The hot political rumor at city hall this week has Commissioner Dan Saltzman readying a resolution that would resurrect the controversial Prostitution Free Zones around 82nd. One source explained that “Dan doesn’t like when people are mad at him,” and pressure from neighbors around 82nd was getting to be too much.
So what gives? Saltzman aide Matt Grumm says the commissioner “would be open” to reinstating the Prostitution Free Zones. He didn’t vote to get rid of them, after all–he was absent from council that day. “He’s consistently been for Prostitution Free Zones.”
But there’s no resolution currently in the works. Grumm says their staff has been straightforward with neighbors about Saltzman’s position, which could have led some to the mistaken belief that he was actively working to bring PFZs back. Among neighbors, “it’s probably finally getting out there that ‘we do have one member of the city council,'” Grumm explains.
The reality is, while Saltzman “would support their reenactment… he has not sensed anything from his colleagues that they’re on board with that.”
Meanwhile, 82nd’s neighbors have been trying to set up a meeting with Saltzman, perhaps to convince him to run with the idea anyway.
I have a conspiracy theory.
I believe that the PFZ should be re-instated to protect neighbors and families in and around 82nd Avenue. It’s obvious that crime has exploded in the area since the PFZ has disappeared. Dirty needles and used condoms are now commonplace. Parks have to be swept before baseball games. Neighbors have witnessed sex acts right in front of their homes. The livability of neighborhoods along 82nd Ave. is being challenged.
Reinstating the PFZ would help reduce the crime of prostitution along 82nd Ave. Women, children and families deserve to be safe.