Sex worker advocates demand SFPD shut down unit focused on street prostitution
A new unit that San Francisco police created to curb prostitution and other street crimes in the Mission District is facing opposition from advocates concerned that the effort is driving sex workers into harm’s way.
Mission Police Station Capt. Gaetano Caltagirone formed the Crime Abatement Unit in August to fight crimes including street prostitution and auto burglaries in response to numerous complaints from neighbors, according to police.
Police spokesperson Sgt. Michael Andraychak said the unit, which is also known as the Sex Workers Abatement Unit, is focused on arresting pimps and johns while offering services and aid to sex workers on the streets.
But advocates who rallied outside Mission Police Station on Monday said the effort has resulted in an uptick in the number of sex workers who have been arrested in the Mission.
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