A South Park homeowner said he's fed up with a prostitution problem in his neighborhood, so he's resorted to shaming prostitutes and johns on a neighborhood listserv.
"The next level for me to try to get this activity to stop is document it with a camera letting them know I'm documenting it with a camera, and yes, if they have any shame, shaming them into feeling bad about what they're doing and where they're doing it," said Jeff Hayes, who lives on South Cloverdale Avenue.
He said last week he was walking his dog in the morning and saw two adults engaged in a sex act inside a parked pickup truck off an alley.
"What disgusted me is that it was 10 o'clock in the morning, they're parked in a driveway next to an alley, and literally this alley is used by kids walking to school," said Hayes.
He posted the pictures for nearly a thousand of his neighbors to see online.
"Everybody in this neighborhood talks to each other, and I think it's a really good way to find somebody who's doing something wrong like that," said Chris Fiorito, who lives nearby.
Hayes said he and many of his neighbors have called 911 about the problem, but police haven't been able to drive out the problem.
"The police officers, I've never had an officer arrive while the activity was still going on," said Hayes.
"I feel that guy's frustration, it's not without any resolution, if you continue to call 911, we continue to build those reports and continue to move officers into that area and make it an unwelcome place for prostitution and its purveyors," said Detective Patrick Michaud, Seattle Police Department spokesperson.
He added that Seattle Police doesn't recommend shaming, but it does recommend being a good witness.
"We as a department recommend you don't confront them; if you take a picture, great, do it from a distance where you can't be seen and do it safely. Give us the call so we can come out; if we can get a plate off the car, great, good descriptions are great," said Michaud.
Michaud said officers are investigating if more patrols are needed to target the problem.
Until that happens, Hayes said he will continue to take and post pictures of incidents online.
"I want my neighbors to see who this person is, what their vehicle looks like, what their license plate number is, because unless we work together as a community, we're never going to be able to make it improve," said Hayes.
Seattle Police said if the prostitution problem continues in the area, officers will consider a sting operation to go after the johns.
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