Scott Wiener
A new state bill would repeal California legal statutes that criminalize loitering for the purposes of prostitution.
Currently, it is illegal to loiter in a public place with the “intent” of engaging in sex work, but Senate Bill 357, introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would prohibit arrests of loiterers “acting like” they are sex workers looking for clients.
Current law allows officers to make judgments on whether or not a person is loitering for the sake of sex work, which Wiener said facilitates the disproportionate criminalization of marginalized communities, namely Black, trans and brown people.
Wiener noted that existing loitering laws are “highly subjective and vague,” which said contributes to the arrest of Black and brown transgender women for trivial reasons, such as “simply walking on the street.”
The bill is being cosponsored by Positive Women’s Network-USA, St. James Infirmary, Sex Workers Outreach Project LA, Trans Latin@ Coalition, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach and the ACLU of California.
A similar bill was enacted into law by New York’s State Legislature in February.
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