A sexy outfit can get you arrested in Phoenix — especially if you’re Black or trans
A sexy outfit can get you arrested in Phoenix — especially if you’re Black or trans
Phoenix cops have cited more than 450 people. "You're being prosecuted because of what you're wearing."
The woman, whose name Phoenix New Times is withholding to protect her privacy, is one of more than 450 people in Phoenix who have been charged with manifestation of prostitution over the past eight years. The ordinance, which has been called unconstitutional by the ACLU of Arizona, allows the act of flagging down a car or wearing provocative clothing to be used as grounds to cite someone.
In 2014, the city’s prosecution of Monica Jones under the ordinance drew national outcry. Civil rights organizations condemned the arrest of Jones, a transgender activist and social work student. Even celebrities spoke out against the city’s use of the law.
But Phoenix has not stopped using the ordinance, according to data obtained by New Times.
I'm an almost 60-year-old, overweight, boomer. Maybe I ought to get a really short kilt and some flip-flops and take a walk, shirtless, down the street. Provocative enough?
