San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced new initiatives this week to cut down on illegal prostitution in the city's Mission District , including mailing "Dear John" warning letters to the owners of vehicles spotted soliciting in the area.
Breed, who is up for reelection in November, has recently taken a tough-on-crime approach to problems plaguing the California coastal city.
Her announcement and rollout of the new measures follow multiple meetings between city agencies and local community members frustrated by growing crime. The new crackdown efforts will be in addition to current prostitution enforcement operations by the San Francisco Police Department and plainclothes officers in one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city.
The mayor's office noted that the SFPD has made 72 arrests in various operations in the last four months.
"By working with the community, we've developed solutions that will make the Mission safer for all," Breed said in a written statement. "Our police officers will continue to enforce our laws, but these new strategies will help us build on that work and improve conditions in the neighborhood. This is part of our commitment to address significant challenges in the Mission neighborhood."
The use of "Dear John" letters involves sending warning letters to the registered owners of vehicles spotted soliciting prostitution. The goal is to scare them out of engaging in bad behavior by letting them know their vehicle activity is being monitored. The fact that a letter's contents could be received by other people living at the vehicle owner's address when delivered ups the fear factor for lawbreakers.
City officials are also encouraging community members to send in tips on who they see engaging in solicitation or prostitution.
"Illegal sex work degrades the quality of life in our city, and it cannot be tolerated,” SFPD Chief Bill Scott said. He added that "strategies like Dear John letters have been effective in other jurisdictions at deterring people from engaging in this activity and we expect to see similar results in San Francisco.”
Other strategies in the works include installing barriers along the street and new license plate-reading cameras that were authorized under Proposition E .
"My office has given these neighbors and this issue a great deal of attention, and we have been working with city departments to come up with meaningful solutions, including outreach to sex workers to get them support and protections, and ultimately off the streets," Supervisor Hillary Ronen said in a written statement.
News of the measures came on the same day residents in the Mission District announced they filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging officials have stood by and allowed their neighborhood to be turned into a seedy home for sex workers, traffickers, and solicitors.
“San Francisco’s government has failed to respond to this crisis and failed to enforce its laws against sex trafficking and prostitution, as well as other laws against public disorder,” the lawsuit, filed at San Francisco Superior Court, reads.
Ayman Farahat, the lead plaintiff in the case, said a prostitute threatened to have her pimp shoot his wife in the face. Farahat claimed in the lawsuit that he "used to call the police, but he stopped because, despite his phone calls, officers would not show up."
Residents also claimed that prostitutes and their clients come and go during all hours of the night and that law-abiding citizens have been propositioned, harassed, and threatened on a regular basis.
Residents also frequently find sex paraphernalia, such as used condoms, in their front yards and complained that it's common to see illegal drug use on a nightly basis, according to the lawsuit. Residents also cited public urination as a problem and said "Johns" looking for a good time cruise through their neighborhood at all hours of the night, blaring music.
Francesca Pastine, a supporter of the lawsuit, told CBS San Francisco that residents who can afford to leave often do.
"I have so many friends that've had to move out to protect their children, their families, and their mental state," Pastine said.
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On top of everything else, residents said the nightly nuisance creates additional financial headaches for them.
"The cars are trying to pass each other," the woman said. "They will often scrape the parked cars. I've had my car scraped three times."
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