Newark Cops Have Better Things To Do Than Arrest Prostitutes: ACLU

NEWARK, NJ — The Newark Police Department has better things to do than bust prostitutes, some civil rights activists say.

In the wake of a Friday prostitution sting in Newark that resulted in 13 arrests, the ACLU of New Jersey issued a news release calling the operation a return to the city’s “failed and destructive Broken Windows policing strategies.”

“Using our criminal justice system to harass, arrest and incarcerate consenting adults who agree to exchange sex for money is a poor use of the NPD’s limited resources,” ACLU-NJ Executive Director Udi Ofer said. “These arrests harm public health by stigmatizing sex workers and making their lives more difficult and dangerous. These crackdowns harm public safety by stoking fear of police among sex workers, dissuading vulnerable communities from reaching out to police to report abuses.”

Ofer said that the ACLU is urging city officials to explore harm reduction in the interest of public health and to reject the “criminalization” of sex workers.

During Friday's operation, Newark police arrested women from Newark and Irvington and men from Newark, Irvington, Maplewood, Orange, Stroudsburg, PA, and Staten Island, NY.

• See related article: 13 Men And Women Arrested In New Jersey Prostitution Bust

The arrests over the weekend appear to be a part of a recent increase in the arrest of Newark residents for low level violations and so-called “quality-of-life” offenses, such as panhandling, bicycle violations, littering and disorderly conduct, ACLU staff stated in a Monday news release.

In July, Newark public safety officials announced a crackdown on panhandling at 10 high-traffic areas in the city. During the July 12 crackdown, officers arrested 12 panhandlers, handed out two quality of life summonses and instructed five suspected solicitors to “get out of traffic," authorities said.

Newark Police Director Anthony Ambrose said at the time that although illegal soliciting has been neglected over the years, the days of leniency were done.

“Their aggressive approaching of vehicles in traffic creates a litany of safety concerns in addition to being a constant complaint of motorists,” Ambrose stated. “Motorists feel unsafe and they should not have to. A panhandler definitely isn’t a welcoming sight, isn’t a positive reflection of what Newark has to offer and it will not be tolerated. These operations will continue until the panhandlers get the message.”

• See related article: Newark’s War Against The Poor: Cops Crack Down On Panhandlers, Beggers

While Newark public safety officials lauded the recent operation as a step in the right direction, some civil rights activists questioned both the legality and the ethical basis of the city’s panhandling crackdown.

“Being poor is not a crime,” ACLU-NJ Public Policy Director Ari Rosmarin told Patch.

Jeff Wild, executive director of NJ Coalition to End Homelessness, told Patch that the answer to getting rid of poor and homeless people is to help them, not to arrest them for the "crime" of poverty.

“To persecute victims of poverty as the police may be doing is the only real crime,” Wild said. “It is also unlawful - indeed, unconstitutional - to charge anyone with constitutionally protected speech, which includes the right to ask for help. If the coalition learns of any such charges, it will have no choice but to work with the American Civil Liberties Union to stop any illegal police practices.”

Photo: Flickr Commons