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Agenda Item
6 26-0206 Subject: Report On City's Domestic Violence Activities
From: Councilmember Wang
Recommendation: Receive An Informational Report Of The City's Programs Responding To Domestic Violence
My recommendation is that the gift shops/ liquor stores on International Blvd. should not be villainized. Obviously, there is a specific clientele. They go to such stores to seek “safe haven” from the dark streets. There seems to be a misconception that such stores are owned by traffickers, which is far from the case. A majority are owned by Middle Easterners, with no business in the trade. It’s better to work with such stores to get sex workers off the streets, because oftentimes these stores provide them refuge. Otherwise they have to wait for their trafficker to pick them up. Closing such stores down will lead to more violence against sex workers because they have no where else to turn. If you are serious about the domestic violence issue, you need to look at the big-picture holistic approach on what is going on International Boulevard.
My recommendation is that the gift shops/ liquor stores on International Blvd. should not be villainized. Obviously, there is a specific clientele. They go to such stores to seek “safe haven” from the dark streets. There seems to be a misconception that such stores are owned by traffickers, which is far from the case. A majority are owned by Middle Easterners, with no business in the trade. It’s better to work with such stores to get sex workers off the streets, because oftentimes these stores provide them refuge. Otherwise they have to wait for their trafficker to pick them up. Closing such stores down will lead to more violence against sex workers because they have no where else to turn. If you are serious about the domestic violence issue, you need to look at the big-picture holistic approach on what is going on International Boulevard.