The Grand Prix of Johns and Impounding Their Cars — THE NORTH STAR

by Bradley Myles

Every night in downtown Washington, DC, there’s a specific 10-block area that transforms from a typical retail and business district from upscale clubs, office buildings, hotels, and restaurants to an open-air market where the sex trafficking of women and girls occurs. Come 3 AM this economic center of Northwest DC is flooded with sex traffickers and johns converge to create a thriving market for the purchasing and selling of women and children. Most DC community members get into the groove of their circadian rhythms, asleep during the hours of 3am-6am, unable to witness this transformation with their own eyes. But, I write to attest to the fact that it is real, and it does happen.

If this nightly occurrence seems shocking or incredulous to most of us, don’t just take my word for it. Federal and local law enforcement authorities working with the DOJ-funded D.C. Human Trafficking Task Force have built many serious human trafficking cases against sex traffickers from these very blocks.

In the lingo of the sex trade, DC’s “track” at 14th and K, NW can be off the hook. If you take the time to absorb what’s really going on out there and care enough to look beneath the surface, you’ll see a nightly horror film of misery, desperation, violence, rape, threats, fear, greed, and most of all, human trafficking. If you look at the license plates of their cars or overhear their conversations, you’ll learn that sex traffickers travel from up and down the east coast, and across the country to try their hand between 3am-6am on any given night on the corner of 14th and K, NW

I guess the natural questions then becomes – Why? Why here? Why now? Why so many? Why this national allure? And the answer is quite simple – to make money. Profit. It doesn’t take much further analysis to realize where that money comes from – The Johns. A John is the man that pays for commercial sex, and thereby serves as the “demand” forces behind the creation of this market. Would this nightly market for commercial sex exist if there were no Johns? Clearly not.

The vast majority of the women being prostituted out on these blocks have pimps. The pimps put nightly quotas on the heads of the women and children under their control. To be allowed to “stop” for the night, a woman may need to make 500 dollars or more to meet her pimp’s quota while the women oftentimes don’t get to keep any of the money. The money travels from the john’s wallet, directly into the pimp’s pocket, with a layover in between.

Some johns are on foot, hollering at the women who the pimps brought out for the night, and asking “Hey baby! How much?” Some johns have pulled over, turned off their engines, and parked their cars along the “track,” watching intently for the woman or child they want to rent. Some johns drive up in groups, all the windows down, and music blaring; a dangerous bundle of testosterone and male chest-puffing, egging each other on and trying to get a “group deal” (I shudder at the thought). Some johns just drive around in circles, looping around 10th to 15th St., NW, and L to K. It almost looks like a Nascar race – so many johns in a cluster of cars all racing around the same oval, over and over again. In fact, the Nascar effect of the johns gets so bad that the DC police have posted signs that literally say “No Right Turn, 9pm-5am” on certain street corners. Imagine that!

For those who think most johns are just bashful, “awww shucks” kind of guys who are a little socially awkward and down on their luck, think again. These guys know exactly what they’re doing, and purposefully schedule their evening around making it to 14th and K at just the right time to hunt for the right girl. Some are nothing short of sadistic human predators.

Somehow, if we want to have a hope of making a dent in this early morning Grand Prix of johns, we’re going to have to hit them where it hurts –their wallet, their criminal record, and their car. A john who gets caught might make up some lie and pay a quick fine. Instead, if you impound a john’s car for a few weeks and leave him without transportation to work or social engagements, then it really starts to sink in and affect his world.
I’d like to see more cities experiment with this “impounding john’s cars” idea that some cities are beginning to try.

In the meantime, let’s keep brainstorming “demand reduction” strategies that are based on the recognition of the inextricable link between the existence of sex trafficking of women and girls, and the market of men who pay for commercial sex.

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