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Comments: 695 +-   Sheriff Sues Craiglist For Prostitution Ads on Thursday March 05 2009, @05:50PM

Posted by timothy on Thursday March 05 2009, @05:50PM
from the shameful-waste-of-tax-money dept.
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Amerika writes "Craigslist is 'the single largest source of prostitution in the nation,' according to Cook County, Illinois Sheriff Thomas Dart. He has announced that he's filing a lawsuit against the popular classifieds site. Craigslist says it's determined to prevent criminal activity." NewYorkCountryLawyer adds a link to the 28-page complaint (PDF), which "alleges that Craigslist maintains 21 classifications of sex-for-hire, coded as 'w4m,' 'm4m,' 'm4w,' etc." and that it has facilitated child prostitution and kidnapping and human trafficking.
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  • I like this game

  • by Idiomatick (976696) on Thursday March 05 2009, @05:53PM (#27084141)
    Last week I ordered a hit out on a professor through craigslist. Sure the interface was ugly but service was delivered on time so I really shouldn't be complaining.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 05 2009, @05:54PM (#27084145)

    This is Illinois again I see we are talking about, after all. Maybe the sheriff in question is just upset because he can't get a cut of the local "action" if it's all happens online...

  • by Slumdog (1460213) on Thursday March 05 2009, @05:54PM (#27084161)
    CNN did a piece on him, suing mortgage companies who were evicting homeowners: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-109261 [ireport.com]

    Sheriff Dart has taken a stance against mortgage companies that are evicting renter's from homes that property owners are allowing to go into eviction. Sheriff Dart says, "Too many renters are being evicted for landlords' problems".

    • by sirwired (27582) on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:20PM (#27084531)

      He didn't sue the mortgage banks, he instead refused to execute eviction notices for renters that were paying rent on time.

      SirWired

        • by Qzukk (229616) on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:55PM (#27084973) Journal

          He said some renters were paying their rent on time and weren't receiving proper notice of the evictions.

          He also said mortgage companies routinely failed to do something they were supposed to: identify a building's occupants before asking for an eviction.

          ...

          Banks must prove that they informed tenants of a 120-day grace period, which state law grants to allow tenants to find new housing before moving out.

          source [cnn.com]. Not that the con talking heads bothered to mention any of these trifling little legal issues back when they proclaimed that this was some kind of activism and socialism and satanism and whatever else they could throw at it.

          The bank must follow the law, and the law states the residents of a non-owner occupied property must be notified in advance, which the poor, poor banks just couldn't be bothered to do.

          They were apparently too busy licking the boots of the fed chairman for cash to think "Hmm... renter in good standing making monthly payments, owner in bad standing not making monthly payments. Maybe we should offer them the house in exchange for them continuing to pay. The worst that could happen is they say no and move out." But that would require working for their money and if there's anything we've learned in this crash, its that the leadership of our institutions are deathly afraid of work and deserve money to fall upon them from the federal government.

          • by Walpurgiss (723989) on Thursday March 05 2009, @07:40PM (#27085547)
            Instead of letting the renters do that, or even working a deal with non leasing home owners who are behind, for months leading up to the crash almost one in every five radio commercials I heard in DeKalb IL were about people getting awesome deals on repossessed homes, with super low monthly rates.

            But if those low rates were offered to the old occupants, I bet they would not have had to move out...

            Even from a greed standpoint, that kind of crap didn't seem to make sense to me. Wouldn't it have been cheaper to cut the original owners the deal, instead of repossessing and reselling at the lower monthly rates? And paying for advertising about the low rates? /boggle
        • by Qzukk (229616) on Thursday March 05 2009, @08:27PM (#27086017) Journal

          they should get some form of protection

          They do. State law gives them 120 days advance notice, which brings us to

          Since when does he have the right to pick and choose which laws he enforces?

          That was the law he was enforcing, since the banks weren't giving the advance notice. When the banks agreed to do it right, he agreed to resume evictions.

  • by pak9rabid (1011935) on Thursday March 05 2009, @05:55PM (#27084169)
    So you mean to say all those fine women I took out on dates from craigslist were hookers! I guess that would explain the black eye and lack of memory the next morning after I refused to let her "borrow" some money.
  • Thanks to this sheriff, those of us seeking prostitutes or running brothels know that Craig's list is the place to be.

    "Thank you sheriff for helping improve my business. Keeping all the young ladies on staff as busy as they can physically manage is great for business, especially in these tough economic times.
  • by Zerth (26112) on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:00PM (#27084233) Homepage

    Just because he found his wife in the w4mmmm section doesn't mean he can get all sue-happy:)

  • Streets Department (Score:5, Insightful)

    by booch (4157) * <slashdot2009NO@SPAMcraigbuchek.com> on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:03PM (#27084261) Homepage

    I think they should probably go after the Streets Department first. Prostitutes have been using the streets to solicit prostitution for centuries. And I'm almost certain that there are more prostitutes using streets than using Craigslist.

  • Not a source (Score:5, Insightful)

    by 77Punker (673758) <spencr04@@@highpoint...edu> on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:10PM (#27084381)

    Prostitutes exist with or without Craigslist; it is not a "source" and it does not create prostitutes. They'd be out walking the street if Craigslist didn't give them somewhere safe to advertise. I'd much rather keep them on the web than on my sidewalk.

  • by bagboy (630125) <neo@arct i c . net> on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:46PM (#27084873)
    Sheriff Uses Craiglist For Prostitution Ads
    • by bigstrat2003 (1058574) * on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:05PM (#27084313)
      Not all, but many are, yes. It's a double standard in our society that bugs me. Expecting your date to put out because you bought her a nice dinner is OK, but paying her cash for sex isn't. Go figure.
      • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:16PM (#27084461)

        Not all, but many are, yes. It's a double standard in our society that bugs me. Expecting your date to put out because you bought her a nice dinner is OK, but paying her cash for sex isn't. Go figure.

        I agree. Imagine if you just dropped 150 bucks on a hooker and she says, "Na, I've got a headache.".

      • Expecting your date to put out because you bought her a nice dinner is OK, but paying her cash for sex isn't. Go figure.

        Well I don't think either is reasonable, but maybe that's just me.

          • by tekrat (242117) on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:33PM (#27084715) Homepage Journal

            The person that does the asking out to dinner pays.
            After all, the other party was gracious enough to accept.

              • by WNight (23683) on Thursday March 05 2009, @07:04PM (#27085087) Homepage

                It's totally fair.

                But you're right, there is an expectation. And it's not wrong. If you sit around and wait to be asked you're going to be asked by people with their own goals in mind. If someone tries to woo you and you want that behavior to continue (expensive meals, etc) then you need to consider what they're looking for.

                It's pretty much like joining the host in whatever activity they have planned. You aren't required to play cards, or join their orgy, but they probably aren't going to invite you back if you didn't fit in.

          • by Beelzebud (1361137) on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:36PM (#27084753)
            Let me guess. You don't get laid much.
            • by Hao Wu (652581) on Thursday March 05 2009, @09:44PM (#27086655) Homepage

              What you get is a pleasant evening out with a lady.

              You act like girls don't want to have sex. Do you know how badly most of them would love to skip the phony dinner and go straight to bed... but guys like you make them feel ashamed so they need stupid rituals to validate the affair.

              Then you deprive them of any excitement by paying for dinner without strings attached, still on the thesis that she doesn't want cock, and shouldn't.

              Then you wonder why she went home with "that guy"... really she was only too happy to make some "gentleman" pay for her meal, and then ditch him for what was truly on her mind.

      • by sorak (246725) on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:37PM (#27084761)

        Little aftertought, after reading the ars technica update I believe this is about money.

        The Cook County Sheriff's Department is asking a federal judge to close the Erotic Services section of Craigslist, as well as reimburse the department $100,000 it has cost to pursue Craigslist-related prostitution investigations over the past year,

        Umm...Shouldn't the police force be paying craigslist? Craigslist didn't create the prostitution. They stuck it all in one spot. The only way they could have helped the cops more is if they placed a big red arrow that says "hooker" over the prostitute's heads.

        • by Captain Splendid (673276) <capsplendid.gmail@com> on Thursday March 05 2009, @06:44PM (#27084853) Homepage Journal
          They stuck it all in one spot. The only way they could have helped the cops more is if they placed a big red arrow that says "hooker" over the prostitute's heads.

          Mod parent up.

          Old school: Go undercover/hit the streets to round up prostitutes.
          New school: Login in to www.craiglisst.com from the comfort of the squad room, set up a date, make arrest. Rinse, repeat.

          That douchebag Sheriff should be thanking them for making it much easier for him.
          • by unitron (5733) on Thursday March 05 2009, @08:17PM (#27085919) Homepage Journal

            "Craigslist is 'the single largest source of prostitution in the nation,

            'Old school: Go undercover/hit the streets to round up prostitutes.

            Yeah, you'd think they wouldn't bother going after Craigslist after the failure of their earlier lawsuit against street corners.

    • by BaronHethorSamedi (970820) <thebaronsamedi@gmail.com> on Thursday March 05 2009, @07:05PM (#27085103)

      ... adults with imaginary friends are given free psychiatric help.

      In the US, we give them political power.

      OK, I'll bite.

      What are you talking about? This is a story about a lawsuit. A strange lawsuit that seems to be trying to enforce criminal statutes on a tort-like theory of public nuisance. It likely won't go anywhere, since it's hard from the complaint to even make out who the aggrieved party is supposed to be. (Is the Sheriff himself harmed in some way by Craigslist's practices? I think he'll have to show that if he wants an injunction. Otherwise, if he thinks something cognizably criminal is going on he could maybe investigate and prosecute. Which he can't, so this whole thing is largely symbolic.)

      Now you come in babbling about political power for imaginary friends. I guess it's OK, though, as there seem to be enough like-minded schizophrenics to get you modded insightful. Perhaps you could move overseas, and avail yourself of some of those marvelous free services...

      • by cbiltcliffe (186293) on Thursday March 05 2009, @07:38PM (#27085517) Homepage Journal

        Is the Sheriff himself harmed in some way by Craigslist's practices? I think he'll have to show that if he wants an injunction....... Which he can't, so this whole thing is largely symbolic.

        I don't know about that.....maybe his wife keeps showing up in the w4m category....

    • by evilkasper (1292798) on Thursday March 05 2009, @08:52PM (#27086215)
      I have always found it highly questionable that something one can give away for free should be illegal to sell.. (free is relative; everyone pays for it somehow) If they regulated it (and taxed the hell out of it) it would do away with some thugs who want to be big time pimps, and through health regulations it could help reduce the spread of STD's. Just to go ahead and answer the inevitable, no it will not fix everything and there will always be those that operate outside of an established/legal system.
      • by cayenne8 (626475) on Thursday March 05 2009, @09:39PM (#27086629) Homepage Journal
        Interesting that many of your same arguments would work for the legalization of pot.

        I wish there was some chance we could get more of a libertarian govt in the US....go back to more strict reading of the constitution, and less govt. intrusions of adult lives.

        While I'm at it...I guess I'll also wish for a pony.

    • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 05 2009, @07:24PM (#27085345)
      I hear the spectre of child prostitution ads being raised many times in this thread.

      cite one example. I peruse my local craigslist on occasion, and have even used the erotic services section quite a few times. I've never seen any child prostitution ads in there.

      If they're so prevalent, there must be some posted today? something in cache somewhere? an actual ad someone could link to and say "look, a child prostitution ad! take it off!"

      Unless I see some evidence, I'm inclined to think that the children are not as prevalent on craigslist as some would like us to think, and it's just a moral panic excuse to shut down a business run by adults, and only adults.
    • by Walkingshark (711886) on Thursday March 05 2009, @07:30PM (#27085403) Homepage

      So you have some kind of evidence of child abuse (be it sexual or otherwise), then you have a prosecution. Congratulations, where does shutting down a section of craigslist come into this? Oh, you have no evidence of this actually happening, no actually damaged or hurt children? Then you're just another scare monger trying to stop the bleeding by covering it with a curtain.

      If you really want to think of the children, maybe you ought to take all this evidence you have of child abuse to a DA's office and see if you can get the ball rolling there.

      An intelligent person would want this stuff on craigslist, where it is all made into a nice easy searchable electronic database that can be easily monitored, logged, and used in court with a minimum of fuss. It looks to me like this sherrif simply doesn't understand the technology and his lawyers told him he might be able to make a quick buck suing craigslist.

... this must be what it's like to be a COLLEGE GRADUATE!!