As police begin releasing the names of more than 100 men accused of paying a Zumba instructor for sex in Kennebunk, Maine, an important principle is playing out in this small town.
It’s called fairness.
editorial
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editorial
As police begin releasing the names of more than 100 men accused of paying a Zumba instructor for sex in Kennebunk, Maine, an important principle is playing out in this small town.
It’s called fairness.
Comments
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"equal justice..."? Baloney. Your arguement is an example of feminist captrap run loose.
So should a dope dealer and the dope user both face the same justice? are they equally guilty? Do the courts act that way? Has the Globe ever advocated that the police release the names of a pot dealer'sclients, when the cops have arrested a dealer with records. Did the idea ever enter your minds?
Your editiorial is not about justice, it is about power.
I agree with your editorial. People who engage the services of prostitutes know that to do so is illegal. People who are arrested for crimes have their names put in the police blotter or otherwise made available to the public, unless they are under a certain age. If public knowledge of an arrest for prostitution may lead to other potential problems, such as fallout over betrayal of a spouse, so be it. Note to media: If and when the customers of prostitutes are found not guilty, be sure to cover that as thoroughly as their arrests. Fair is fair on all counts.
Prostitution is a look-the-other-way crime in every city in America. It flourishes in inner cities, middle class suburbs and the havens of the rich and powerful alike. Even before the internet, Yellow Page directories carried page after page of Escort Service ads, yet almost none of this openly criminal behavior is ever investigated or prosecuted.
For each of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of sex workers in the Boston area, there must be many more men who are secretly their customers. Men who hold jobs, volunteer in Little League, and seem upright to friends and family. If we ever seriously crack down and puublicize the names of all involved, recognition of its full dimensions could lead to better understanding and a rational discussion. As with gambling, smoking and drugs, prohibition only increases the criminality and exploitation associated with this vice. The shaming and moralizing that we trot out for the rare prostitution bust, has done nothing but make us all hypocrites. Yes, reveal all the names, lets see just how deeply this penetrates, then ask whether we can address it in a healthier and more comprehensive way.