Downtown residents protest prostitutes in neighbourhood
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 | 8:23 AM ET
CBC News
A group of downtown residents say they've had it with the prostitutes, their customers, and the noise that disrupts their neighbourhood.
The group says prostitutes have taken over a residential street near Allan Gardens, so they're fighting back by patrolling the area themselves, hoping to drive out the sex trade. The patrol concentrates on the corner of Homewood Avenue and Maitland Place, near Carlton Street and Jarvis Street.
Every Friday and Saturday up to 20 residents occupy the corner all night.
Since they started their protest nearly three months ago, people in the area say they've noticed fewer prostitutes.
Michel Bencini, one of the people who organized the patrol, said at one point there were more than 30 prostitutes working the corner.
"They were here between 11 o'clock and 5 o'clock in the morning. The issue is the noise, the swearing," he said.
The sex trade workers are still in the area but have moved to nearby streets.
Ali Sulaiman, who lives in the neighbourhood, said the protest just means the prostitutes move to other streets.
"They're trying to push prostitutes to go somewhere else. Well that's not going to solve the problem. It's going to solve their problem, like I said, but it's not going to solve someone else's problem."
Maura Lawless, the executive director of The 519 Church Street Community Centre, said the protest could have unintended results.
"When people are targeted in these environments it does force them into less safe and unsafe circumstances," she said.
Lawless said that could lead to increased sexual assaults against the prostitutes.
