Notes from the April LPN Meeting -- An Absurdist Play

different meeting, same shit. oh, but what's this? lt. mary petrie, SFPD, enters the meeting. she's late. but it's just enough time for people to really get started. the following is an absurdist play using quotes from the meeting. the vigilant anti-hooker lieutenant sets the stage with a fantasy.. imagine this:

LT. PETRIE: The sex industry is moving into the neighborhood. alameda to contra costa county.. pimps get squeezed in oakland.. It happens every summer. $120-180 women are making. Get the children off the street, bridge and tunnel people are coming over. We're going to do a big pounding. If that is not enough to deter them...

linda: why don't you arrest these people?

LT. PETRIE: we have arrested them. you have to remember, these women have been arrested 40-50 times. and they know what to say. we're dealing with a family mentality here. pimps are the daddies, hookers are the mommies. cousins will pimp each other. this is a family structure. they protect each other. it's a community. we have a criminal justice system that doesn't deter them. drug dealers turning into pimps.. this is human trafficking...

linda: can't you do a sweep or something?

petrie: umm.. sweeps aren't exactly legal. and we can't arrest them if we don't catch them. what we can get 'em for is loitering.

jeanne: well can you do a sting? can't you have the police pull up to the curb and flash their lights to chase these hookers out of here? get those hookers to run..

dan: we need better surveillance around here. can't you set up more cameras?

lt. petrie: We can't do more surveillance, but if you wanted to... I'm not directing you to do it, but if you wanted to you could set up your own private security camera and that could deter people. Or if you can't set up a camera, how much does a sticker cost? You could put a sticker up that makes them think they're being watched.

dan: didn't they do this in the East Bay.. Can we put the john's picture on the billboard?

jeanne: call the wives and release the photos.

lt. petri: We thought about that but we thought it might hurt the john's family more than the john. we know the pimps come from the east bay. Pimps will be migrating here from las vegas and los angeles. We're working on an operation at the end of June with the federal task force on prostitution.

linda: This is quality of life issue. Why should we have to live our lives under these horrible circumstances? in the presence of prostitution.

LT PETRIE: And you know the pimp is never far. You can turn the corner and there he is. and if you see a girl that's underage.. if they're under 18 and they get into a car... call 911.. these are children. and the farther up polk street, the more expensive they are. it's just the way it is.