Concerned residents attended a packed meeting about sex workers bringing customers into their neighborhoods Thursday night in the Pico Union district.
People who live in neighborhoods west of Western Avenue above the 10 Freeway had some tough questions for law enforcement and city officials.
“The young women bring their Johns into our neighborhoods where they’re having sex in our yards, on our porches, in our driveways,” said Rory Cunningham who lives in the St. Andrew Square neighborhood.
Some residents say sex workers and their customers come into their neighborhoods every night, engage in sex acts in front of houses and leave behind contraceptives on streets. Residents say the activity has increased over the past few years.
“Last month I counted one night five women on our corner,” Cunningham said.
Law enforcement says a crackdown on the Figueroa corridor may have pushed the activity into other areas.
At Thursday’s meeting, several city departments came together to find solutions – but some residents were angry that it took this long.
“For over two years I’ve called and complained and by all appearances no one seemed to be taking this seriously until a high end neighborhood started to be impacted,” one resident said during the meeting.
Charles D’Atri, president of the Larchmont Village Neighborhood Association said this is all part of the process and he is optimistic that the departments working on this will help solve the issue.
“It’s not always fun. People start yelling at each other and they act out but the reality is that’s what gets things done,” D’Atri said. “The fact that it has become a media issue, the fact that the city government is engaged makes me optimistic that it is going to get remediated if not solved.”
Although the meeting was contentious at times, many people we spoke to say they are hopeful that city officials will find a solution.