegal organ trade. I’m referring specifically to “pimping” so to speak.
Soliciting a prostitute wouldn’t require going through the entire process first.
On this logic, I’m looking forward to laws that criminalize buying firearms because they “manifest an intent to commit murder”.
Checkmate, SCOTUS!
Too bad they have the ultimate checkmate of being able to decide the law means whatever that want it to mean.
What an absolute shithole.
We REALLY need to decriminalize and destigmatize sex work. Society has not collapse after pot and gambling legalization. All of us will be better off with sex work being just a part of the world.
I agree but I don’t want it near my home.
Real theocracy o’clock hours
Sexy with intent to fuck is a crime now?
That makes me like Pablo Escobar.
That makes me the gang that couldn’t shot straight
Seems like a free speech issue to me if you can be charged for wearing the wrong thing. The Supreme Court has determined that clothing can be speech for first amendment purposes.
Yes but context matters too.
I thought I’d never say this, but America is looking really like a third-world country lately. Of course that’s too much of a generalization, but shit like this, and school shootings, and etc etc…makes you really wondering if you get what I mean.
I get we have problems, but holy shit. Stop saying this.
We are not a third world country, and someone even comparing us to one just shows they’ve never been to a 3rd world country, outside of maybe an enclosed resort.
You know 3rd world countries aren’t all alike, right? I’ve been to one—not even in a touristy area—and it was fine.
And which country was this?
Mexico.
Mexico isn’t a third world country. They’re developed and have a very solid economy.
Sounds like you don’t know what a third world country is.
What would cause a person to go out that scantily clad is the real question? She must have been up to something.
Always be carrying filming equipment and release forms apparently.
Every time I read about American police I think of that policeman from jojolands.