Rocky to Vicky (a.k.a. BB, a.k.a. Angel, a.k.a. Passion) -- time to get off the street

Figueroa Street -- it's the hub of prostitution in the city. (Not to be confused with the generic scene at right.) Now Rocky Delgadillo, the city attorney, wants a judge to keep several dozen prostitutes and five pimps from strolling a six-mile stretch of Figueroa Street, part of his bid to crack down on the brazen sex trade in South L.A., David Zahniser reports.

"It's round the clock," said Det. Bill Margolis. "You could come out on Figueroa Street at any time of the day, whether it's 4 o'clock or 12 noon, and you will see an assortment of prostitutes walking the streets here with pimps in the background, actively monitoring [them]."

The injunction sought by Delgadllo would cover a stretch of Figueroa from Vernon Street south to El Segundo Boulevard, allowing those named in the filing to cross the street by car or at two key boulevards -- Slauson and Manchester. Delgadillo has relied on dozens of court injunctions to target gang members in neighborhoods stretching from Wilmington to Panorama City. But this week's filing is the first to focus exclusively on prostitution.

The pimps and hookers are named in the filing. Some of the women, like Vicky, above, have not just a string of arrests, but a series of exotic and evocative aliases. More details in David's full story to come.

--Veronique de Turenne

Photo: Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times 

Comments

[Marie Brown]

I feel adult prostitution should be legalised. What consenting adults do should not be a concern of the government. Legalised adlt prostitution would help with revenues for the city. In any case, I can't see what is so terrible about adult prostitution: it's a fact of life, and provided it takes place among consenting adults, there's no harm. Americans are too prudish about sexual matters, in any case.

[Shag]

What we need is a redlight district. The sex trade will not end, and we are fooling ourselves we think it will. Figueroa may be the most popular street, but there are many, many others. This country is so far behind others it ain't even funny.
Many of those who partake of the pleasure of the flesh on the streets, are very respectable business people, clergy, politicians, et al. red light district is the answer.