MN to feature "John's" photos on Sex Offender webs
Minneapolis to feature 'Johns' photos on website By Abby Simons, Star Tribune Last update: March 11, 2009 - 4:20 PM Not long ago, a teenage neighbor of Minneapolis City Councilman Gary Schiff was taking out the garbage in the south Minneapolis neighborhood where she lived. In the mere minutes it took for her to walk from the family’s home to a nearby trash bin, a man in a slow-moving vehicle summoned her to his car, looking to exchange money for sex. Schiff was horrified. “This is a family neighborhood full of hard-working people who go to work, pay their bills and don’t expect their children to be solicited when they’re outside for five minutes.” Yet it’s a scene that has played out for decades along the Lake Street corridor in south Minneapolis, an area that for decades has been notorious for prostitution. Whether teenagers walking to and from South High School or young women waiting at the bus, the unwanted solicitation by “Johns” has left civic leaders such as Schiff fed up and ready to take a new approach -- if the rule of law isn’t a strong enough deterrent, perhaps public humiliation will be. Enter a huge electronic billboard at the intersection of Interstate 35W and Lake Street, which fires up Wednesday with direction to www.johnspics.org, a city website that prominently displays photos of men convicted or charged with soliciting prostitution within the past six months. Clear Channel, which donated the billboard space, will run the signs for the next six months. Currently, 22 men’s faces are plastered on the website, representing the Twin Cities and a variety of suburbs. Additionally, the Minneapolis City Attorney’s office is now tougher on prosecuting Johns, seeking convictions for all Johns who solicit prostitutes - -including first-time offenders. Previously, Johns who were first-time offenders in Minneapolis would have to complete a restorative justice and education program as part of their probation to prevent a conviction from appearing on their record. Under the new plea standards, Johns will still have to complete a restorative justice and education program, but their criminal record will now include a conviction. In Minneapolis’ Third Precinct, there were 243 arrests for prostitution in 2008, accounting for 87 percent of arrests, the steady stream of Johns that come from near and far to solicit prostitution has consistently outlasted the police resources it takes to arrest them. Abby Simons • 612-673-4921 http://www.startribune.com/local/41084482.html