Organized crime and the sex industry

[gugu]

There is a lot of concern spread out by anti prostitution groups about the implication of criminal organizations in the sex industry. Of course many things may be considered as a criminal organization, but I'm talking here mainly about the traditional mafia and criminal bikers organizations.

This morning, before judge Charbonneau, a police officer who is particularly well informed was interrogated about their implication outside the drug trafficking. Sonia Level, the commission's chief attorney, asked him the question this way: (approximate translation) when we look at the involvement of the Hells Angels (the only organization that still exist in Québec) in the sex industry, we are not talking about prostitution, aren't we? No, said the officer, the involvement we found is in the stripping industry, mainly an agency (agence de placement) that provides dancers to the clubs, most close to them, sometimes inter provincially, a fact well known that was covered largely in the medias.

I have heard a lot of people saying that that bikers have a much more important control of the industry, forcing massage parlours and escort agencies to pay “protection fees”. Most owners I know told me that’s total bullshit. However, some sex workers tell me that such “protection fees” are frequent.

What’s your take on this?

 

[EagerBeaver]

Protection rackets permeate any quasi legal business or black market for the simple reason that the victim cannot go to the cops. See the Whitey Bulger trial transcripts and testimony; Whitey was one of the premiere protection racketeers in Boston. That is the typical protection racket. It does not really vary by country. The premise is the same: illegal or quasi legal business, victim cannot go to cops (usually because they will be prosecuted for income tax evasion if they do), victim pays protection racketeer money to be left alone. The money paid is not for "protection", it is for being left alone.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

The Show Girls strip clubs in Alberta are run by the HA.

 

[smillertime]

I firmly believe that organized crime plays a significant role in the sex industry here, from escort agencies(independent and otherwise) to strip clubs and massage parlours.

Try starting your own escort agency and see what happens.

 

[Siocnarf]

There's plenty of organized crime even in perfectly legal things like construction and politics. People can't expect the sex industry to be more clean.

 

[joelcairo]

Good point Frankie, except that only one of those two is "perfectly legal".

 

[gugu]

Captain, that only pushes to a second degree the basic moral issue behind the question. This is a market. You do business with a business partner. That his brother happens to be a criminal is none of our business. However, if I happened to believe — I don't — that the Hells had a "significant" role, I would certainly not feel comfortable. Sorry, I just cannot stand the violence and the intimidation culture.

I would not buy a service from an agency or a parlor if I knew it was owned and operated by the Hells, for moral reasons. Protection racket, even controlled by the Hells, would pose me less problem. True, we are not police officers. When you buy bananas you do not check to make sure the transport company is not owned by the mafia. I don't inquire about the protection racket before going to a legit reputation bar even if I know that some would pay protection.

In a money transactions, it is just normal to feel concerned only with the person we are dealing with. If the people I initiated the transaction with, the agency, were the Hells, I would care.

 

[Toucan Sam]

Years ago the biker gangs use to have booking agencies for strippers and exotic dancers, but I think that there is no money in it for them anymore.

 

[Halloween Mike]

I don't know if they(HA or others) are running agencies or whatever, but i asked many times various SPs of agencies if they where treated fine and all, and all where very positive, they can switch agencies at will, or quit and it don't seem to be like in the movie or whatever. I guess this is fine by me, as long as the girls are treated well and us the clients too... I rather have HA run someting than some shitty street gang... HA and organized crime usually have at least some code of conduct.

 

[GoldfingR]

I think these days Organized crime and street thugs stay away from the sex trade, too much chance one of the girls will turn witness and put them in the toilet.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

Years ago the biker gangs use to have booking agencies for strippers and exotic dancers, but I think that there is no money in it for them anymore.

No money? Have you seen the prices that they charge in Alberta for the strip clubs. Triple from here and NO TOUCHING.

 

[tiannas]

No money? Have you seen the prices that they charge in Alberta for the strip clubs. Triple from here and NO TOUCHING.

Where many places charge $10/dance here, in the west the girls are often paying the bar $10 per dance. (Maybe even more now, it's been quite a few years since I was working out there.)

 

[Halloween Mike]

the girls are paying 10$ per dance? what... ??? Usually they pay the 30$(and pay there drinks) or so the night and the dances are in there pockets no?

 

[tiannas]

the girls are paying 10$ per dance? what... ??? Usually they pay the 30$(and pay there drinks) or so the night and the dances are in there pockets no?

The system out west is completely different from the east. I had agencies that booked me into different clubs every week to dance on stage and the bars paid for the stage shows. (Of course the agency gets a commission.) Stage shows were full costumed 18 minute sets. Then I could sell dances on the floor, and I paid on average $10/per song to use the booths.
Many girls also had house girls that just sold dances on the floor, they didn't go on stage, but most of them paid per song too.
(Of course this was in BC, might be a little different in Alberta, not sure.)

 

[Halloween Mike]

well if its 10$ per dance and the dances are 10$.. lol you don't make much money...

i had a stripper friend who danced in quebec(yeah the one that pretty much broke my heart ) she said it was a cover ... she liked the folichon because it was the lowest cover... thats why she prefered there... booth dances where all in her pockets

 

[Siocnarf]

But even if you give up on escorts and get a girlfriend, you still won't know if she has relations with criminal people! Like Julie Couillard.