Easton, PA to Confiscate Johns' Cars

by Robert Farago

June 26th, 2008 9:00 AM

The Easton, Pennsylvania City Council is set to pass a town ordinance that would seize the cars of "johns" cruising through their town looking for prostitutes. The Morning Call reports that the new law would apply to any vehicle used ''to solicit prostitution or to engage in an act of prostitution or to solicit or engage in sexual activity.'' We're not talking about impounding (so to speak); the ordinance would allow the city to keep or sell the confiscated vehicles. Councilwoman Elinor Warner introduced the ordinance, which was last mooted a decade previous. She has no doubts that the law will scare off the mobile sex trade that's been plaguing the city for years. In an unfortunate choice of words, she claimed it would attack the demand side of the equation and ''spread the love around, and make it hard on the johns as well.'' Warner's City Council colleagues have no problem with silly little things like constitutionality. Councilman Roger Ruggles told the paper that state law already allows police to seize vehicles used in drug deals. ''I don't see much of a difference." I wonder what kind of car he drives…

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4 of 34 comments

Joeaverage on Jun 26, 2008

Seriously - so if I see my girlfriend walking down the sidewalk and I stop to give her a ride - I could lose my car if the powers-that-be deem the situation to look "suspicious"? I refuse to worry about what the religious think of the laws based on their holy book b/c while I may share their ideas about many things, I don't share their religion or their books. What their deities or books may say carries no weight with me. What good sense the religious may have to share I will welcome. Still feel that the separation of church and state to be a very, very important concept b/c we don't all share the same religion, same religious texts, or the same deities.

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Mervich on Jun 26, 2008
yournamehere: i live 5 miles from Easton, PA. never realized there was such a big problem with prostitution. parts of the city are really nice, very old stone buildings. other parts are scummy but i suspect that in every city. geeber: I visited Easton last year for a wedding reception downtown…I got the impression that the city was making an effort to fix itself up, but there were still several “struggling” neighborhoods. How 'bout some gasoline for the fire? "Scummy" parts? "Struggling” neighborhoods? Sounds like it could become another "they're just targeting the poor black man"! Somebody call Al Sharpton!

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Robert Schwartz on Jun 26, 2008

Some one cruising for a date in Easton PA is sending out a cry for help. Don't confiscate his car. Send him to Vegas.

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Mervich on Jun 26, 2008
geeber: Courts have ruled that the state can seize the vehicles of people who smuggle liquor in from out of state. Robert Schwartz: Some one cruising for a date in Easton PA is sending out a cry for help. Don’t confiscate his car. Send him to Vegas. I like your line of thought, Mr. Schwartz...but I think we can do better than that! Take the confiscated vehicles from the liquor smugglers and give one to any individual caught crusing Easton for a booty call to make sure they can make it to Vegas!

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