Is That a Hooker on my Block?

Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms.  Orginial post date June 15, 2008



It started with a late night knock on a neighbors door. Then another neighbor and another. Slowly, the houses on one side of the street all began experiencing late night visitors. Especially if they had a red door. In the last few weeks the street traffic on my block has increased and it comes in the form of a John it seems.

That's right. You heard me.

We seem to have some prostitution brewing on our street.

In an area that looks suspiciously like a cross between Disney's 'It's a Small World' village and the movie set of 'Pleasantville' our block has suddenly gotten a lot of late night callers. All of them heading to the same location in the dead of night. Many leaving in the early hours of the morning. One gentleman had the cops called on his butt after banging on the wrong 'red door' (Yes, they are indeed directed to a red door and not a red light. I can't make this stuff up!) of his "girlfriends" house last weekend. Instead of investigating the police just told him that next time he should have the address of his so-called girlfriend.

At first, I laughed it off. Seriously, a hooker on my street? We live smack in the middle of dulls-ville. Excitement happens when the ice cream man arrives or a dog is let loose. The HOA sends out notices about goose poop and unrepaired fence lines, not ladies of the night. However, the bevy of women in outfits that remind me of the streetwalkers typically seen at 2 a.m. on the streets of D.C. coming and going from one red-doored house recently have made me a believer. The sheer number of lone men that have begun ambling down our sidewalks in search of the red door only to go to the wrong location is no longer laughable but becoming a problem. The question is, how do we solve it?

As a street do we band together and fight against this house with its non-stop flow of traffic or do we turn a blind eye and hope that we are mistaken? For now, it seems a majority of the block is content to watch the circus go by each night. I, for one, am gathering evidence because who knows, it could be something more.

Comments






Yasmin said...


Wow! I would definitely talk to your neighbors, and maybe seeks some legal aid? Maybe they can give you a better understanding what your legal rights are keeping your neighborhood safe? Good luck!


Reply June 15, 2008 at 05:39 AM whymommy said...


If I were the other neighbor, I would repaint my door. :-)






Seriously, I don't know what to do, but I bet your local police would have some advice or tips. Maybe you could call them and just ask for advice? Mention that you have kids and it's strange to now have such traffic going through the neighborhood (by car or on foot)? Mention that you're worried, and ask for advice on how to handle it?






Be careful about confronting the neighbor, though ... your safety must come first.


Reply June 15, 2008 at 08:24 AM whymommy said...


If I were the other neighbor, I would repaint my door. :-)






Seriously, I don't know what to do, but I bet your local police would have some advice or tips. Maybe you could call them and just ask for advice? Mention that you have kids and it's strange to now have such traffic going through the neighborhood (by car or on foot)? Mention that you're worried, and ask for advice on how to handle it?






Be careful about confronting the neighbor, though ... your safety must come first.


Reply June 15, 2008 at 08:24 AM Lawyer Mama said...


Holy crap! If the police won't do anything, trying contacting your city council. Or whatever they call it in a county. (I can't remember!) When we lived in the City of Falls Church & had problems getting a sewer issue fixed, we called the City manager (who is an elected official, I believe) and it was taken care of in 24 hours.


Reply June 16, 2008 at 09:14 AM Jenni said...


We had a neighbor that my husband and I jokingly called the "neighborhood hooker" because she always seemed to have daytime visitors of the male persuasion while her husband was at work.






It was a joke to us....until she was arrested last year!






Needless to say, the street is much quieter now!