SWOP-Chicago does not condone the actions of the Cook County sheriff towards Craigslist. These actions are meant to persecute adults engaging in consensual sexual acts for money and goods of value. Creating criminal records for sex workers bars them from other forms of employment outside of sex work and may limit their ability to seek housing and other services.
This law suit is also a tremendous waste of tax payer resources during a time of severe economic turmoil in the state of Illinois and the country as a whole. The state of Illinois is currently facing a $9 billion dollar (and growing) deficit. Based on an analysis by Julie Pearl in 1987 and adjusted for inflation, in 2007 alone, the state spent over $14.6 million dollars on prostitution arrests. These figures do not take into account the cost of supporting jailed sex workers and the cost to human services agencies who serve these populations and the children of these individuals.
The resources involved in this law suit and in prostitution stings are much better used elsewhere. The money and resources would be better spent providing health and human services to sex workers and other citizens of the state of Illinois who should receive services, rather than be prosecuted for lack of other viable options. Or, at a minimum, they should be used to go after the 22,005 unsolved burglaries, 12,424 unsolved aggravated assaults, 71 unsolved murders, 12,535 unsolved robberies, 104,226 unresolved property crimes, and 13,475 unresolved motor vehicle thefts[1],[2].
Suing Craigslist to end the marketing of erotic services will not address the issues. If recent FBI stings are any indication, very few, if any, children and minors involved in forcible, coerced, or trafficked prostitution are found by Craigslist targeting and crack downs. Ending Craigslist’s erotic services section will do nothing to stop the exploitation or forced, coerced, or trafficked people, and will divert valuable time and money away from the effort.
The Cook County sheriff is doing no one a service, not the tax payers, not the sex workers targeted. We at SWOP-Chicago strongly urge residents of Illinois to protest this egregious waste of their taxes and public resources and to consider what is truly best for the health and welfare of individuals who advertise erotic services on Craigslist.
Original Article- Sheriff Tom Dart Sues Craigslist
To contact the Sheriff’s office:
Cook County Sheriff’s Office
50 W. Washington
Chicago, Illinois 60602
(312) 603-6444
sheriff@cookcountysheriff.org
Sex Worker Outreach Project - Chicago 
[…] response from SWOP Chicago: SWOP-Chicago does not condone the actions of the Cook County sheriff towards Craigslist. These […]
[…] Statement on Craigslist Law Suit « Sex Workers Outreach Project – SWOP-CHICAGO "The resources involved in this law suit and in prostitution stings are much better used elsewhere. The money and resources would be better spent providing health and human services to sex workers and other citizens of the state of Illinois who should receive services, rather than be prosecuted for lack of other viable options. Or, at a minimum, they should be used to go after the 22,005 unsolved burglaries, 12,424 unsolved aggravated assaults, 71 unsolved murders, 12,535 unsolved robberies, 104,226 unresolved property crimes, and 13,475 unresolved motor vehicle thefts." (tags: sexwork sexworkersrights law craigslist chicago news wtf bullshit prostitution) […]
[…] SWOP-Chicago's response can be found here. […]
Appropriately enough, Red Eye’s cover story today (03-11-09) is talking about the difficulties people with criminal records face when applying for a job. Even when the record has no history of violence or was a one-time minor offense.