“Republican Convention Party Entertainment – Hostesses wanted,” reads the headline of one “erotic services” ad from the Minneapolis area on Craig’s List, the popular classified-ad Web site.
In the advertisement, the unnamed outfit said it was looking for “fun, outgoing” women to help entertain “High-end clients” during the convention, expected to bring tens of thousands of delegates, reporters, lobbyists and volunteers to the Twin Cities in two weeks.
The company did not respond to an emailed request for an interview. A recorded message for the phone number listed in the ad did not allow a message to be left.
In Denver, where the Democrats will hold their convention next week, a Craig’s List “erotic services” ad titled “DNC Delight” beckoned, “Help me celebrate democracy,” and promised a tall, blue-eyed, dirty-blond “Rebecca” will come to a visitor’s room (“I only do outcalls to hotels”).
In a second ad, “Rebecca” explained that she was offering a special convention rate of $350 for two hours – but to qualify, clients must “provide proof of dem. Membership.”
Speaking by phone Thursday, “Rebecca” declined to give her real name and denied she performed sex acts for money. She confirmed that responses to her online ads had increased in the days leading up to next week’s convention.
“We know it’s going to rise,” said Vednita Carter of Breaking Free, a Denver-based nonprofit which helps women and girls involved in prostitution and sex trafficking. “That’s what we’ve been hearing from women who are involved in that life.”
In Denver, Breaking Free’s Carter said her group is concerned that the boom in sex business they are expecting will bring harm to underaged girls who have been coerced or forced to sell sexual services.
“There’s going to be younger girls who are going to be involved in it,” she said. “I think there might be some [physical] harm that might come. Usually the young girls have pimps. I think they’re going to be real hard-core on them during the convention” by “demanding higher quotas,” Carter explained.
Democrats in particular should consider themselves warned: prostitution in Denver has caused great woes for some men. Earlier this year, the IRS and the Denver police revealed they had linked Chief Federal Judge Edward Nottingham to a prostitution service. Nottingham has declined to comment and remains on the bench while the investigation continues.
ABC News
8/22/8
Magnolia Tribune
