Commercialized Prostitution in New York CityKneeland, George J. (George Jackson)
History
Commercialized Prostitution in New York City
Kneeland, George J. (George Jackson)
Prostitution -- New York (State) -- New York
Of all these thoroughfares, Broadway is most freely utilized for
soliciting. During the nights of March 7, 11, 14, 19, 20, and 21, 1912, at
the hours of 8.30 P. M., 9 P. M., 10 P. M., 11 P. M., 11 to 12 P. M.,
11.30 P. M., 12 A. M., 12.15 A. M., 12.30 A. M., 12.45 A. M., and 1.55 A.
M., eighty-four street walkers were seen accosting men at different places
on Broadway from West 34th to West 65th Streets. This number does not take
into account prostitutes who were merely promenading or those who were
lurking in the shadows of the side streets. Reports of a similar character
could be given for the months of April, May, June, July, August,
September, and October, 1912, showing that solicitation on Broadway was
continuous.
Sixth Avenue is another favorite resort for street walkers. On September
17, 18, 23, 25, 26, and 28, 1912, at such hours as 4 P. M., 4.30 P. M.,
6.30 P. M., 7.15 P. M., and 8 to 9 P. M., fifty-five prostitutes were seen
soliciting men between West 24th and West 29th Streets. In most instances
the destination of these couples was hotels on two corners of West 28th
Street. The same general conditions as described regarding solicitation on
Broadway and Sixth Avenue exist in other sections of the city.[87]
(4) PUBLIC DANCE HALLS
No places of amusement are so filled with moral dangers to boys and girls
as certain public dance halls in New York City. A conviction to this
effect, long held, has been strengthened as a result of a thorough and
comprehensive investigation of 85 public dances given in 47 different
dance halls in Manhattan from January 24 to June 24, 1912. Ninety-six
reports were made of conditions in these dance halls by three
investigators, two young men and a young woman, who worked independently.
In some instances they reported on the same dance without knowing of the
presence of one another, thus removing all doubt regarding the facts as
presented. No special dances were selected for observation, the
investigators having been sent to those which were publicly advertised
from time to time.
Of 75 different dances reported between January 24 and June 24, only 5 are
characterized as decent; 11 were more or less objectionable, 59 wholly so.
At all but 3, intoxicating liquor was sold; at 61, minors were present; at
all but 2, the investigator concluded that the attendance was largely
disreputable.
A woman investigator reported 31 dances, at 22 of which she was solicited
by 53 men; men investigators, reporting 80 dances, were solicited 47 times
by 43 different women.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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