Seattleites split on proposed bill to crack down on commercial prostitution

Seattleites are split on a proposed bill that would seek to crack down on commercial prostitution that some say is fueling gun violence in parts of Seattle.

The proposal would create a new loitering law that targets buyers of commercial sex. Promoting loitering for purposes of prostitution to target sex traffickers in Stay Out of Area of Prostitution (SOAP) zones would be considered a gross misdemeanor offense.

Right now, promoting prostitution is a felony and requires the testimony of the women who are prostituting in order to establish the case, which could further place the women in more danger. This bill would not require testimony from a victim against her trafficker.

Anyone charged with the gross misdemeanor would be subject to a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

The bill would also restore the misdemeanor crime of prostitution loitering, which the Seattle City Council removed from the Seattle Municipal Code in 2020 because it was deemed to disproportionately harm people of color.

The proposed bill was announced by Seattle City Councilmember Cathy Moore. She said It would provide multiple grounds for arresting buyers who are generating a sex trade that is so profitable that it is fueling regular gun battles over turf.

The public comment period of Tuesday’s Public Safety Committee meeting went for nearly two hours with over 50 people speaking in support or opposition to the proposed Council Bill 120836.

The majority of public commenters who voiced their support for Moore’s legislation live along the northern part of Aurora Avenue, where prostitution and sex trafficking is known to occur. Some residents said they have had crime occur against them, including guns pointed at them.

However, a number of public commenters – some of which said they were sex workers themselves – spoke out against the bill saying that it criminalized and marginalizes sex workers.

Hali Willis, community policy manager at the Seattle/King County Coalition on homelessness, spoke against Council Bill 120836, saying it disproportionately punishes homeless people and people of color.

The coalition is calling for residents to send letters to the city council to voice their opposition to the bill.

Moore emphasized that Council Bill 120836 makes clear that diversion, not prosecution, is the preferred approach for people participating in prostitution.

“The purpose of this bill is to provide the tools to go after the buyers and the pimps,” Moore said.

If passed, the legislation would request the Seattle Human Services Department work in partnership with the City Innovation and Performance unit to develop a proposal and recommendations for a new program that would help survivors of commercial sex workers vacate prostitution-related convictions or clear arrest history from their records.

Fellow Western Washington cities including Fife, Everett, and Shoreline currently have SOAP zones, and judges in their municipal courts may issue SOAP orders.

The Seattle Public Safety Committee is expected to vote on Council Bill 120836 on Sept. 10. The bill could then be voted on by the Seattle City Council on September 17.