A week or so ago, our local paper, the Daily Hampshire Gazette, reported that two small massage therapy businesses in Hadley, MA had been raided because of reports of "sex for pay". The articles, written by Ben Storrow and Owen Boss, described a multi-agency effort to put a stop to this illicit behavior. Not only were Hadley police involved, but also MA State Police, U.S. Immigration and Customs, the U.S. Department of Diplomatic Security as well as at least one Agawam police Detective. A neighbor and eyewitness described the raid as consisting of "20 cruisers, guys with shields...and guns drawn". All this manpower to arrest two middle-aged Chinese women. Is it just me, or does this seem like overkill?
Often, police do not know what they are getting into, so it is best to be prepared. In this case, however, they knew exactly what they were up against. The raids were the culmination of a sting operation in which two officers, one the Agawam Detective and the other a state trooper, posed as customers at two separate locations in Hadley. Both officers reported getting a massage, then being asked about "being happy" or "getting more massage". Each of these questions was enhanced, according to these officers, by "suggestive gestures" (perhaps of the nudge-nudge, wink-wink variety) on the part of the two Chinese women. Some talk of compensation for these additional services was discussed, but since the officers refused, the services were not rendered.
The paper showed a photo of these women leaving the courthouse after their arraignments. They looked to be about 98 pounds apiece, at the most. So, what were the guns and shields for? Were the police afraid the women might lunge at them, fingers poised to massage their nether regions against their will? Certainly, they knew they were up against masseuses, not drug dealers. It doesn't appear that they wore armor when they visited the sites prior to the raid.
How did this investigation start? Presumably, someone must have complained, though the articles made no mention of this. Anyway, I can't imagine why a customer on the receiving end of these "massages" would report them. It wasn't the neighbors interviewed, either, as none of them had any idea that anything of that sort was going on. Hopefully, our tax dollars aren't being spent sending officers to massage parlors on the off chance that they might be offered a "happy ending"!
I realize that selling sex is illegal, even though this was not sex, per se (at least not according to Bill Clinton's definition). Some would consider this a "victimless" crime. I believe that in the absence of oversight and regulation that legal standing would provide, however, all prostitutes are victims. Who would make a career choice like that, if there were other options? I do hope that the myriad of law-enforcement agencies use their vast resources to find out who is using these women for their own gain. I wonder how many cops it will take to arrest them?
Often, police do not know what they are getting into, so it is best to be prepared. In this case, however, they knew exactly what they were up against. The raids were the culmination of a sting operation in which two officers, one the Agawam Detective and the other a state trooper, posed as customers at two separate locations in Hadley. Both officers reported getting a massage, then being asked about "being happy" or "getting more massage". Each of these questions was enhanced, according to these officers, by "suggestive gestures" (perhaps of the nudge-nudge, wink-wink variety) on the part of the two Chinese women. Some talk of compensation for these additional services was discussed, but since the officers refused, the services were not rendered.
The paper showed a photo of these women leaving the courthouse after their arraignments. They looked to be about 98 pounds apiece, at the most. So, what were the guns and shields for? Were the police afraid the women might lunge at them, fingers poised to massage their nether regions against their will? Certainly, they knew they were up against masseuses, not drug dealers. It doesn't appear that they wore armor when they visited the sites prior to the raid.
How did this investigation start? Presumably, someone must have complained, though the articles made no mention of this. Anyway, I can't imagine why a customer on the receiving end of these "massages" would report them. It wasn't the neighbors interviewed, either, as none of them had any idea that anything of that sort was going on. Hopefully, our tax dollars aren't being spent sending officers to massage parlors on the off chance that they might be offered a "happy ending"!
I realize that selling sex is illegal, even though this was not sex, per se (at least not according to Bill Clinton's definition). Some would consider this a "victimless" crime. I believe that in the absence of oversight and regulation that legal standing would provide, however, all prostitutes are victims. Who would make a career choice like that, if there were other options? I do hope that the myriad of law-enforcement agencies use their vast resources to find out who is using these women for their own gain. I wonder how many cops it will take to arrest them?
No comments:
Post a Comment