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.
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.
Every time I read about American police I think of that policeman from jojolands.
Always be carrying filming equipment and release forms apparently.
She was a prostitute and got caught. im so tired of these rage bait headlines
The point is that you shouldn’t be arrested for a thought crime just for dressing slutty. She wasn’t cought prostituting, she was cought with condoms and “dressed provocatively.” I feel like you only read the title.
She got arrested for getting into a strangers car after she asked him if he’s looking have a “date”.
They didn’t just pluck her off the sidewalk as she was minding her own business.
So what, why does society care about two people getting into the same car together?
Also, they’re just making crap up that isn’t anywhere in the article
So she wanted to get dicked down. What’s the problem?
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And the trans person leaving their home? What was their crime?
They didn’t say it was a stranger.
So scantly clad young women who are practicing safe sex can’t hail a taxi?
And getting into a car with a stranger
Is getting into a car with a stranger a crime?
If the cops ever find my Uber history, I’m in trouble.
What a heinous crime!
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She was arrested for manifestation of prostitution on May 17, 2013 after accepting a ride home from an undercover Phoenix police officer whom she had met at a bar. A few minutes after getting in the car, a police vehicle pulled up, and she realized she had been caught up in an anti-prostitution sting. That night, Jones was wearing a “black, tight-fitting dress,” the Phoenix police officer testified at trial. She was in an area known to have prostitution activity, he claimed, never mind that the arrest occurred near where Jones lived. A municipal court judge sentenced her to a month in jail.
I think getting a lift home resulting in a prostitution charge is pretty ridiculous.
You shouldn’t be arrested for a crime you haven’t committed yet. There is no evidence of a crime, just a woman in a dress with condoms in her purse.
Just a new version of blaming women for what they are wearing. Maybe not even that new.
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This shouldn’t be illegal anyway
It shouldn’t even be illegal in the first place but go off bozo
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Prostitution shouldn’t be illegal anyway
So catch them in the act of, you know, prostitution. Not in the act of, you know, wearing clothes.
