A block area of Figueroa Boulevard in South LA sees hundreds of prostitutes , some barely out of their teens, plying their trade since Gov. Gavin Newsom passed the controversial Safer Streets for All Act, which decriminalized loitering with the intent to work as a prostitute in January.
Families drive by and see 10 girls on the corner, condoms on the ground. And a mom and her kids have to pass by that. God only knows the impact it has on those kids who have to see this. As part of the loitering rules, officers are no longer allowed to stop the women to offer them help, unless they look underage.
In those circumstances, they will take the women to the station and refer them to the Department of Children and Family Services. Although the girls get sent to a shelter or another program, the LAPD sources say they usually see them back on the streets a few days later. Nonprofits combating sex trafficking like Journey Out are also finding it more difficult to connect with the growing number of sex workers on the streets.
Last month there were a total of six rapes reported in the area, according to the latest data obtained by The Post. Pinto said officers on Thursday rescued a year-old who was being trafficked by a pimp at the Figueroa Street corridor. A young blond woman in a hot pink bikini and a white faux fur bolero jacket posed seductively and smiled for the men as she tried to balance herself on acrylic 6-inch stilettos. Not too far away from the action was a taco truck, and people who were trying to get a meal got an eyeful as women in raunchy bathing suits walked by.
About two blocks from that busy corner, a man who was naked from the waist down hassled two prostitutes. He also said prostitutes had been seen near schools and that they were also working the streets day and night. The young woman, wearing a sports bra and high-cut shorts, kept her eyes on the cars, hoping to spot her next customer.
