Marissa Harshman’s Jan. 5 story, “Foot massage under suspicion: Parlor closes after neighbors allege prostitution,” was an excellent example of responsible journalism that helped shine a light on a growing threat to local livability: the risk of human sex trafficking masquerading as legitimate, licensed massage.
With Oregon’s more restrictive laws taking effect this month, these parlors are likely to start proliferating in Clark County cities unless our elected officials and government staff stop ignoring the problem.
An easy Internet search reveals that many U.S. cities and counties are tackling the issue by passing stricter local zoning ordinances.
I urge Clark County government officials and its city councils to make this critical issue a top priority for 2014. If it is ignored, our communities may become ground zero for the entire area’s organized prostitution rings to hide, unchallenged, in plain sight.
