Backpage has been an issue for a little while now. The site, a Craiglist-a-like that ran a lot of ads for escort services and prostitution, has been featured in a few high-profile stings here in Washington State.
Welp.
Related:
From the perspective of the Backpage people, the second link helps to ameliorate the first link, doesn’t it?
In any case, like Big Daddy Kane once lectured, pimpin’ ain’t easy. I’ve also heard that it is hard out here for a pimp.
That first link is old. Those charges were dropped. New ones have been filed, according to this WaPo article, but as far as I know the arrest stuff went away for now.
The reason is this popping up all over the Internet today isn’t the lawsuits, though, it’s that BP shut down the adult services section on their site. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing today probably had something to do with it, too.
Conspiracy to Commit Pimping sounds more like an album title than a criminal charge.
Not sure about other cities but in St. Louis Backpage is found on our weekly alternative paper, the Riverfront Times.
I have noticed over the past year that the RFT has shrunk dramatically in size from its heyday. No big surprise as print is struggling due to declining ad revenue. Now they will be without that Backpage revenue too. Going to make it that much tougher for them.
I like the RFT. They do some good longform journalism from time-to-time. I hope they survive.