Philadelphia, where women are prostitutes and Mummers are innocent

CITY COPS last night found naked and barely clothed women, some participating in sex acts, inside a popular Mummers club in South Philadelphia, police said. Eleven people were arrested on prostitution charges.

The raid at the Downtowners Fancy Brigade clubhouse, at 2nd Street and Snyder Avenue, began about 7:30 p.m. and police were still on the scene after midnight.

Deputy Police Commissioner William Blackburn said that 10 women were charged with solicitation to prostitution, one man was charged with promoting prostitution and two other men were charged with liquor violations.

via philly.com

The math here doesn't work for me: 11 arrests, 10 of them women. The women charged with committing undefined "sex acts" that rise to the level of prostitution. They're at a popular club where—according to the story—they are solicited for sex "every second Tuesday of the month between 7 pm and 11 pm." But only one man is charged with "promoting prostitution?"

That sounds like pimping to me, though it's tough to say from the article. But: Where are the johns?

Why aren't any men charged with illegally soliciting sex?

It's unlikely the women were there because, hey, they wanted to offer themselves up every second Tuesday of the month just because. With that kind of schedule, there had to be a clientele. Either we're getting incomplete information from the newspaper, or something here stinks to high heaven.

Comments

Notorious Ph.D. said…
Joel: what's a "Mummer"? I can only think of actors in the Elizabethan age, but I assume that it means something else in this context?
October 12, 2011 at 10:20 AM
Joel said…
Long story. But basically a bunch of guys get REALLY dressed up on Jan. 1 and march up Broad Street, looking ridiculous and making music. It's kind of controversial, from race and homophobia standpoints.

Your primer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummers_Parade
October 12, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Anonymous said…
Are you really surprised that they arrested no men? Do you live in Philadelphia? You mentioned racism and homophobia so you know how backward we are here. I work for the city so I know what the addeetood towards women is.
There is very likely more to the story and there are lots of potential angles. That Mummers competition on New Years Day is FIERCE so putting a successful fancy brigade out of commission might help another club? Maybe more will come to light...
October 13, 2011 at 11:06 PM
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