➤ POLANCO LAWSUIT, from p.8
The settlement follows a slew of updates to
the case that frustrated Polanco’s family and
advocates over the summer: Bronx District Attorney
Darcel Clark fi rst announced that the
offi cers tasked with monitoring Polanco would
not be charged, and then she deadnamed Polanco
in a press release about that probe, adding
insult to injury.
Yet, a sobering report published by the Board
of Correction on June 23 blasted correction offi
cials for their treatment of Polanco. The board
outlined the ways in which offi cials made an
aggressive push to place Polanco in “segregation”
against the recommendations of mental
healthcare providers and indicated that there
was “increased pressure” to place her in “restrictive
housing,” which is a form of solitary
confi nement.
That report led Mayor Bill de Blasio to announce
that 17 correction offi cers would be
punished for their role in Polanco’s case —
through suspensions, not loss of their jobs. He
also unveiled a plan to gradually end the practice
of solitary confi nement in New York City.
The report prompted prominent elected offi
➤ DE BLASIO & DECRIM, from p.8
When Gay City News asked the
mayor’s press offi ce for clarifi cation,
a spokesperson only pointed
back to the mayor’s original comments.
The lack of clarity on his stance
comes at a time when sex work
decriminalization advocates have
continued to warn against confl ating
consensual sex work with traffi
cking. Advocates have stressed
that reducing criminalization will
allow sex workers to more safely
carry out their work and make it
easier to address traffi cking since
sex workers can feel more comfortable
reporting it without fear of legal
repercussions.
Nonetheless, the mayor did not
voice support for the comprehensive
decriminalization of sex work.
The mayor’s lack of specifi city
leaves many questions about his
position on sex work decriminalization,
but his views appear more
aligned with the Nordic Model,
which only calls for decriminalization
for sex workers, not buyers or
those who facilitate sex work.
The Nordic Model has been
blasted by numerous sex work
advocates who stress that the approach
provides barriers to their
work and still puts them at risk of
getting swept up in the criminal
FACEBOOK
Layleen Polanco died in restrictive housing in Rikers Island in 2019..
cials, including Congressmember Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez of the Bronx and Queens
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts,
to speak out against solitary confi nement and
cash bail.
AVP, which has provided support to Polanco’s
family in the aftermath of her death, is calling
for the passing of the HALT Solitary Confi nement
Act, the repeal of the Walking While Trans
Ban, and the fi ring of offi cers involved. The organization
also wants to see the creation of a
justice system because their clients
or associates would still be targeted
by law enforcement. Those who
assist sex workers with their work
run the risk of getting penalized
for something as simple as driving
a sex worker to an appointment or
opening up space in their homes or
in buildings they own for workers.
Furthermore, sex workers often
get pushed underground while law
enforcement offi cers continue to
criminalize parts of the sex trade,
even when authorities are not directly
pursuing sex workers. Federal
laws like FOSTA/ SESTA,
which prompted the shuttering of
several online platforms because
that statute holds sites liable for
the behavior of individuals using
their pages, have also contributed
to the vulnerability of sex workers
who have lost safer online spaces
to screen clients.
Brooklyn Defender Services,
an organization of public defenders,
expressed hope that de Blasio
follows through on his comments
about ending arrests of sex workers,
but noted that “we must dispel
the other myths that NYPD focuses
on traffi ckers, which is belied by
arrest data, and that criminalization
keeps people safe.”
The group went on to say that
“real change” would only occur
database detailing misconduct records against
correction offi cers.
The case has further drawn attention to the
movements to comprehensively decriminalize
sex work and end cash bail because Polanco
was being held in part for missing court dates
following a sex work-related arrest. She was unable
to afford the $500 bail.
Make the Road New York and TS Candii,
the lead organizer of the Repeal the Walking
While Trans Ban coalition, responded to the
settlement by calling on the State Legislature
to repeal the loitering law that has been used to
discriminate against trans women of color and
sex workers. The advocates also called on the
City Council to schedule a hearing on a resolution
in support of the repeal bill in the State
Legislature.
“Say her name! Layleen Polanco,” TS Candii
said in a written statement. “We continue to be
criminalized simply for being who we are and
needing to survive. We continue to suffer the
damages of arrests for dressing sexy, and for
just wanting to exist in the world. If New York
City cares about Black trans lives, if #Black-
TransLivesMatter, then we need more murals
and settlements.”
when sex work is fully decriminalized
and the NYPD’s Vice Squad,
which has drawn signifi cant criticism
for aggressive policing of sex
workers, is fully disbanded.
“The mayor apparently supports
the Nordic Model, which decriminalizes
the sale of sexual services
while continuing to criminalize
the promotion and purchase of
services,” Brooklyn Defenders said
in a written statement. “However,
our experience shows law enforcement’s
distinction between people
who engage in sex work and people
who organize and profi t from — or
‘promote’ — it is a false binary, as
the same people are arrested for either
charge. The people who organize
sex work are often sex workers.
Moreover, the Nordic Model
stigmatizes and criminalizes many
parts of the sex work industry and
continues to put people who engage
in sex work at grave risk.”
De Blasio’s comments come in
the midst of a state legislative push
to repeal a loitering law that disproportionately
targets transgender
women of color for wearing certain
clothing or walking down the
street. The bill, sponsored in the
upper house by out gay State Senator
Brad Hoylman of Manhattan
and in the Assembly by Amy Paulin
of Westchester, has continued
to gain co-sponsors over the summer
— even among Republicans.
In 2017, de Blasio spoke out
against any sort of decriminalization,
telling reporters that he was
“not there for a variety of reasons,”
even as he acknowledged that “it’s
been something of a profound challenge
that has not been solved with
traditional policing.”
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