Talk:The Block (Baltimore)

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Jfruh wrote, "before you go around accusing people of illegal acts, maybe you should cite some sources." Thanks for the reminder about sources.

Here are websites I found that can serve as verifiable sources for wikipedia that strip clubs on The Block are fronts for prostitution.

USASexGuide.Info Discussion Board, Baltimore Strip Club section, date range 02/19/06 - 03/18/06 There are several first hand accounts on this discussion board page describing the activities at The Block. WARNING: the language on this page is explicit.

Baltimore City Paper, 01/21/2004, "Third Eye", Afefe Tyehimba "And while I don't drive around the Block after dark, I've made my share of cryptic jokes about flagrant prostitution taking place right under His Honor's nose--mainly because, like Inner Harbor traffic and police chiefs, it's one of those things you love to hate about this town."

"Liquor board to focus on The Block" baltimoresun.com: September 16, 2005, Lynn Anderson 'We are starting (enforcement inspections) with The Block because in the past that has been an area of prostitution and drug activity,' Fosler said"

Baltimore City Paper, "What's Around the Block", 2/2/2000, Van Smith "The Club Pussycat ran into trouble in 1996, when a 17-year-old dancer working there solicited a police officer for prostitution." "sex-related violations at clubs in the Gayety Building are too numerous to summarize"

Baltimore City Paper, "Around the Block", 2/2/2000, Van Smith "in July 1998, the 408 Club was cited by the liquor board for employing two 16-year-old Baltimore County high-school students as dancers and using three rooms above the bar for prostitution."

Regards, Goldbond71 04:24, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

While these sources indicate that the sex trade does go on down at the block (hardly a surprise), they don't necessarily justify the statement that the strip clubs are "little more than fronts for prostitution." That sentence implies that they are essentially brothels; they're strip clubs where you sometimes you can pay for sex. --Jfruh (talk) 14:25, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

I appreciate your comments. However, they are brothels... and they are also strip clubs. I believe the "front" description is accurate and I feel like removing it would be sugarcoating the article. Prostitution is part of their business model. It is an intrinsic part of their business. It is organized. Goldbond71 17:25, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

Almost nothing of what was added meets the WP:NPOV policy, even if it is true. It also wasn't well founded in the articles (those references that were articles anyways) as it described one violation of soliciting to a cop and another was an opinion column claiming that private rooms meant the opportunity for the club to offer prostitution. Furthermore, there was nothing in the articles to suggest the claims of how the owners and girls might be splitting the money, nor is that relevant for this article detailing the Block (and not how to operate a prostitution ring in a bar/club). ju66l3r 17:10, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

Reporters/media in Baltimore are tight-lipped on prostitution activity at The Block. I suppose that the usasexguide.info posts are the best sources of information on this subject, but then that doesn't seem to meet Wikipedia standards for sources. If we have to maintain the fiction of a clean law-abiding Block, can we be consistent and remove this article from the Red Light District grouping? A red light district would be illegal in Baltimore. Any objections? (At least until some real journalist publishes an article saying otherwise...) Goldbond71 19:59, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd like to delete anything on this page that is not sourced. Any objections? Goldbond71 20:08, 31 December 2006 (UTC)