Winter weather returns to western Washington this weekend with heavy mountain snow and the chance of lowland snow for parts of the region. The world's oldest profession is thriving in North Seattle along Aurora Avenue amid protests by frustrated neighbors and business owners who insist that their calls for help to Seattle City Hall and the Seattle Police Department are falling on deaf ears.
Visitors to the area will usually be faced with several scantily clad women who parade up and down the street in broad daylight, ensuring that potential customers know they are available. The area's residents and local merchants say prostitution in the neighborhood is surging with a new wave of sex workers and more demand from buyers. Clarke has operated his business on Aurora Avenue for decades so he has seen much of the activity for years. He said he wants more police enforcement.
Clarke asked why city leaders, like City Councilmember Debra Juarez and Mayor Jenny Durkan, have not effectively addressed the issue, because it appears to him that the women, their pimps and the customers seem to operate with impunity. For more than a month, KOMO News watched the barely dressed women jumping into cars with various male customers.
Some of the women propositioned a KOMO News reporter to purchase their sexual services, even with a police officer watching nearby. In Seattle prostitution is still a misdemeanor crime. For years now, authorities have focused more on arresting the buyers and traffickers who are ultimately fueling the thriving, illicit economy. There is no definitive data that would confirm that.
Everything is just so out of control. Who cares. Sun, 02 Feb GMT Story Infinite Scroll - News3 v1. School Delays. Weather FAQ. KOMO Cams.
