Portland Strip Clubs: Cheers & Jeers, Jan. 23
by exoticinportlandCheers: To indefatigable former Congresswoman Linda Smith and her nonprofit, Shared Hope International, for championing changes in state laws regarding sex trafficking. Smith and her staff journeyed to Olympia twice this week to testify on behalf of three important bills. Senate Bill 6330 would authorize the state Department of Transportation to place informational posters in rest areas; SB6332 would require employers of foreign workers to inform them of their rights; and SB6476 would stiffen criminal penalties for pimps and add protections for young prostitutes.
Though prostitution isn’t very visible on local streets, authorities say the problem is pervasive. Girls, many of them runaways, are transported between cheap motels along the I-5 corridor. Clark County is a favorite recruiting spot. Accompanying Smith to Olympia was a La Center teen who narrowly escaped the life of prostitution after being recruited to work in a Seattle strip club.