Legalize Prostitution?
If Robert Pickton’s victims were involved in a legalized profession many of these women would still be alive today. The mere fact that the victims were castigated, outsiders, marginalized, allowed Pickton to kill at will — because no one cared.
The voluminous-ness of the crimes, the sheer amount of his victims, is what led to Pickton’s serial killing demise. It took that amount of street workers to die in order for the authorities to finally pay attention and get him.
Escort services already run rampant in every major Canadian city. The phone book companies, daily, profit from the avails of prostitution. What we are really talking about here when it comes to prostitution is a street presence.
According to investigative journalist Stevie Cameron, whose book, The Pickton Trial, chronicled the trial’s early going, and her upcoming book, The Pig Farm, to be released in a year-and-a-half, and that deals with the entire tragedy, said that many jurors do not know many of the facts about the case that we do. Pickton’s defense did a superb job. The second-degree murder conviction on six counts resulted from the issue of other people’s access to his farm and some measure of reasonable doubt.
Pickton did do it. He even confessed at one point.
The trial has cost the tax-payers an unbelievable amount. It will cost us $100,000 per year to imprison Robert Pickton – and he will never get out. No parole for him.
What about the 20 other charges? The 20 other women whom he killed? Will they get their day in court? Not likely. He is already going away for good.
Is this justice?
How can there be justice when our culture has already written these women off, just like the serial killer, as being sub-human. Not worthy of our pity or of police protection.
Just another missing prostitute on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside:
“Maybe she went home….I heard she went back to her family and her kid. Did you see her lately? Have you seen her? It is not like her to leave like that without saying goodbye. I hope she’s okay. Is she sober? I heard she kinda straightened out and went back to Steve. Have you seen her? She left her favorite sweater at my place. I hope she’s okay”….
December 10th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
I fully agree with the opinion that this debacle went on way too long because not enough people knew and/or cared about these women. We all know that if they had been from a more socially known and accepted environment, that circumstances might well have been very different as regards the trial, the outcome, the duration of events, and other facts too numerous to name.
As far as the prostitution issue, let’s get off the pot and legalize it. It has been around since before our time and it will be around long after we are gone from this earth. There are worse things out there today that we should be focused on such as school violence, greedy politicians, tax evaders, drunk drivers, child molesters, homeless people, and I know everyone out there can add to this list.
Justice? That is just another word that steadily loses its credibility.
I also will not be purchasing nor reading the books mentioned.
In conclusion, for the remaining 20 women and so many other unknowns out there, the Christmas tree adorned with angels will be in my mind forever. A sad tribute to their lives, but one that was simple yet eloquent. It spoke volumes without saying a word. Much better than the books, the tree symbolizes what we should be thinking and caring about.
February 1st, 2008 at 9:17 am
why is it the worlds oldest “profession” is not legal. at least if it were those women in particular might be alive today. i know that is this a extremely sensitive issue but hey some of these women actually choose this lifestyle for the money. not because they are forced into it. there are hard stories in everyone’s life but if they regulate it and send them to doctors for regular check ups and so forth then maybe it would be a bit more safer and things like this won’t occur as often.
people have got to get out of the closed mind state that we all live in and let individuals pick what they want to do
so yes legalize it, tax it, regulate it make them pay for a license to become one i don’t care but let’s just put and end to the debate once and for all.