LAST WEEK 15 prostitutes in the Kings Cross area London occupied the Church in protest against police harassment and protection of pimps.
English Collective of Prostitutes which is involved in the occupation method of seeking sanctuary from harassment - explained how it all started...
We run a legal service for prostitutes in the area.
They have been coming to us since April.
A series of incidents the occupation.
Women who were trying their pimps were going to independent from police and the police would do nothing.
Holy Cross A member of the - a traditional woman might say that her pimp has threatened to legs and the police would say that they couldn't do anything until he had. Then last week one woman's boyfriend was done for pimping.
prostitute had her kid taken away by social services and finally a woman in the area was raped and then was called a prostitute by police.
problem and occupation is that the police just will not do anything about the pimps. They all the pimps are black But what about all the white hoteliers who are charging women E8S for them and their child. They're pimps as well!' *This is industrial асtion - ine pimps and tne police are the bosses here "The demands of the WOREE CE • That the police and the women's committees the GLC, Camden, Is ington and Hackney organise a meeting between the prostitutes and Commander Chambers head of the "E" Division responsible for Argyle Square.
That a meeting is held with MPs who want to know the truth about the illegality and racism of the police prostitute women themselves. seconded from one local • That worker authorities monitor police in Argyle Square for the next month. This is to available from Bookshops,- 328 Upper London N1 and 14 Digbeth, Birmingham at E4.95.
This is a typical quote And politically fatal and dead wrong. The interests of women, including the overwhelming majority of white women, are inseperable from the interests blacks and and trom the struggle of the entire working class to be free of USELESS CE Racists Brownmiller who mashinder of women's equality To say that there are special *white women's interests' is to imply that the struggle for women's equality can be advanced at the expense of Blacks and working people Sex, race, and class are three separate questions, but for black women they are the triple signposts of our oppression and Davis's book leaves us nowhere to go to liberate ourselves from this triple stranglehold.
There have been significant developments affecting the black movement in the last few years With in destrousy question. would have been 1 good if Davis's book had discussed them. protect women working there from possible retalia tion for the action that the prostitutes have taken. • Guarantees of immediate protection, welfare and housing for women to get off the game.
In response to these demands Camden Council have agreed to appoint wo officers to help fin SOILLIOHS provide and welfare for women trying to leave prostitution.
Other demands relating to control of the police are still under The Othar St. negotiation. But the women point out that the first step has to be to monitor police activity and The spokes woman pointed out: The "sus laws are for black men and the prostitution laws are for black women These are the only two offences which rely solely on police evidence for convic*Mrs Thatcher is putting thes women on the streets. We call the wome who come from the north Che in dung That, young black woman who is 20 years old and on the game said:
•Well, I support these ladies because the police ana tne pimps are our main enemy.
*I'll give you an example. I came here to see how unc lacies nere were getne on. A police car stopped and picked me up soliciting on the way. The like this and we keep having to pa the fines.
*The police are in with the pimps. I got my bag nicked week. couldn't go to the police because the men that snatched it will hear about me from the police *When give up dependent, you get агor a fortnight. When I had a pimp I didn't get arrested so much *The pimps are like the police, they keep a check on you. I tried to run away to Birmingham once, but after two months my pimp caught up with me.
'The other day we saw some pimps in the arca talking to the police, shaking hands.
'I got on to the game because of what happened to me when I was 10. I go raped and I decided to ge my own back. But once you are on the game you can't get off it. My mur comes down to the Cross to try and get me. I'd like to get back to a warm house, but I can't get away from it now. I've been at the Cross for 3-4 years *The last time I was arrested the policeman asked me why I supported the ocas ne said h couldn't win.
*But I think that we can win because there is a lot of people behind hope that we do win and we do stop the police and the pimps.
to:
English Women's Centreins stinutes.
Tonbridge 01-837 7509.