The kidnapping of a woman who authorities say escaped her abductor by punching her way out of a cinder block cell in Oregon has focused attention on the area where authorities say she was taken: Aurora Avenue in Seattle, an urban stretch of state highway lined with box stores and budget motels and known for rampant prostitution
. Loitering charges were rarely filed anyway, but the council cited the racist history of such laws, which were preceded by Jim Crow-era vagrancy statutes designed to target formerly enslaved people, in eliminating them.
Last month, a 19-year-old man and 17-year-old boy were charged with trafficking two young women out of one of the motels on Aurora, after one of the women called her father to report she was being held against her will. “Human trafficking takes a tragic, significant, and unacceptable toll on victims and the entire community,” Housen said. “Mayor Harrell recognizes that addressing this issue requires more than just law enforcement, including a special emphasis on victim services, support, and advocacy.”
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