Veronica's Voice , who DO they speak for?

Every now and again I write something that I know will get me in trouble, and by trouble I mean I will offend some person or group of people. I never start out with that intention, okay maybe a few times I started out with that intention, but not this time, I swear. I have this over riding thing in me, that causes me to call booooooolshit, and I'm afraid it's kicked in to full offensive mode. Crime Scene KC linked this announcement regarding a local advocate group for hookers Veronica's Voice. Here's what got me going Veronica's Voice, a local nonprofit that works to end prostitution, will host its second annual Courage To Change walk at 4 p.m. Saturday at St. James Parish, 39th and Troost in Kansas City. Registration starts at 3:30, though that can be done online. Cost is $25 per person in advance, $30 that day. So I clicked over to their site, and here we go.

Veronica's Voice takes the position that Prostitution is pure exploitation, of innocent women and children, by men. The pimps, the Johns, Male Family members who abused the women in the first place, etc. Before I get going, let me state unequivocally the obvious , exploitation of a child is wrong, and should be dealt with by harsh punishment and swift legal action, that's a no brainer. While Veronica's Voice is to be commended for helping under age kids caught up in prostitution, I'll go out on a limb here, and say that underage prostitutes in this area make up a tiny portion of prostitutes. In the last couple of years, one case comes to mind that involved a couple of underage girls, one case. Here's the rub, the people at VV know that the mention of children , the implication that child prostitution is rampant in the city, will elicit a response, in other words it will pay off. Why, because most people dont get misty eyed over some round heeled adult woman who decided to leave her kids and sling her ass to pay for her dope habit.

The TRUTH is most street walkers in the city are well past their teens. The Truth is most call girls are also well past their teens. The truth is while pimps aren't non existent, they dont control the vast majority of hookers in this city. Most hookers in this city are hooked on crack, and you cant smoke crack and work a 9 to 5. You either have to steal, sell dope, or hook. It's no secret that I have a criminal history, and by history I mean I was out there in the part of the city that *L7's* , that's all of you honest, normal, decent folk, who fear or wisely choose not to tread in . So , I have known numerous women , not in the biblical sense, who freely chose to sling their ass for their own gain, of their own volition. I never judged them, still don't , but I do call shit like I see it. And as I see it, Veronica's Voice, the savior and protector of these allegedly abused and misused women of the night, is exploiting the very women they claim to be an advocate for.

Gee MM, you re being kind of harsh, cynical prick. Maybe I am, but let's look at a couple of things before we all jump on yours truly. Would you be more apt to donate money to an organization that helps people who are in fucked up situations due to their own choices, through their own decisions, or someone forced in to what is tantamount to slavery? Would you be more apt to help an organization that assists adult dope fiends or innocent children? No brainer , am I right. Listen, I'm all for someone getting off the streets, cleaning up and living right. I'm the last person in the world who would fault someone for turning it around. What I take exception with is being sold a bill of goods. Most of the women who walk the streets of Kansas City do so because they want to get high. They want to shirk their responsibilities as mothers, they want to chase that dope. It isn't because they are victims. VV likes to throw stats around, most hookers were abused sexually, so that makes them forever victims, gives them a pass. Well most child molesters were sexually abused as well, I dont hear many people suggesting that they should be considered victims.

Here is what got me started on this tirade over Veronica's Voice, they have a fee to participate in their "Courage To Change Walk", 30 bucks as a matter of fact. While I'm all for charitable acts, any time someone tells me I am required to pay a set price, that my charitable contribution must be x amount , then I get a little pissy about it. It's like public TV telling me "We want your help, but your help starts at 30 bucks." So in lieu of money I offer the following tip for turning those women of the night, or day around.
Stop giving them a pass because of their past. Millions of Men and Women have been abused as children, the vast majority of them never sell their services on a street corner or smoke crack.
If you keep telling someone that they are fucked up because of someone else, they will never get right. They will use it as a hole card, every time the fuck up, they will blame it on what transpired 20 or 30 years ago. And not for nothin, but Men aren't the root of all evil when it comes to prostitution. Creepy, yes, perverted, probably, pathetic, you bet, Johns are all of those things, but Johns wouldn't be buying if some woman wasn't selling.

At the end of the day, we all live with the choices we make. You can't preach, threaten or cajole someone in to not doing something they have set their minds to doing. Is it sad that there are women out there who have put a price on their dignity and self worth, yeah it's fucking tragic. And it's equally tragic when we see some wino passed out on a corner, or some kid throw their life away by committing a murder, or.... you get my drift, life is full of tragic stories, and when you really dig down and look at the core of the story, you will find that most people do what they do, because they want to. Think I'm being harsh? Next time you see a hooker on troost or the Avenue, ask her if she wants a job, a real job, waiting tables or whatever, then roll your window up before you get hit in the head with a round heeled shoe.

You can call me a cynic, a long winded one at that, but I've been around long enough to know when someone is slinging bullshit. I'm not saying that VV is a bad organization, I'm not saying they dont help women in bad situations. I am saying that they are using hype and hysteria to sell themselves. I am saying that asking somone to give their time and money is fine, telling them how much they are required to give is, well, it's .....pimpin.

**L7, street term for straight, honest , law abiding folks. Put an L and a 7 together and they make a square, L7****