As San Francisco prepares to block vehicular traffic from a section of the Mission District this month to suppress street prostitution, the idea of creating a designated sex work district is gaining traction among some advocates and officials.
A red-light district may not be a far-fetched concept in Mission, where many residents say sex workers have had a presence for decades.
Though San Francisco has taken no official action regarding a red light zone, officials are having water barriers and other barricades installed on Capp Street in response to recent complaints about what precinct chief Hillary Ronen called a “cruising zone,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle . The section of Capp between 18th and 22nd Streets will be closed to vehicles except residents.
Motorbike cops will patrol the area and issue traffic charges to discourage people from looking for sex workers.
It is unclear how long the barriers or police patrols will remain in place. The San Francisco Police Department did not respond to requests for more information.
The erection of the barriers has reignited discussion about a designated area where sex workers could operate without being criminalized and how to address concerns about human trafficking.
Ronen, who represents the mission, told the Chronicle that she would support a red light zone, but that figuring out the legal hurdles and location would be a challenge.
But she hopes to present a resolution to the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors Tuesday that will serve as an official call for California lawmakers to decriminalize sex work.
“What’s happening right now on Capp Street is that it’s gotten bolder and bigger than we’ve ever seen it before,” Ronen told The Times on Wednesday.
“Rather than repeating the same cycle that we’ve been repeating for decades, it’s time to try something new,” she said.
The idea of decriminalizing sex work isn’t as radical as it was when Ronen took office in 2017, she said.
“I don’t think that will happen tomorrow. This would be a big change in policy and direction,” said Ronen, a licensed attorney. “I certainly won’t be the first person to try to call for the legalization of prostitution, and I won’t be the last.”
Celestina Pearl, outreach director at the nonprofit St. James Infirmary, which provides resources to sex workers, welcomes the idea of a red-light district, but said there’s a critical component that needs to be considered.
“I think it’s important to include the actual voices of sex workers,” Pearl told The Times. “Are they talking about starting a red light district and then pushing for decriminalization? Or maybe at the same time? Or prioritizing criminalization? That’s all the possibilities. The future is happening very fast.”
A group of anonymous residents told ABC affiliate KGO-TV that drivers lined Capp Street until 3am in search of sex workers. They also said crime had gotten worse in recent months.
Santiago Lerma, a legislative adviser in Ronen’s office, told Mission Local news outlet that there was a resurgence in sex workers as people began to emerge from the pandemic.
Pastor James Amado of the Seventh-day Adventist Church San Francisco Tabernacle near Capp and 22nd said sex workers had been on Capp Street since he first attended the church more than 20 years ago.
“Capp Street is like the main street that they flock to,” Amado told the Times, referring to the sex workers. “I saw her every night. These ladies start walking around in front of the church.”
Amado said he saw suitors and sex workers attempting to use the church parking lot when he left it unlocked at night during weekly church meetings.
“It’s been a thing in this neighborhood for a long time, and I can feel the spirit of the people who live in the neighborhood,” he said.
San Francisco Dist. atty Brooke Jenkins said her office has been in touch with residents of Capp Street.
She visited the neighborhood on a weekday “to better understand their concerns and find out how.” [to] be helpful in addressing the issues of prostitution and human trafficking while also working to support victims,” she said in a written statement.
Clients subpoenaed for an indictment are referred to neighborhood courts for a decision and are expected to honor the agreements they have made, including attending the “John School and a commitment not to repeat their behavior,” it said Jenkins.
Since taking office last year, 14 suitors have been referred to the neighborhood court, she said.
“We are also doing everything we can to rescue victims from human traffickers. We stand ready to prosecute any … trafficker if there is sufficient evidence for us to proceed,” the statement said.
Pearl of St. James Infirmary said that while there are likely cases of sex trafficking, not all sex workers on the street are victims.
Anita O’Shea, operations manager at St James Infirmary, said roadblocks on Capp Street were not a permanent solution.
“It will not change the fact that sex workers have to work to survive, support their families and pay rent,” O’Shea told the Times. “If we want real solutions, we need to decriminalize sex work. And provide poor people with housing, job training, health care and other things.”
St. James distributes kits to sex workers twice a week, containing sanitary pads, condoms and lube.
San Francisco’s planned crackdown on the mission will only put sex workers down another street, O’Shea said.
While it’s clear that Capp Street residents face violence and other dangers when men cruise around looking for sex, O’Shea said, “We don’t believe the solution is to sweep people away.”
