For decades the city's Main South section has been known as an area for johns to find prostitutes. Worcester Police conduct stings, some concentrating more on the johns, and it appears to have made a difference, according to some people living in the neighborhood.
I can walk through the neighborhood easier. The year-old, who has worked at his family's business for decades, said now he sees a couple girls in the morning. It's a far cry from the 20 plus girls he used to see walking the streets years ago. The presence of prostitutes and sadly the drug dealing that usually follows can hurt businesses, Rivera said. Athena Haddon, a founding member of the Worcester Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, is seeing more and more women get help.
Worcester Police invite members of Haddon's group on prostitution stings in order to give the woman an option of entering a program or heading to jail. The progress we've made in the last two years is more than I've ever seen. As he played with his dog in University Park, known to many as Crystal Park, Billy Sullivan said he still sees the same faces in the area. The year-old Worcester man who has lived in the city his whole life, has walked through Main South over the years.
While he sees fewer women out on the streets, he believes stings just chase the issue temporarily into other areas. It's sad," Sullivan said, his dog curling up at his feet. A recovering alcoholic, Sullivan said he's seen prostitution in Worcester since the s.
Worcester Police statistics show 72 men and 49 women were arrested during prostitution stings in Officers have concentrated on removing the demand, but have to balance that with arresting the women who are still offering up the illegal sexual services. Worcester Police Captain Paul Saucier said his department has the funding to conduct one sting a month. Main South remains the area with the most activity, he said. Some people living in Main South believe the area is given a bad rap because of the prostitution stings.
