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Today I woke up early to make the long trek (1 hour drive one-way) out to Streetlight for some training. The Phoenix Vice Sqad was teaching us about "the game" (prostitution).
So the vice officers begin by giving us some street lingo that we'll probably need to know to keep up a conversation with a girl coming through SL. I'll give you a few just as examples, there are too many to list...
Pimp-actually an acronym for provided income from managing prostitutes. Pimps are incredibly narcissistic and are described under two different categories:
Player-a pimp who is more persuasive verbally than physically
Guerilla-a pimp who is more physically persuasive than verbally
*most pimps are both
Wifey-prostitute (yeah, I'm sure your reaction was like mine...not going to use that word again!)
Stable-group of prostitutes that work for the same pimp. Obviously referring to a group of women as a stable is demeaning in the worst sense-basically calling them animals.
Square-you and me. People who aren't in the "game" and who lead basically normal lives w/ jobs that are legal. I never appreciated being called a square until today.
MOB-money over bitches
Track-location where prostitutes walk the streets. I found out in AZ that the biggest tracks are around Indian School, Bell, and 7-27th Avenues. Hmmm...Phoenix Christian is at 18th Ave. and Indian School. Coincidence? I don't believe in coincidences. I'm in the right place without even knowing it! Put in the middle of the battleground.
Turn out-brand new prostitute, one who was just turned from a normal girl into a prostitute.
**don't read this if you get sick easily**
Turn out party-several pimps "unite" to abuse a prostitute either for being disrespectful, trying to leave, or reporting a pimp to the police. Usually consists of pimps "gang-raping" the prostitute, beating her, urinating and/or defecating on her, and other forms of abuses.
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There's other stuff of course, but not necessary to put on a family blog-you get the idea.
So, we're talking about these terms briefly and I see the women around me drop like flies just with their facial expressions. They are shocked. I look around and think, "why am I not having that same reaction?" I wasn't shocked at all, it made perfect sense to me. IT'S NOT OK-hear me loud and clear on that, but I wasn't surprised by all of this.
In the next part of the training we saw actual footage from a pimp being interviewed by the vice after he received his life sentence in prison. He knew he was done for, so he spilled the beans to them about the industry. As the police officers asked him questions he very casually, very charmingly stated his answer. He was funny, witty, persuasive, totally likable. This was not at all what I had pictured. I sat there listening to this guy and thought, "I could have fallen for him as a teenager just like any one of these girls." That is scary. One of the most commonly asked questions is, "Why don't the girls just leave? Or why don't they seek help?" You see we "squares" can't fully understand why these girls don't just break free from this bondage. If you saw this guy in his interview it would all make sense to you. These guys are normal looking. They're charming. And not in a creepy way-I have a creepy radar! In a very unobtrusive, normal kind of way. Probably like your boyfriend or spouse was once charming. And their plan is to flirt with a girl who has low self-esteem (what teenage girl doesn't?!) and get them thinking, "Wow, he's really sweet. He's interested in me. I could see him as my boyfriend." Their relationship starts out like any other relationship. Then out of the blue-he picks her up for a date. Drives her away from her familiar environment, beats her nearly to death and the rest is the game. They take away her human nature through acts of sex. He begins "grooming" her and scares or convinces her that her only choice is prostitution because now he knows her family. If she refuses he'll kill them. THAT'S why they don't leave folks. They either can't because her pimp will kill her or she's been with him for so long that she finally believes the lies.
After watching some of these videos with girls telling their stories and how "normal" and actually quite charming the pimps are, some women are wiping tears. I look around and think, "This is exactly why they have this training BEFORE you work with these girls." You see, in an industry this hardcore, you can't react, you can't judge, you must be stable. I think it's ok to feel intense pain for these girls. I think it's ok to help because you have the strongest desire to see them changed, to see them healed. Those two reasons kept us sitting in that room. But if you react to what they're saying, if you judge them with "religious talk," even if you're too soft, those girls will manipulate you, shut down or worse, run back to their pimp. You have to know how to deal with kids. You have to know that they're lashing out as a direct result of their abuse. And you have to know that they're kids trapped in an nasty adult industry, so they will not trust you.
My reaction to all of this? It wasn't tears, it wasn't shock. I felt more mentally prepared than I ever have. I'm excited. I'm invigorated. I'm ready to do this because I know I have the ability to be what those girls need: a non-judgmental woman, with boundaries, with no shock on my face, able to acclimate to the environment and prove trusting me is safe. Underneath all that is a heart filled with compassion to see these girls' lives restored. I desire their restoration-I just can't tell them that right away. I have to prove it by winning their trust.
I'm ready Lord, send me into battle.
