If this were any other street corner, she might look like a lost farm girl. But this is Ninth Street and Benton, and the woman with the golden tan doesn't want directions. She wants a date.
A forest-green Ford Explorer slows, and the driver nods at her. "What's up?" he asks.
She walks toward the car. "What's up with you?"
A gold cross dangles from a chain just above the black, zipper-front sports bra that she wears all the time. Her stomach edges over the waist of her tight jean shorts.
Holding a big plastic cup filled with ice, she opens the door and hops in.
Sitting shotgun in the Explorer, Darlene sets a price, collects the money and directs the driver around Kansas City's Northeast neighborhood to one of the spots where she'll do business until police get wind of it.
She should be back at Ninth and Benton in 15 or 30 minutes, but that's never guaranteed. Darlene knows that she could end up in an abandoned house or floating in the Missouri River.
Even with a shot of pepper spray in her pocket, she knows that the odds are against her.
She has been in the Northeast drug trade for 15 years as a user and a dealer and has been selling sex for seven. She's one of about a dozen streetwalkers working the Independence Avenue corridor almost every day. She has 50 or so regular johns — "associates," as she calls them.
Most patrol cops know her by sight, if not by her first name. Some neighbors call 911 whenever she walks past.
The Explorer stops back at Ninth and Benton, and Darlene gets out. Her brown, wavy hair is fixed into a ponytail that sits high on her head and makes her ears stick out. She has a gaptoothed smile, and the bridge of her nose is scarred from when a man bashed her with brass knuckles a few years ago.
She makes her way down Benton toward the 7-Eleven on Independence Avenue to refill on ice. Ten minutes later, a tan Chevy Tahoe creeps past, and the driver signals with his hand.
"What's up?" she asks.
Independence Avenue is known for its drugs and prostitutes. Over the past two years, though, neighbors have noticed things getting worse.
In 2007, the Kansas City Police Department made 341 prostitution-related arrests. This year, police are on pace to make 400 arrests, nearly a 20 percent increase from 2007.
Will Royster was tired of it.
"I watched people deal drugs out there. You can't avoid seeing the hooks," he says. "The worst thing about it was, initially, having to deal with it with my kids."
Royster is a former Navy and commercial pilot who shakes hands with a death grip. He's a direct descendant of his neighborhood's namesake Scarritt family and lives with his wife and preteen kids in the house that his great-grandfather built on Gladstone Boulevard.
He says he likes the fact that the neighborhood is an amalgam of cultures and classes. What he doesn't like is that first-generation immigrants see it as a place to land and then leave. And he hates the gangsters, dealers, addicts, pimps and streetwalkers. Or, as he puts it, "assholes who want to come in and steal our neighborhoods and steal our quality of life and intimidate us."
Early last year, Royster started talking to police, prosecutors, judges and politicians about a drug- and prostitution-fighting effort called Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution and Stay Out of Drug Areas. The proposal, which quickly became known by the acronyms SOAP and SODA, would make it illegal for convicted drug and prostitution offenders to be seen north of Independence Avenue in an area between Interstate 35/29 to the west and a to-be-determined spot to the east. If enacted, it would initially cover the Scarritt Point, Pendleton Heights and Indian Mound neighborhoods — some of the city's busiest spots for sex traffic.
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This article is very old so I don't know if you will even see this. I am a new to northeast kansas city. And all I can see is that I have developed a love hate relationship with this neighborhood in the six months that I have lived here.
I am a single mother of three and I have spent the last 8 years struggling to earn a college degree taking classes when I can afford to. I recently fell on difficult times so when a good friend offered to rent me rooms in his house for what I consider to be cheap I jumped at the chance. I had heard stories about northeast of course, but really thought the stories had been exagerrated. And saw moving here as an opportunity to save money and get through college faster.
I soon discovered that my roommate/landlord is only home about 1 day in 30 leaving me on my own here the rest of the time. I work from home as well as homeschool so I pretty much keep to myself. Things were all right at first, once I got used to the never ending sirens and arguments between prostitutes and their johns outside as i live very close to the avenue. But a few months ago I blew a head gasket on my vehicle that was already on its last legs. So now I walk most places that I go. That was when the trouble really started and I found things about this neighborhood that I love and things that scare me to death.
Once I began walking places I drew attention to myself. In any other neighborhood during a heatwave I could walk to the nearest fountain park with my children wearing shorts and a bathing suit top and the worst that might happen is that I get honked and whistled at by an obnoxious teenager. Here, people will immediately think that I am a prostitute. (unfortunately I say this from experience.)
Recenty a man that lives very close to my house, walked in to my house uninvited and without my permission because I had left my back door open with my screen shut trying to cool down my back room while i used the bathroom. I returned to find the man standing in my house. he walked into my bedroom and lit a joint before I could even get out the words to ask what he was doing. he proceeded to offer me money and drugs for sex and persisted, asking me repeatedly to have sex with him. And offering more money and drugs everytime i said no. during all of this the man was between me and my shoulder bag containing my cell phone and my knife. Terrified does not begin to cover how I was feeling. He told me he knew how the game was played and had seen "beautiful women with kids" who walked places to get attention then meet up with men later at their own homes when their children were asleep.
He persisted even after I told him he was out of line and that as a perfect stranger walking into my house and offering to pay me for sex he was coming across as very creepy. I eventually convinced him (dont ask me how) that I dont do that sort of thing with people I dont know. (obviously i dont do that at all but there was no convincing him that i was not a prostitute) After that he just assumed that I would cooperate after he came to visit me more and I got to know him. I realize now that he assumed that because of street walkers like darlene's rules of only going with regular johns that they know.
Then he left and managed to grope me on his way out as I tried to side-step him, promising to come and see me soon. I've only left my house once since this happenned after covering all of my windows and calling my friends to have them take turns staying with me and bringing me everything from baseball bats to crowbars to defend myself if this man comes back when I am alone.
I feel terrible for every prostitute that I see since it is impossible for me to not feel pity when I see a train wreck in progress. Yet I also hold hatred in my heart for them as well since they attract a criminal element that could very well have gotten me killed. every fiber in my being told me to not let this man get mad at me or he would hurt me and take what he wanted. and I'm not out of the woods yet since i still live here.
Part of me wants to stay in this neighborhood of beautiful homes sprinkled in amongst drug houses. and make my home amongst the hardworking people whose families have lived here for generations. but honestly I am too afraid of what will happen to me and my kids here. so I am working hard to get out as soon as I can. maybe I will return someday when I am better off and can afford to live away from the avenue at the very least. and have a working car so I no longer have to walk and afford things like alarm systems and have a cabinet full of guns.
I'm sorry this was such a long post but this just recently happenned to me so I feel strongly about this. Prostitution in northeast is ruining this place for everyone. And completely innocent people are being destroyed by this. I thank god I didn't end up a statistic.
Whispers in Basehor KS strip club promotes prostitution and organized crime by facilitating "entertainers" strippers who cannot keep their jobs unless they pay $70.00 per nite and $100.00 weekends to owner Wayne who does not pay taxes on income nor provides W-1099 tax for workers or pays unemployment insurance for workers required by Kansas law and if the "entertainer" stripper does not provide after hours prostitution cannot keep their job
thats one nasty hoe............i wouldnt touch that with charlie sheens weiner................id have to drink alot of tiger blood for that ho
WOW!! The women are the victims?Did they not choose that lifestyle?The drugs made them do it?Well maybe all the armed robbers,murderers and drug dealers are victims also....maybe you are just full of $%it
Ha Ha, score retributive received my last reminder (again), this case from the Agreement Awards Registry. The fact that they screw now been sending me these letters for the then year, without any response from me, power feature donated them a cue that I would not be taken in by their swindle - or perhaps they are not that reasoning? Sad people.
=================
Robert
used caravans
Ha Ha, score retributive received my last reminder (again), this case from the Agreement Awards Registry. The fact that they screw now been sending me these letters for the then year, without any response from me, power feature donated them a cue that I would not be taken in by their swindle - or perhaps they are not that reasoning? Sad people. ================= Robert used caravans
I find it odd that a well known prostitute was the cover story anyhow, certainly more is happening, but as you continue a tabloid path I assume it makes great sense, get your person of interest, throw in some savage love then of course give validation to 'adult services" - how could you question this persons life when your magazine seems to encourage vibrant discussions of sexual over time, then provide the opportunity to get the numbers to find these women? interesting..were you mad she didnt advertise her services with you? then again, I am just not qualified for ideas, I'll leave that for you
I find it odd that a well known prostitute was the cover story anyhow, certainly more is happening, but as you continue a tabloid path I assume it makes great sense, get your person of interest, throw in some savage love then of course give validation to 'adult services" - how could you question this persons life when your magazine seems to encourage vibrant discussions of sexual over time, then provide the opportunity to get the numbers to find these women? interesting..were you mad she didnt advertise her services with you? then again, I am just not qualified for ideas, I'll leave that for you
We are buying a home right here in Historic Northeast -- and I think there is room to have compassion on the street people, as well as concern for our children and families. It's important to always remember that prostitutes and drug users/dealers are part of the human family too.
I don't "deserve" the wonderful life and family I have. They are a gift from God -- a gift like the air that I breathe. It hurts me to hear people being so dismissive of those they don't see as "deserving" -- those they think should be stuffed in a trash can and not given medical help when they need it.
Yet I hear the hurt in the people who are being so condemning. And I don't know what to tell my 9-year-old daughter when she asks me when I'll let her walk around the neighborhood by herself.
We are out and about a lot, and love our beautiful, old and diverse neighborhood -- but we also live right off Independence Avenue and often get unwanted glimpses of people living desparate lives.
A woman came to use our phone once. I mistakenly thought she was helping remodel the home across the street, and was calling the owner because he hadn't shown up to let her in (she had said something about a man not showing up at the time when he said he would).
She didn't want to come in because she was smoking, so I gave her a water bottle because it was so hot, and she used the phone and waited for the man outside. I later noticed her out on the Avenue, and realized she wasn't a remodeler and must have been using our phone to call her johns. My husband said not to let strangers use the phone anymore.
The next time she asked I told her I'm sorry I can't. She's still friendly whenever we meet. Our new neighbor was upset that right after they moved in, they looked out to see this strange car parked in front of their house. It looked empty, then this very same woman sat up, she was with a man, and he drove off when they saw my neighbors watching.
Another time she was in a car in front of our house, and my husband went out and just looked and they drove off. I'm excited about the ways the Catholic Worker homes here, Cherith Brook and Holy Family House, as well as Salvation Army and other ministries I'm sure, are reaching out to adopt these broken lives.
I'm hoping to get more involved through Cherith Brook. I want to get more plugged into the community, to create an extended family for myself and my family -- as well as to be a part of the solution to our neighborhood's problems. I agree with the police officials who say we need to get at the root of the problems, rather than just trying to slap on the handcuffs and lock people up.
We are buying a home right here in Historic Northeast -- and I think there is room to have compassion on the street people, as well as concern for our children and families. It's important to always remember that prostitutes and drug users/dealers are part of the human family too. I don't "deserve" the wonderful life and family I have. They are a gift from God -- a gift like the air that I breathe. It hurts me to hear people being so dismissive of those they don't see as "deserving" -- those they think should be stuffed in a trash can and not given medical help when they need it. Yet I hear the hurt in the people who are being so condemning. And I don't know what to tell my 9-year-old daughter when she asks me when I'll let her walk around the neighborhood by herself. We are out and about a lot, and love our beautiful, old and diverse neighborhood -- but we also live right off Independence Avenue and often get unwanted glimpses of people living desparate lives. A woman came to use our phone once. I mistakenly thought she was helping remodel the home across the street, and was calling the owner because he hadn't shown up to let her in (she had said something about a man not showing up at the time when he said he would). She didn't want to come in because she was smoking, so I gave her a water bottle because it was so hot, and she used the phone and waited for the man outside. I later noticed her out on the Avenue, and realized she wasn't a remodeler and must have been using our phone to call her johns. My husband said not to let strangers use the phone anymore. The next time she asked I told her I'm sorry I can't. She's still friendly whenever we meet. Our new neighbor was upset that right after they moved in, they looked out to see this strange car parked in front of their house. It looked empty, then this very same woman sat up, she was with a man, and he drove off when they saw my neighbors watching. Another time she was in a car in front of our house, and my husband went out and just looked and they drove off. I'm excited about the ways the Catholic Worker homes here, Cherith Brook and Holy Family House, as well as Salvation Army and other ministries I'm sure, are reaching out to adopt these broken lives. I'm hoping to get more involved through Cherith Brook. I want to get more plugged into the community, to create an extended family for myself and my family -- as well as to be a part of the solution to our neighborhood's problems. I agree with the police officials who say we need to get at the root of the problems, rather than just trying to slap on the handcuffs and lock people up.
You people are un frecking belivable, you really are. I think you all should just stop while your ahead. Why are you trying to make her some sort of celeberity. I would think with all the phone calls, all the people who are upset about you running this story that you would end. Or maybe it is the other way around? Seriously get this crap off of here. I know there are better things and people who are DOING GOOD things that can be published in your paper.
Why is it that you all can't find something like that to report? You all are just .. well there really is no words to describe you, or what you report on.
I hope someone finds this story and she and all the rest get caught and put in jail.
Anwer me this.. why should ANYONE feel sorry for Darlene? I don't and I am her sister,I damn well know that the rest of the family don't feel sorry for her either. I really doubt that some perfect stranger would. SHE CHOOSES THIS LIFE STYLE.I can't help but sit here and laugh knowning that cops, judges, attonerys and others in the position are reading this story. Shes gonna get caught and thrown in prison will she will hopefully rot.
You people are un frecking belivable, you really are. I think you all should just stop while your ahead. Why are you trying to make her some sort of celeberity. I would think with all the phone calls, all the people who are upset about you running this story that you would end. Or maybe it is the other way around? Seriously get this crap off of here. I know there are better things and people who are DOING GOOD things that can be published in your paper. Why is it that you all can't find something like that to report? You all are just .. well there really is no words to describe you, or what you report on. I hope someone finds this story and she and all the rest get caught and put in jail. Anwer me this.. why should ANYONE feel sorry for Darlene? I don't and I am her sister,I damn well know that the rest of the family don't feel sorry for her either. I really doubt that some perfect stranger would. SHE CHOOSES THIS LIFE STYLE.I can't help but sit here and laugh knowning that cops, judges, attonerys and others in the position are reading this story. Shes gonna get caught and thrown in prison will she will hopefully rot.
Darlene has always been worpped. Our brothers and other sisters have try to help her out. The main point is ... SHE DOESN'T WANT THE HELP. She likes the life she is living. I could see if she was being made to do this , but that isn't the fact. Fact is she likes what little money she makes for her crack. I have no feelings for the bad things that has happen to her, point is she deserves it. She chooses this life, she chooses the way of the wrong and though I am not perfect, I never let my life from childhood ruin what I am today or what I will become tomorrow. She had made her choice and there is nothing you or I can do to change her,because she doesn't want to change.To those from the pitch I am not looking for her , nor do I ever want anything to do with her. She is dead to me.
Darlene has always been worpped. Our brothers and other sisters have try to help her out. The main point is ... SHE DOESN'T WANT THE HELP. She likes the life she is living. I could see if she was being made to do this , but that isn't the fact. Fact is she likes what little money she makes for her crack. I have no feelings for the bad things that has happen to her, point is she deserves it. She chooses this life, she chooses the way of the wrong and though I am not perfect, I never let my life from childhood ruin what I am today or what I will become tomorrow. She had made her choice and there is nothing you or I can do to change her,because she doesn't want to change.To those from the pitch I am not looking for her , nor do I ever want anything to do with her. She is dead to me.
It's a frightening prospect that we would give The Government the authority to charge someone with a felony for simply walking on the sidewalk, but I was persuaded to support SOAP and SODA because when you commit a crime, you sacrifice some of your freedoms... maybe you go to prison, spend the night in jail, or are ordered to house arrest.
With drugs and prostitution, offenders are so often back on the streets the same day that they are released from jail. There needs to be a better way to get these people off of the streets and find them help.
Darlene admitted that when she was in jail that she was able to get clean for nine months. The Pitch posted another story about Amy who cleaned her life up in prison. I'll accept the premise that prostitutes are victims, but to whine about how many johns get arrested misses the point. These women are safer off the streets, and they can get help in prison. SOAP and SODA will help accomplish this.
My heart goes out to Patti because it must be hard for her to read Darlene's warped version of reality printed as though it's a fact, in an effort to create sympathy for her sister who has, no doubt, rejected Patti's numerous attempts to help her and her children.
It's a frightening prospect that we would give The Government the authority to charge someone with a felony for simply walking on the sidewalk, but I was persuaded to support SOAP and SODA because when you commit a crime, you sacrifice some of your freedoms... maybe you go to prison, spend the night in jail, or are ordered to house arrest. With drugs and prostitution, offenders are so often back on the streets the same day that they are released from jail. There needs to be a better way to get these people off of the streets and find them help. Darlene admitted that when she was in jail that she was able to get clean for nine months. The Pitch posted another story about Amy who cleaned her life up in prison. I'll accept the premise that prostitutes are victims, but to whine about how many johns get arrested misses the point. These women are safer off the streets, and they can get help in prison. SOAP and SODA will help accomplish this. My heart goes out to Patti because it must be hard for her to read Darlene's warped version of reality printed as though it's a fact, in an effort to create sympathy for her sister who has, no doubt, rejected Patti's numerous attempts to help her and her children.
I heard a recent description of such folks. "Human debris" That is all that she is. I can write an article about a mass murdering rapist that taps deeply into their failings as a human; the pain and suffering they endured; the difficult and sometimes heartfelt decisions they make day by day. By the end of it, I'll have you wiping a tear away.
How touching.
Help offered and refused. While I regret her choices, and would wish for better ones, she is fully aware of the consequences, and these choices are hers. It is that whole "personal accountability" thing. She gets what she deserves. She should be run out of town. She will be eventually beaten again, robbed again, raped again, and probably murdered. And I will regret that. And I wont feel sorry for her a bit.
Patti, what I saw was that the kid's were with the person who dropped the stuff off, and when the homeowner asked if they wanted to wait for her as he thought she'd be back soon, they said no thanks and walked out.
I heard a recent description of such folks. "Human debris" That is all that she is. I can write an article about a mass murdering rapist that taps deeply into their failings as a human; the pain and suffering they endured; the difficult and sometimes heartfelt decisions they make day by day. By the end of it, I'll have you wiping a tear away. How touching. Help offered and refused. While I regret her choices, and would wish for better ones, she is fully aware of the consequences, and these choices are hers. It is that whole "personal accountability" thing. She gets what she deserves. She should be run out of town. She will be eventually beaten again, robbed again, raped again, and probably murdered. And I will regret that. And I wont feel sorry for her a bit.
Patti, what I saw was that the kid's were with the person who dropped the stuff off, and when the homeowner asked if they wanted to wait for her as he thought she'd be back soon, they said no thanks and walked out.
Carole, that lady that dropped off her stuff is only assticated with me by adoption. I don't claim her , talk with or to her and certainly have nothing to do with her in any way. She knew and has known what Darlene is about. Even her kids know and now they have a criminal record because they use to or do hang out with her once in a while.
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