PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Council member: Vote against making DC's "Prostitution Free Zones" permanent.
  1. Signatures
    347 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. Council member (+ 5 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Council member (Yvette Alexander)
      • Council member (Phil Mendelson)
      • Council member (Jack Evans)
      • Council member (Mary Cheh)
      • Council member (Muriel Bowser)
      • Council member (Marion Barry)
  2. Created By
    sonya mendoza
    washington, DC
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

D.C.'s "Prostitution Free Zones," or PFZs, essentially legalize already rampant racial and gender profiling by police in our city. Making PFZs permanent would further criminalize transgender, gay, lesbian, homeless, low income, and people of color communities in the District. With the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the country and surging violence against the people targeted by PFZs, the D.C. Council's priorities should be elsewhere -- ensuring the safety and health of diverse communities.

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Vote against making DC's "Prostitution Free Zones" permanent.

Greetings,

The D.C. Council is currently considering the "Prostitution Free Zone Amendment Act," which will affect sex workers, or anyone thought to be a sex worker. This new bill builds off the "Prostitution Free Zone Act of 2005," which allowed the police to declare any public area a "Prostitution free Zone," for up to 20 days -- the new bill proposes to make such zones permanent.

These policies have done little to eradicate prostitution but have succeeded in further marginalizing sex workers, low income people of color, transgender people, lesbians and gays, and the homeless. In addition, making the Prostitution Free Zones permanent would likely be unconstitutional.

We do not need more policy that criminalizes people in our community. D.C. residents demand that the Council find solutions to city issues that don't involve arresting and locking people up because they are homeless, transgender, or "look like" they are engaging in sex work.

Please make the right choice and vote against making the PFZ's permanent.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Press Inquiries