Sex workers say police seizure makes them less safe

KING COUNTY, Wash. — Maggie McNeill and Caroline McLeod make it crystal clear to anyone they meet: They've chosen long term careers in the world's oldest profession.

"We are all small business owners, independent, working for ourselves," said McLeod.

Wednesday, the self-described sex workers said a King County seizure of a website took away one of their "safety nets" they used to screen clients, and warn other workers about potential dangers.

The website, reviewboard.net, was seized Wednesday afternoon, in what King County calls "A large scale human trafficking investigation conducted by the King County Sheriff's Office with the assistance of the Bellevue Police Department and support from the FBI."

According to KIRO 7 sources, eight men associated with the site were arrested for promoting prostitution, money laundering, and various other charges.

McNeill and McLeod are now joining other sex workers condemning law enforcement's seizure of the website.

The "Sex Workers Outreach Project" [SWOP] released an online statement following the sting:

"SWOP condemns the website seizure and shares local sex worker concerns about collateral damage the website’s closure will have on adult workers in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest-including non-native Asian sex workers. If the seizure was accompanied by a raid, we strongly condemn the raid and express concern over potential criminal penalties and how this will affect the women’s immigration status."

McNeill, an outspoken sex worker advocate, said there are thousands of sex workers in the Seattle area who enter the profession voluntarily, and are not slaves, or victims.

"The sad irony is that the narrative that the police and the prosecutors are using is that they're doing this to protect sex workers, when in actuality, by doing this they endanger sex workers."

McLeod described the website as an empowering tool, where sex workers could vet clients--get reviews, and advertise their services.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch was in Seattle recently to announce a nationwide effort to combat sex trafficking. The City of Seattle received a $1.5 million dollar grant to help end what Lynch called "modern-day slavery."

"We are going to eradicate human trafficking," she said. "I want to repeat that, because it is an important goal."

After the seizure, sex workers tell us many of them will resort to sites they consider far more dangerous, and some workers will hit the streets, where they say there is no safety net.

"If you bring it out into the light, you can make things safer for everyone involved," said McLeod.

Thursday, King County Sheriff John Urquhart will lead a news conference describing details of the investigation.

Sex workers say they will be there too, to share their side of the story.

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