Alycia Martin

Tag Line from Pretty Woman 1990 "Who knew it was so much fun to be a hooker?"

2009-07-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy and the film centers on down-on-her-luck prostitute named Vivian Ward (Julia Robert) who is hired by a wealthy businessman, Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) to be his escort for several business functions, and their developing relationship. Originally titled "$3,000," that title was dropped along with the entire theme of the original screenplay.

Pretty Woman was initially intended to be a dark drama about prostitution in Los Angeles but was turned into a romantic comedy by the film's producers, Laura Ziskin and Gary Goldstein. The screenplay itself, is far from "cute" or funny, and a small portion is excerpted below. Goldstein, a former criminal defense lawyer from San Francisco, claimed in an interview that writer Jonathan Lawton had written a "romantic comedy" while living among the poor and dispossessed in the slums of Hollywood, California. A plain reading of the script indicates that it is not a romantic comedy, but an urban tragedy and is linked below. Goldstein, is glibly comfortable with this appealing lie since he has made millions of dollars as a result. Ziskin's and Goldstein's unholy creation was more appealing then reality and turned in a huge financial success for the moguls of Hollywood. It became one of 1990's highest grossing films, and today is one of the most financially successful entries in the romantic comedy genre, with an estimated gross of $464 million USD. No other Hollywood movie has glamorized prostitution more, and caused more damage to an entire generation of young women. Of course, Ziskin and Goldstein, would not want any of their daughters, nieces or granddaughters to be prostitutes, but they eagerly present and promote this way of life to your children throughout America. Ironically, not everybody jumped on the Ziskin/Goldstein mammon bandwagon.

It should be noted that Ferrari and Porsche, declined the product placement opportunity of the car Edward drove, because they did not want to be associated with soliciting prostitutes.

Actresses who declined the Ziskin/Goldstein Faustian choice of commercial and financial rewards based on social consciousness and an awareness of problems faced by prostituted persons on a day to day basis were many. Molly Ringwald, who turned it down because she felt uncomfortable with the content in the script, and did not like the idea of playing a prostitute. Meg Ryan, turned it down. Michelle Pfeiffer turned the role down as well, because she did not like the "tone" of the script and its glamorization of prostitution . Daryll Hannah turned the role down because she believed it was "degrading to women" and sent the wrong message to young women. Jennifer Jason Leigh had auditioned for the part, but later decided not to do the movie after she read the script. Other actresses considered for the role of Vivian were Heather Locklear, Jodie Foster, Tatum O'Neal, Bridget Fonda, Lori Loughlin, Diane Lane, Sarah Jessica Parker and Brooke Shields all declined to play the role of Vivian.

Undeterred, Producer Ziskin, after all the other actresses turned down the role due to concerns about the portrayal of prostitution, auditioned a relative unknown, Julia Roberts, who needed the work and was able to "win" the role. Now this movie would be made to show young women how "cute, funny and romantic" prostitution is; how classy and gentleman-like (and rich, caring and sensitive) the johns are; and how if you sell your body and your dignity on the streets, you too can meet Mr. Right and live happily ever after. It is all a lie.

Hollywood Fantasy
"Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream? Everybody comes here; this is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams come true, some don't; but keep on dreamin' - this is Hollywood. Always time to dream, so keep on dreamin'. " Quote from Happy Man, Pretty Woman 1990

Reality
Jessica "Baby Girl" Brackett from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was a prostituted person. It should be noted that there were two men arrested and they are facing first degree murder charges with the possible sentence of death by lethal injection.

PRETTY WOMAN - Excerpt from the Original Script Titled "$3,000" before Producers Laura Ziskin and Gary Goldstein turned it into a "Cinderella Story."

KIT
Vivian.
Vivian looks at her, annoyed.
VIVIAN
Kit, what are you doing?
KIT
Waiting for you. It's fucking cold out there.
VIVIAN
It's not going to be any warmer tomorrow night.
The Old Man waves at Vivian.
OLD MAN
Hi, Viv.
VIVIAN (quickly, without looking at him)
Hi.
(to Kit)
Let's get working. We've only got a couple hours before the street clears.
KIT
It's too cold. No one's out.
VIVIAN
They're out.
Kit coughs so loudly and deeply that it's obvious she has emphysema.
KIT
Let's get high.
Vivian grabs Kit by the shoulder and drags her toward the door.
VIVIAN
We're going to work. Come on.
EXT. HOLLYWOOD BLVD. - NIGHT
Vivian and Kit come out of the shop and onto the street. As they walk Kit wraps her arms tightly around her body to shield herself from the cold. She starts to cough again.
KIT
It's too cold. I'm gonna get sick.
VIVIAN
We've got to work. The rent's coming up. I'm not going to lose our place.
KIT
We'll make it up tomorrow. Let's get high.
VIVIAN
How much have you made tonight?
KIT
(hesitantly) Twenty.
Vivian is angry.
VIVIAN
One fucking date?
KIT
I haven't felt good.
VIVIAN
I'm going to fucking kick you out if you don't start holding up your end!
Kit's eyes water and she starts to sniffle.
VIVIAN
Don't cry on me. I'm not your mother. You promised to hold up your end or I wouldn't have let you move in.
Kit wipes her eyes.

For a full copy of the script click here

*********
Recently posted on IMDb::Boards: Pretty Woman (1990)

I hired an L.A. prostitute after watching this movie

by stony5000 (Sat Jun 27 2009 17:11:20)

Ignore this User | Report Abuse

I now have herpes.

Thanks a lot, "Hollywood".
This is your fault for misleading me.

The 'prostitution problem' is a demand problem by sociopathic Johns and their enabling wives.

2009-05-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

The 'prostitution problem' is a demand problem. The sociopath behavior of the johns, not the behavior of the prostituted person, vulnerable and victimized, is the true problem. The affluent, middle aged men, on their way home to the suburbs, driving their luxury automobiles, have all the choices (and control) in the world compared to the hapless young man or woman they "rent" and empty themselves into like some kind of human toilet.

Solve the 'john problem' through proper and just law enforcement, and you save lives and rescue young people from this modern incarnation of slavery. Not so surprisingly, providing real help to these young women (and men) results in the criminal activity actually being diminished. Can any sensible person really believe that a young woman or man wants to be in a hotel room on their knees, 'servicing' an aged dirty, fetid, obese, and disgusting, let alone 10-20 a day or whatever "quota" is set be the pimp or madame. Despite the Hollywood "Pretty Woman" fiction, given a choice, nearly 100% would choose to get out. Our society should actually help the hapless prostitute from being further trafficked and exploited; perhaps save some lives too. Unfortunately, misogynist attitudes such as in Troy, Michigan still pervade many police departments, City Halls and other arenas of so called "public trust."

An interesting article follows which flies in the face of those that argue that we should be more "like Europe" when it comes to prostitution. However, one might wonder if Michigan law enforcement officers in Troy Police Department don't enforce long established Michigan Statutes on the books, why would they be expected to enforce new or revised laws? Instead johns, in a sort of jocular "street justice," police on the scene decide; johns are released scot free, and the prostituted person is arrested and charged. Even more worrisome (and disgusting) is that the City of Troy Administration, Police Chief, and City Attorneys countenance such activities. Simply put, no one in Troy would stand up and admit to a mistake in policy. Meanwhile, no arrest warrant was/is sought against an identified "pimp" renting hotel rooms (actually using "reward" membership cards in renting the rooms) in the Troy City limits. What would make a person think that changing State Laws to punish solicitors could make any difference towards the discharge of their clear and codified duties as peace officers?

Fight prostitution by punishing the solicitors
By HELEEN MEES

Prostitution is virtually the only part of the personal services industry in the Netherlands that works. One can’t get a manicure in Amsterdam without booking an appointment two weeks in advance, but men can buy sex anytime — and at an attractive price. The legalization of prostitution in October 2000 merely codified a long-standing Dutch tradition of tolerance toward buying and selling sex. But is legalization the right approach?

Even in the Netherlands, women and girls who sell their bodies are routinely threatened, beaten, raped, and terrorized by pimps and customers. In a recent criminal trial, two German-Turkish brothers stood accused of forcing more than 100 women to work in Amsterdam’s red-light district (De Wallen). According to the attorney who represented one of the victims, most of these women come from families marred by incest, alcohol abuse and parental suicide. Or they come from countries in Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia and have fallen victim to human trafficking, lured by decent job offers or simply sold by their parents.

These women are Amsterdam’s leading tourist attraction (followed by the coffee shops that sell marijuana). But an estimated 50-90 percent of them are actually sex slaves, raped on a daily basis with police idly standing by. It is incomprehensible that their clients are not prosecuted for rape, but Dutch politicians argue that it cannot be established whether or not a prostitute works voluntarily.

Appalled by their daily routine, police officers from the Amsterdam vice squad have asked to be transferred to other departments. Only this year, the city administration has started to close down some brothels because of their ties to criminal organizations.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the average age of death of prostitutes is 34. In the United States, the rate at which prostitutes are killed in the workplace is 51 times that of the next most dangerous occupation for women, working in a liquor store. Other studies show that nine out of 10 prostitutes urgently want to escape the job. Almost half have attempted suicide at least once.

In 1999, the Swedish government decriminalized the sale of sex, but made it an offense to pimp or to buy sex. Under Sweden’s so-called Sex Purchase Law, paying for sex is punishable by fines or up to six months in prison, plus the humiliation of public exposure. According to the Swedish authorities, the number of prostitutes in Sweden has dropped 40 percent as a result. Human trafficking rings tend to avoid Sweden, because business has gone sour.

Norway, a country that has a reputation to lose when it comes to women’s rights, carefully compared the Swedish and Dutch models and concluded that Sweden’s was the one to follow. It has now changed its legislation accordingly.

Recent ABC Special Report Shows Complexity of the Prostitute and Pimp Relationship

2009-05-01T14:22:00.001-07:00

AN ALL TOO FAMILIAR AND COMMON STORY - YOUNG WOMEN ARE, DUE TO FAMILY AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES, CONVINCED THAT THEY ARE BEING "LOVED" BY THE PIMP, AND CALL HIM "DADDY."

"I Found a Little Nobility in the Act" and "This Case is Over"

2009-02-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

"When I ran away from slavery, it was for myself; when I advocated emancipation, it was for my people; but when I stood up for the rights of women, self was out of the question, and I found a little nobility in the act." Frederick Douglass. 1881

In the year of Lincoln's 200th Birth Anniversary, it is easy to overlook Frederick Douglass. I think every student should be required to read his autobiography, both for its literary content, composition, and moral imperatives. Douglass spent his life advocating for the dispossessed and marginalized; he is a giant and his writings effect people to this day.

Alycia's long road has finally forked away from the City of Troy on February 26, 2008. Alycia was jailed at the request of the City of Troy Probation Department, and I visited her on Friday, February 6, 2009. She was sitting all curled up and crying in the jail clinic holding cell with 4 other women. The first night in jail, she went into false labor, and the jail personnel had to take her to the hospital. She was dehydrated and needed a saline IV. Alycia was nauseated and vomiting. The jail deputy said they would notify the Judge. I have no further comment about the treatment of Alycia by any persons involved in her arrest, prosecution, sentencing or incarceration. Sufficed to say, she stood in jail until the conclusion of her 5 day jail sentence, which speaks for itself.

I don't know what Thomas Athans did the night of Friday, February 5, 2009, or any of the next four nights Alycia was in jail. "Dewayne Johnson" or whatever he calls himself probably moved a few young women around and collected his $3,000 to $4,000 dollars a night. The Detectives, the Court staff, the Troy Probation officer involved, all the City Attorneys and staff were probably at home with their families. I do know what Alycia was doing. Alycia spent her night on a plastic bench in the Oakland County Jail crying and vomiting. What exactly was she guilty of? By accident of birth in a lower income strata of society Alycia is simply treated differently. Alycia is guilty of being poorer than Thomas Athans. I have been told that when Alycia as a small child would sing at County competitions and fairs in Massachusetts. Her sister says she was unbelievably talented singer.

Alycia also wrote poetry and had a book of poems she had collected since childhood. That book, along with all her clothing, identification and family photographs, was taken from her by the pimp and she never saw it again. My wife and I are going to buy her another book so she can start writing poetry again.

The Oakland County Sheriff released her at 12:30 PM, and my wife, Julianne and I drove the "circuit" (Macomb Township to Pontiac to Detroit to Macomb Township) probably for the last time. We got back to our house at 2:50 AM. We had brought the baby shower gifts to Alycia at Court, but as you know, she was thrown in jail. Alycia took them on Monday morning. No one except Alycia's sister showed up at the baby shower on Tuesday, February 3, 2009.

After we picked her up from the jail, Alycia immediately fell asleep when she got into the car and slept the entire way home. My wife was shocked at the number of cars and people waiting at the back of the jail for prisoner release. Julianne said if she hadn't married me she never would have imagined the numbers of people jailed or seen the entire subculture. The siren sounds, flashing red lights, and and a huge garage door lifts and the prisoners come wandering out of the intensely lit interior of the jail into the night in a daze, similar to a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Alycia said the prisoners were lying on the floors and sleeping on cots in the common areas in the jail. Alycia told me that after I visited her on Friday, that is when she stopped crying. It really matters to people in her situation that people (usually family) step up and show them that they matter. I told her I visited her because I wanted to make sure she was alright. I gave her a message from my wife to think about her baby and how lucky she was to be with her fiance. I told her it was going to be okay and how it was all for the best that it all be over with.

I told my Julianne that under different circumstances, I am sure the pimp would be there to pick up a girl after she was jailed, and fill her with hate, anger and fear of the police and the Courts. We were just glad she was safe and sound.

Alycia said how happy she was that she never had to go to jail again; how nice it was to breathe fresh air; and not owe any more money to the City of Troy Probation Department. As Alycia was being led away to jail, in handcuffs, and crying, the Assistant City Attorney asked the Court to impose more fines and costs to be assessed against her.

Judge Bolle, denied the City of Troy request, and stated, "this case is over."

Detroit Free Press - Only Reporter at Martin Hearing

2009-02-07T07:20:00.001-08:00

Woman in prostitution case gets 5 days in jail
BY KORIE WILKINS • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • February 6, 2009

In tears, the Westland woman accused of accepting money for sex from the husband of U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., began serving five days in jail Thursday for violating the terms of her probation.

Alycia Martin, 21, was sentenced in August to 6 months of probation on a misdemeanor trespassing charge after she was arrested in a prostitution sting in February 2008 at a Troy hotel.

Police allege Martin performed oral sex on Tom Athans, Stabenow's husband. Athans was not charged in exchange for his assistance in the case.

According to court officials, Martin had not showed up for mandatory drug and alcohol testing since September.

Her pro bono attorney Frank Cusumano Jr. repeatedly has said Martin, who makes less than $100 a week working in a fast food restaurant, could not afford to pay for the testing.
"My car breaks down every other day," said Martin, shortly before she was led away by an Oakland County Sheriff's Office deputy. "There's nothing I can do. I can't walk here. And I don't have money for gas most of the time."

But 52-4 District Judge William Bolle said it didn't seem Martin was going to be able to comply with her probation.

Cusumano said Martin, who dropped out of high school in ninth grade and has been on her own since she was in her late teens, is working to get her GED.

"Alycia will get through this," Cusumano said. "She'll serve her time. I don't know why he'd throw her in jail, but it underscores the whole thing. There is a disparity between wealth and poverty."

Contact KORIE WILKINS at 248-351-5186 or kwilkins@freepress.com.

Alycia Martin Sentenced to Jail - High Profile John and Pimp Never Arrested or Charged

2009-02-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

On February 5, 2009, Judge Bolle of the 52-4 District Court, Troy, Michigan, revoked Alycia Martin's HYTA status and sentenced her to 5 days in the Oakland County Jail without comment. The rationale behind that violation of probation was that Martin had failed to comply with certain PBT test requirements, drug screenings, and payment of fines and costs. It should be noted that Alycia Martin had submitted to drug screenings (and tested negative) and paid fines and costs, however, not enough by the terms of the Probation. Despite no allegation that Alycia Martin had actually done anything "wrong" (other then present proof of the negative), she was violated and jailed. The alleged violations were for failure to pay fees and complete the schedule of probation department ordered tests. Those tests all are independently administered and must be paid at the time of service, otherwise, the defendant is not allowed to take the test and is subject to violation of probabtion, The Court was aware, prior to sentencing Alycia to jail, that Alycia's gas and electric had been shut off because of her inability to pay the utility companies. Any rumors that Alycia Martin has done anything illegal or wrong, including criminal activity, or drug use are simply untrue and false. Martin is simply too impoverished to comply with the terms of probation imposed by the Court at her sentencing, and it was just a matter of time before she was violated.

"Threat to the Victim Thomas Athans or the Public
Ms. Martin was not a threat to the alleged victim Thomas Athans, or the public. Martin is simply a young woman that was in trouble in her life.

Summary of Progress and Substantial Compliance

February 26, 2008 through present
Martin has had no contacts with law enforcement for violations of any laws and appeared at every Court scheduled appearance in Wayne, Warren, and Troy (after having pro-bono defense counsel appear on her behalf).

April 29, 2008
Martin turns herself in.
July 22, 2008
Martin obtains her first driver’s license, and registers to vote.
November 7, 2008
Martin votes for the first time in a Presidential election.
August 2008 - present
Martin has found gainful work, (albeit part-time);
Cares for up to three children at home;
Is expecting a child of her own;
Re-established a relationship with her father;
Martin has paid her bills without resorting to the lure of "easy money" by being an exotic dancer/stripper;
Martin has tested negative for drug use in all the tests she has taken;
Made payments on the testing to the extent she is capable without any help from outside sources;
Martin has sat for and tested on the first half of the GED and could only not complete the second half due to an infection which she had to seek medical treatment;
Martin has also reported to Probation for her interviews although Probation feels there should have been more interviews, more PBTs, more drug screens and more fees paid.

Conclusion: Martin has clearly demonstrated that she is trying to regain her life. Martin has come a long way from being alone, hungry, destitute and desperate in a Troy Motel room. Martin took the opportunity to turn herself in and face the charges. It was Martin that said "I don’t want this for my life." At sentencing Martin took responsibility for her actions and has faced the consequences. Martin has publically described the event as a blessing in disguise. Martin bears no ill will toward the Troy SIU, the City Attorney’s office or Thomas Athans and only wishes to move on with her life if allowed to do so.

Martin has substantially complied with the terms of her HYTA terms. The only failure by Martin has been due to her poverty, which was well known since day one of this case. All Martin needed was a credible opportunity and someone to help her regain her dignity and self worth. It has been a formidable process ending the cycle of fear of the Courts and the Police for this young woman.

It was well known both before and after sentencing that Martin could not financially comply with the terms of the HYTA sentence because she simply did not have the financial means to comply. Repeatedly, these facts were brought up in open court. None of that mattered, however. Martin is due to be released Monday, February 9, 2009.

High Profile John Released Scott Free - Why All the Smiles? You Decide.

2009-02-05T10:06:00.001-08:00

Troy police indicated (under oath) that Thomas Athans was threatened with charges and forfeiture. View the pictures and you decide whether this rings true. Pay particular attention to the final frames where the police officer actually shakes Athans' hand.

"AND THEN THEY CAME FOR ME ... AND BY THAT TIME THERE WAS NO ONE LEFT TO SPEAK UP."

2009-01-19T13:02:00.001-08:00

This case struck a nerve in the people of Michigan. Many observers have strong opinions and feelings about it. People of conscience, and particularly residents of Troy Michigan, have expressed concern about what occurred in the case of People of Troy v. Alycia Martin. There is a famous poem which bears on a basic instinct to help people victimized or oppressed:

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist; And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist; And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew; And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

Aside from the basic human instinct to help a person in obvious danger and distress, it is also a matter of civic responsibility, since Roman times, to avoid inequity in the application of law. Every citizen is only one charge away from sitting in Alycia Martin's chair, and if there is a rich and powerful person on the other side of a controversy or engaged in an alleged criminal act, and the public office holders automatically side with that person because of their political or economic station, then you will be broken. Make no mistake about it.

Thomas Athans resides in a suburban home on a golf course, and is the spouse of a sitting US Senator.

In contrast, Alycia Martin currently lives in Detroit, Michigan.

On February 26, 2008, the Troy Police abandoned their sworn duty to uphold the laws equally against Alycia and against the confessed john, Thomas Athans. It has been argued that the only reason Thomas Athans was released and allowed to drive away from his confessed crime, and on a suspended license was because of his position and marriage to a sitting U.S. Senator.

The "activity" of allowing Athans to drive away on a suspended license (MCL 257.904) is separate and apart from the "activity" of taking is spontaneous confession to criminal acts and not arresting the individual on the spot. Athans written and oral statement supported arrest and charges as follows: Engaging a Prostitute (MCL 750.449a); Soliciting a Prostitute (MCL 750.448); Disorderly Person (750.167(1)(i)(j)); Sodomy statute (MCL 750.158); Troy City Ordinances: 98.03.11 - Frequent Place of Illegal Business; 98.03.12 - Solicit Illegal Acts; and 98.03.10 -Transport to Place of Illegal Acts.

The reader can decide for themselves the "truth" about why, how, and when this case was handled by the Troy Police Department.

MCL 92.4 Police officers; powers; duties. Sec. 4. Under the direction of the mayor and chief of police, and in conformity with the ordinances of the city and laws of this state, the police shall... apprehend a person in the act of violating a law of this state, or an ordinance of the city.... take the offender before the proper court or magistrate, to be dealt with for the violation; make complaints to the proper officers and magistrates of any person known or believed by them to be guilty of the violation of the ordinances of the city or the penal laws of the state or to be responsible for a violation of an ordinance or law of this state designated as a civil infraction; diligently and faithfully to enforce all laws, ordinances, and regulations for the preservation of good order and the public welfare as the council may ordain...

MCL 752.11 Upholding or enforcing the law; duty of public officials. Sec. 1. Any public official, appointed or elected, who is responsible for enforcing or upholding any law of this state and who wilfully and knowingly fails to uphold or enforce the law with the result that any person's legal rights are denied is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Of course, many observers have questioned how the Troy Police can rely on far flung legal exceptions to the search warrant requirement of a hotel room, but ignore their duty under Michigan Statute, MCL 92.4 and MCL 752.11, and ignore the plethora of criminal acts of Athans under the Troy City Code and Michigan Compiled Laws.

The reader can make an informed and reasoned conclusion based on the facts.

Moreover, equal enforcement of the laws against Johns, while practiced uniformily by all surrounding jurisdictions, is not a novel notion of law enforcement nationally. In fact Courts have recognized that basic fairness requires it, in case law from over 80 years ago:
"Men caught with women in an act of prostitution are equally guilty, and should be arrested and held for trial with the women. The law is clear, and the duty of the police is to act in pursuance of the law. The practical application of the law as heretofore enforced is an unjust discrimination against women in the matter of an offense which, in its very nature, if completed, requires the participation of men. . . As long as the law is upon the statute books, it must be impartially administered without sex discrimination." People v. Edwards, 180 N.Y.S. 631, 635 (Ct. Gen. Sess. 1920).
Most critically objective observers have concluded that the only reason Alycia Martin was arrested and charged is because she was vulnerable and impoverished. The only reason Thomas Athans was released and not charged for his confessed crimes was because he is powerful and wealthy. It should be noted that despite pronouncements of caring for the less fortunate members of society, no one from Senator Stabenow's office or any other public office offered help for Alycia Martin. Instead, dozens of "little people," people of conscience, and members of the religious community offered their assistance.

The law applies to all citizens, no one is above it, and Alycia Martin, or any impoverished person is not below it either. Police cannot be allowed to pick and chose who to enforce the laws against. This goes for Troy, Westland, Lansing, Detroit, and anywhere else in the State of Michigan, and even Washington, D.C.

Michigan woman creates program to help women escape prostitution, drug abuse

2009-01-16T04:42:00.000-08:00

Michigan woman creates program to help women escape prostitution, drug abuse
by Associated Press, Stephanie Esters Kalamazoo Gazette
Monday March 24, 2008, 8:29 AM
Courtesy of Anneshia Freeman

Anneshia Freeman is a Grand Rapids resident who created a program called "The Lies That Bind," to help women escape prostitution and drug abuse.

NEW YORK -- The call girl in the Eliot Spitzer scandal appeared to be leading a glamorous life -- staying in an upscale Manhattan high-rise, traveling to seduce powerful men in swanky hotel rooms, making more than $4,000 in one night.

But the reality for most prostitutes is far different.

Many come from broken homes, were homeless at some point, were abused as children and suffer from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, said Mary Anne Layden, director of the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program in the Center for Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsyvania. She said many are not making any money because of a drug habit and a pimp or madam who takes half their earnings.

"The idea of 'Pretty Woman' is a huge lie," said Layden, referring to the hit movie about a man (played by Richard Gere) who hires a prostitute (Julia Roberts) and falls in love with her. "Most prostitutes spiral downward." Former prostitute and drug addict Anneshia Freeman, 43, from the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming, echoed Layden's opinion.

"'Pretty Woman' is a lie," said Freeman, who now tries to help other women leave prostitution and make different choices through a program she created called The Lies That Bind -- The Legacy of the Locks.

"I believe that (the Spitzer Ashley Alexandra Dupre) story, and stories like that, can contribute to the illusion that prostitution is some sort of classy, glamorous career," she said. "It's dehumanizing, demoralizing, degrading and debilitating."

About three years ago, Freeman worked with the Prostitution Alternatives Coalition of Kalamazoo -- which included representatives from the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor's Office, the county's Health and Community Services Department and the -- to help prostitutes get out of the profession.

'Horrible re-enactment'

Of her own 15 years as a prostitute, Freeman said: "It was a horrible adult re-enactment of my childhood script. I was abused as a child. I was trained to be a prostitute by my molester."
Freeman grew up in Detroit, where she lived with her mother, whom she described as an undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, and a male family member, who she says sexually abused her.

She started using marijuana and drinking when she was 11 years old and left home when she was 12 to live with an older brother and his family. She became pregnant at age 15 by a guy she was seeing, and her mother sent her to a girls' school in Pennsylvania. She then gave birth to a daughter and over the years has had three other children.

It was while Freeman was working in Chicago in 1985 as a 21-year-old executive secretary that she was introduced to cocaine. She developed a $300- to $400-a-day habit and started working as a prostitute.

Freeman said she saw drug dealers and pimps trying to "enslave" women by wrecking their self-esteem and by withholding or bestowing affection.

She said she later realized that through prostitution she was trying to make emotionally unavailable people respond to her or like her. "I was trying to find some way to fix that script," Freeman said, referring to the dysfunctional life patterns she kept repeating. "There was nothing glamorous about it."

What made her decide to change her life? "I was sick and tired of being broke, homeless, beaten, raped, ridiculed and mocked all day," said Freeman, who had already gone through about 15 tries at rehabilitation. "I was almost beaten to death several times. The last time I was beaten by a drug dealer that I spent hundreds of dollars a day with. I still have a bone that sticks up in my shoulder from when he stomped me into the floor.

"I was running down the street covered in blood with my clothes half torn off me, screaming at the top of my lungs, ducking in and out of traffic ducking bullets. After beating me, he went across the street to his house and got a gun. He was shooting at me as I ran down the street. I surrendered that day."

She said she got high a few more times and worked the street again in a different neighborhood, but she knew that kind of life was over for her. "I walked away from the dope house and prostitution for the last time on Aug. 7, 2000," she said. Freeman said she has been able to stay away from drugs and prostitution with the help of God and a 12-step program.

She has since earned an associate's degree in computer-application technology and a bachelor's degree in business. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in business administration.
90 percent want out

Melissa Farley, a research psychologist who has been studying prostitution for the past 14 years, has interviewed 900 prostitutes in 10 countries. She said about 90 percent say they want to get out.

University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt, of "Freakonomics" fame, recently studied street-level prostitution in Chicago, and estimated there were about 4,400 prostitutes active there in an average week. They made an average of about $25 an hour, a far cry from the thousands of dollars charged by the Emperor's Club VIP, whose sexual services former New York Gov. Spitzer is said to have used.

Former prostitute Norma Hotaling, who walked the streets and worked for an escort service, said it felt glamorous at first. "I felt an incredible sense of power," she said. "'Here's a way I can make money. I can work any hours that I want to work. I can call my own shots. I don't have to take the dates I don't want. It's like, 'I have my own business. Isn't this amazing?'"

But those feelings didn't last long. She was addicted to heroin; she was homeless at times; she was beaten and raped. She began to be horrified that her livelihood depended on sex with strangers on a regular basis.

"It makes it so appealing to think that it's an easy life, and it's not," Hotaling said. "You don't find a whole lot of women speaking out about how glamorous it was."
Dupre's strugglesDupre -- the 22-year-old identified as "Kristen" in court documents accusing Spitzer of paying thousands for prostitutes' services -- doesn't seem to be "Pretty Woman" either. Her MySpace page portrays her as a New Jersey native who left a broken home to pursue a music career in New York.
"I have been alone," she wrote. "I have abused drugs. I have been broke and homeless. But, I survived, on my own."

Dupre has not commented about her life as a prostitute, except to tell The New York Times she does not want to be thought of as a monster.
Madeleine Dash, a sex worker and co-founder of the Sex Workers Action New York, said "Kristen" proves that not all prostitutes are forced into this line of work out of desperation.

But Farley says prostitution is a dead-end -- literally. Homicide, she says, is the most frequent cause of death for women in prostitution. Gazette staff writer Stephanie Esters contributed to this report.

http://comment-blog.advance.net/cgi-bin/mte/mt-search.cgi?index=adv_photo&filter_gallery=Profile%3A%20Anneshia%20Freeman&limit=1&searchall=1&tmpl_key=gallery_slideshow&IncludeBlogs=4469

Detroit Sex Party Busted. Johns Ticketed, Cars Impounded, Mother and Party Hosts Arrested. Troy Police SIU Policy Contrasted.

2008-12-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

HERE WE GO AGAIN

It is the latest stark example of how Troy Police Department's putative enforcement method of the Michigan Prostitution statutes: arresting only the alleged prostitute(s) and letting the alleged Johns walk "scot-free" compares to neighboring law enforcement. Even in the often maligned (usually unfairly) City of Detroit, johns and panderers are investigated, arrested, charged and otherwise held accountable for their actions within the city limits. Troy's stated policy is not the policy of neighboring jurisdictions in Michigan. Recently, the Wayne County Sheriff Department SIU, under the leadership of Sheriff Evans, conducted a sting operation against a home and its occupants in Southwest Detroit, Michigan on December 7, 2008. Undercover officers infiltrated the activity - obtained a search warrant (not relying on far flung case law and poorly understood "exceptions" to the 4th Amendment requirement) and effectuated their arrests against the entire operation.

As reported by the Detroit News:
Sheriff: Detroit mom hosted sex party using underage girls
George Hunter / The Detroit News
"DETROIT -- A 39-year-old woman was arrested early this morning after allegedly hosting a sex party that involved two 16-year-old girls -- one of whom was the woman's daughter -- and 19 prostitutes. The woman charged $15 cover charge for the party in her home on Cherrylawn near Curtis on Detroit's west side, Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans said. ***
Evans said officers who executed the search warrant were surprised to find out the mother of one of the underage girls was hosting the party. *** When officers raided the home, they found the two underage girls dancing partially nude. There were about 20 adult men inside the home; in addition to the $15 cover charge, they paid whatever each prostitute charged for sex, Evans said. It is not clear whether either of the underage girls were offering sex for money. 'It's pretty safe to assume that it would have lead to (prostitution) eventually in that environment," Evans said. "Thankfully, we were able to shut this party down before things got that far.' Most of the prostitutes and johns were ticketed and released, but the girl's mother was arrested, as were three men who were involved in operating the party, Evans said. All face charges of Operating a House of Illegal Occupation, but the mother likely will face additional charges. *** Police also confiscated three handguns and marijuana, ecstasy pills and heroin, along with several hundred dollars in cash. The money is believed to be proceeds from the party. Approximately 10 vehicles also were impounded." You can reach George Hunter at (313) 222-2134 or ghunter@detnews.com.

Of course, many critics have argued that Troy SIU would never have allowed a "little person" to walk away after confessing to their crime as they did Thomas Athans on February 26, 2008, however, it should be noted that Troy SIU conducted a similar raid to their February 26, 2008, operation in May 2008, and in that instance released the johns "scot free" and arrested and charged the two alleged prostitutes.

In a bizarre, shameful and inappropriate twist, the police proudly displayed tables to the television media festooned with condoms and lubricants, reminiscent of displays when a large drug cache seizure had taken place. Mothers throughout the broadcast area of the local network (WDIV) were left to explain to their small children the meaning of the artistically arranged sex items, displayed as if merchandised for sale. The poor judgment of this action was reinforced by the poor judgment of the television media, which broadcast the ill conceived public relations fiasco.

The Wayne County Sheriff Department should be congratulated on their raid. This operation was a job well done. Responsible law enforcement was conducted in a logical, reasonable and efficient manner. Next the judicial system will sort things out for the well being of these prostituted women, proceed in the forfeiture of the automobiles involved, deal with, punish and educate the johns, and look after the underage 16 year old daughter, rather then officers at the scene dispensing "street justice" and letting the johns go "scot free" in their cars and home to their families.

Warren Police Department Takes Lead in Law Enforcement for Region - October 16, 2008 Sting: Alleged Pimp, Johns and Prostitutes Arrested and Charged

2008-12-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

September 8, 2009 UPDATE
Defendant Miguel Elizondo is scheduled for sentencing on October 7, 2009. Click here for link to Docket Calendar 2009-001825-FH PEOPLE vs. ELIZONDO, MIGUEL A, Hon. Peter J. Maceroni presiding.

Earlier this year, the City of Warren which neighbors Troy, Michigan, took steps to enforce the statutes of Michigan relative to prostitution in their community. After personally viewing the situation with patrolling police officers, Mayor Jim Fouts concluded - as have most reasonable observers - the myth that prostitution is a "victimless crime" is a dangerous misconception for a normal, socially conscientious and healthy community.

Unlike the City of Troy Police Department's seriously flawed handling of the Thomas Athans/Alycia Martin case, and the "special" handling of the Elliott Spitzer/Ashley Dupre case in New York (with contacts taking place in Washington, D.C.) Mayor Jim Fouts and the Warren Police undercover officers took on the entire operation in their sting, not just the targetting the vulnerable woman being prostituted, as in the Alycia Martin case. It should be noted that most critics of the Troy Police Department's handling of the Martin case agree: if the women are doing illegal activities, then they should be prosecuted, but to release the johns "scot-free" is morally wrong and sends the wrong message. Law enforcement must enforce all the laws against violators irrespective of wealth, social standing, or political influence. If the failure to charge Thomas Athans and release him to drive on a suspended license is perceived as wrong and a "double standard," then failure to vigorously and actively pursue the pimp and handlers is reprehensible, outrageous and shameful.

It is posited by the Troy Police Department that the physical arrest, and filing of charges against the prostituted 20 year old girl; hitting her with forfeiture proceeding (taking all her money); and publicizing her identity, while not arresting or ticketing the alleged john, is somehow going to magically force or encourage the cooperation and testimony by young girl against the pimp handler. In this so called police methodology, the admitted john is joked with and befriended, told not to worry, and treated deferentially. The prostituted woman is searched, arrested, processed, charged, and prosecuted. When examined objectively, this pretext is shamefully false, especially in light of a neighboring jurisdiction's commitment to traditional enforcement techniques.

Dilligent police work seems to work successfully in Warren, Michigan, yet is "impossibly difficult" in neighboring Troy. Special Investigations Division's efforts in the Warren Police Department resulted in the following arrests, hardly a failure by any standards:

(Excerpted from Warren Police Department Web Site)
"Warren Mayor Jim Fouts is publishing the names of individuals arrested for such crimes on the city’s Web site and in the future, on TV Warren cable channels. October 17, 2008, Commissioner William Dwyer announces that in a continuing effort to stop prostitution within the city of Warren, officers of the Warren Police Special Investigation Division arrested nine subjects. This sting operation occurred on October 16, 2008 at a local hotel in the city of Warren. The females arrested in this incident all reside in the tri-county area and charged anywhere from $150-$250 an hour for their services.As a result of this operation the following individuals were arrested and warrant requests were presented to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. After reviewing the files, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s authorized the following:

ROBERTA ANTIONETTE LOBERT, a 34-year-old Sterling Heights resident, was arraigned on a two-count misdemeanor warrant charging her with: Count 1: Prostitution, 93-day misdemeanor, and Count 2: Use of the Internet in commission of a crime, one-year misdemeanor.

KATRINA LYNN SAHABI, a 21-year-old West Bloomfield resident, was arraigned on a two-count misdemeanor warrant charging her with:Count 1: Prostitution, 93-day misdemeanor, and Count 2: Use of the Internet in commission of a crime, one-year misdemeanor.

CELESTE MARIE VALASTEK, a 27-year-old Memphis resident, was arraigned on a three-count misdemeanor warrant charging her with:Count 1: Prostitution, 93-day misdemeanor,Count 2: Conspiracy to commit Prostitution, 93-day misdemeanor, andCount 3: Use of the Internet in commission of a crime, one-year misdemeanor.

MARIE ALLEN THOMPSON, a 25-year-old White Lake resident, was arraigned on a three-count misdemeanor warrant charging her with:Count 1: Prostitution, 93-day misdemeanor,Count 2: Conspiracy to commit Prostitution, 93-day misdemeanor, and Count 3: Use of the Internet in commission of a crime, one-year misdemeanor.

SHANNON NICOLE HENDERSON, a 29-year-old Detroit resident, was arraigned on a three-count misdemeanor warrant charging her with:Count 1: Prostitution, a 93-day misdemeanor,Count 2: Use of the Internet in commission of a crime, one-year misdemeanor and Count 3: Driving on a Suspended License, a one-year misdemeanor.

WENDELL POLK, a 36-year-old Detroit resident, was arraigned on a four-count misdemeanor warrant charging him with:Count 1: Prostitution, 93-day misdemeanor,Count 2: Conspiracy to commit Prostitution, one-year misdemeanor,Count 3: Possession of Marijuana, one-year misdemeanor, and Count 4: Operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license, 93-day misdemeanor

MICHAEL DWAYNE EDMONDS, a 47-year-old Southgate resident, was arraigned on a two-count misdemeanor warrant charging him with:Count 1: Prostitution, 93 day misdemeanor, and Count 2: Conspiracy to commit Prostitution, one-year misdemeanor.

MIGUEL ANTONIO ELIZONDO, a 43-year-old Southgate resident, was arraigned on a three-count warrant charging him with:Count 1: Accepting earnings from Prostitution, a twenty-year felony,Count 2: Prostitution, 93-day misdemeanor, and Count 3: Conspiracy to commit Prostitution, one-year misdemeanor.
*****
Officers also seized five vehicles pending forfeiture proceedings, along with $696.00 in cash, several cell phones, a laptop computer and a digital camera.Commissioner William Dwyer states, “This type of criminal activity will not be accepted nor tolerated in the city of Warren. The Warren Police Department is committed to the investigation and prosecution of any individuals who participate in this criminal enterprise.” http://www.cityofwarren.org/default.asp?area_2=police/prostitution.dat&area_7=nav/police.dat&area_5=police/right.dat&objectid=C27B0E0&ml_index=13&NC=3466X
Case in point: The Warren Police managed to arrest all participants and charged an alleged panderer with the 20 year felony.

This operation is true law enforcement of the statutes, and the City of Warren and it's Police Department should be commended for a job well done as leaders for the region as they "strive" to address the issue in their community.

Sadly, one the alleged prostitutes arrested in this sting operation has passed away. It is the point and argument of this blog that prostituted women caught up in this industry should be helped, not punished, and treated with compassion and dignity. Accordingly, at the request of her family and friends, her photograph and references to her have been removed from this blog. Law enforcement should focus their resources on the predators of these young women, the "johns" and the "sex industrialists." Her loss is a loss to every responsible and conscientious citizen.

Where police and responsible members of the citizenry neglect or fail to act, prostituted women are victims, drained of life and hope. One can hardly imagine that a woman would "choose" this life. The only choice usually is to choose to live and not be homeless, hungry, and alone. Likewise, Johns, if forced to face the consequence of their actions, educated, and their activities publicized would not continue their use of other human beings for their selfish needs and gratification. Investigation, arrest and prosecution the predatory pimps, handlers, bottoms and security members of the ring would, as believed by most reasonable observers, comprehensively address this criminal activity. Arresting only the prostituted woman hardly seems to scratch the surface. Both the demand end (the john/user) and the supply distribution end (the pimp) are left untouched. It is disgraceful where only the prostituted person (the product) it targeted for arrest and prosecution.

All jurisdictions in Southeastern Michigan should follow the lead set by the City of Warren Police Department.

COMMENTS ABOUT THIS CASE

2008-11-23T14:48:00.001-08:00

Since the creation of this blog, there have been a series of comments left which express a belief that prostitution is a career choice, and that it should be decriminalized as in Europe. It should be noted that all comparisons to European laws, systems of government, and political processes for purposes of effecting social policy change is not an American tradition and should not be. What I mean by this is that this country, and the New World generally, was founded as the antithesis of the European model. In fact, the United States has been the progressive engine of paradigms for all social, political, and economic solutions for European nations, not the other way around. All one need do is ask a grandparent or any naturalized American citizen about the "old country."

Citizens of the United States should question how the European political elite treat the lower class members of their population. Should a woman be forced to become a prostitute to avoid losing government unemployment benefits? Yes, that is how Europe now deals with it's unemployed women. This is a fact and well documented. http://fathersforlife.org/feminism/chastity_is_a_crime.htm

Of course, most people who have seriously looked at the phenomenon of prostitution reject Europe's misguided public policies and realize that it simply the exploitation of women, and usually imported third world nation women.
Another aspect of this case which has struck this writer most profoundly is the willingness, even eagerness, of some persons to judge Alycia Martin. Some comments have been vitriolic, and in extreme circumstances, actually rationalize the motivations of the users of these women. The comments relative to Alycia have ranged from, "she made her choice," to "she deserves what she gets." It appears that the commentators' perspective is that Alycia or any person, male or female, similarly situated has "chosen" to be where they are, and therefore, no one should care about what becomes of them. Additionally, there has been regionalism interjected, i.e. Westland a/k/a/ "Wasteland" is where the "trash" of Southeastern Michigan resides. Finally, there is the opinion that Alycia is responsible for the alleged actions of Thomas Athans and that the embarrassment caused to Senator Stabenow is Alycia's fault. A far more progressive approach is that taken by defense counsel and his wife. The young woman should be given help to break out. Alycia Martin, or any person similarly situated, deserves a chance at a dignified fulfilling life, period.
To condemn a person to a life of sexual servitude by accident of birth is unconscionable and UN-AMERICAN. Few of these critics know what it is actually like to be emotionally and economically adrift. When a person has no place to live and drifts from home to home of friends, acquaintances and near strangers in order to eat and stay warm, they make a "choice" to eat, stay warm and survive. In an arrest record in Wayne Michigan, Alycia was arrested on an outstanding warrant in a house which was in foreclosure. There are thousands of these homes where the owners just walked away. The report indicates that a half dozen young people were living in the abandoned house. Again, the need for shelter, particularly in sub zero weather is a "choice" few have had to make. The range of human experience is a finite bandwith, there are thousands of young people, "throw aways" living under these circumstances. Some would consciously "chose" to ignore them. If they are young and attractive, they are quickly assimilated into the sex industry as strippers, escorts, or prostitutes.

On the issue of being an exotic dancer, many persons have adjudged Alycia of moral turpitude. However, as any person with more education and job skills knows looking for a job in Southeastern Michigan knows, it is difficult and practically impossible to find any work. If you would like proof of this fact, put an ad on http://www.craigslist.com/ for any employment position, and you will receive literally hundreds of emails of local men and women out of work. Since her arrest on February 26, 2008, Alycia has had not contacts with law enforcement. Alycia has only been able to find part-time work in fast food. Granted there is a choice made. However, if the menu is limited such as the popular dollar menu at McDonalds, how much choice does one really have? Why the critic would ask, does she not eat steak like the rest of us? Of course, not widely publicized is the fact that Alycia has chosen not to be a dancer anymore. She has "chosen" to have little or no money, and live in poverty. This writer does not disagree with her choice, since it is this writer's humble opinion that it is better to have self-respect and dignity than all the riches in the world.
A "Gentleman's Club" is a linguistic paradox. The men who frequent strip bars are not by definition "well-mannered and considerate men with high standards of proper behavior." Strip clubs are, no matter what apologists might argue, covers for prostitution and pseudo-prostitution activities. The patrons, or "Johns" are usually loners that have difficulty forming and sustaining meaningful relationships. Additionally, dancers are groomed for future use in the prostitution industry. Included in the grooming process is the use of pseudonyms and "stage names" and the intense competition between young women for tips. The further a girl will go in debasing herself the more desirable she becomes to the "regular customers." The process slowly disarms and strips the young woman of her identity, inhibitions and moral compass. In a totally sociopathic and destructive environment, everyone involved, owners, dancers and customers all believe they are taking advantage of everyone else involved. The owners of the clubs, such as the strip club in the "Sopranos" HBO series, are little more then pimps and criminals acting under color of legitimate business enterprises.

Interestingly, there is tremendous concern, and considerable resources expended, at the Federal level combating the trafficking in young women from foreign countries, but little concern for the servitude of American citizens at "gentleman's clubs." Literally, millions of dollars are taken from the individual dancers by pimps, handlers and "boyfriends." One case prosecution ended in 2007, and occurred right here in Detroit.

In that case, two young Ukrainian women were tricked into the country with promises of waitress jobs in Virginia, then forced to dance at a strip club on 8 Mile Road named Cheetahs. Over $2 million dollars was ordered in restitution by a Federal Judge after taking proofs of the amounts of money taken pursuant to the "quotas" set by their captors. The defense had argued that they "voluntarily" worked, but in the face of the evidence collected by the FBI, pled guilty and were sentenced to long prison terms.

"They forced me to work six days a week for 12 hours a day," the 22 year old woman said of the men who made her work at Cheetah's in Detroit. "I could not refuse to go to work or I would be beaten." While she was forced to dance at the strip club, she said she was not made to be a prostitute."I was their slave," she said in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee and its chairman, Detroit Democrat John Conyers. The committee is looking at reauthorizing the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, which was intended to stiffen penalties for people engaging in human trafficking and make it easier for victims to get temporary visas..

When arrested, the defendants were found to have had over $500,000 in cash in their house and over $1 million dollars in safety deposit boxes. http://blog.kievukraine.info/2007/11/ukraine-woman-forced-to-dance-at-strip.html. As in the case of the Ukrainian girls, only when the woman is secure and self-assured, is she deprogrammed and begins to recount the truth of her former condition. Escape only became possible when a patron they could trust was approached and took them to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and the FBI became involved. Michail Aronov, a Lithuanian national who lived in Livonia and the Chicago area, was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison in August and ordered to pay $1 million in restitution to his victims.Another man, Aleksandr Maksimenko, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Ukraine who also lived in Livonia, was sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution. This concern is for these foreign women, however, identical patterns exist:

"I wish our language [about trafficking] could change," Carr said. "Saying someone is a prostitute denotes a choice. These women were prostituted. They were held against their will." But when authorities talk about prostitution, Carr [Law Professor at Notre Dame University] said, they fail to specify that many of the women were prostitutes under duress. "They do not mean [to say] that these women chose to do it as a profession," she said. An advocate for human trafficking victims since meeting Katya, Carr said she is currently working on a number of other trafficking cases. http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/12/05/News/Professor.Discusses.Sex.Slavery.On.Nbc-3133535.shtml

There seems little or no interest that an entire generation of American working class' female children are being swept up into working as dancers, escorts and prostitutes because of their socio-economic status.

"The defendants in this case took advantage of innocent women from Eastern Europe by enticing them to come the United States and then holding them in bondage for commercial and sexual exploitation,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy. “In sentencing Mr. Maksimenko to 14 years in prison, the Court underscored the gravity of this type of crime. Criminal operations involving human trafficking, such as this one, will be pursued with the greatest vigor by my office." "Human trafficking, as exemplified in this case, is nothing short of modern-day slavery,” said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is committed to vigorously prosecuting these crimes wherever they occur.”

Why does your Federal Government, and a University of Notre Dame Law Professor care so deeply about two foreign women while tens of thousands of American young women are systematically tricked, brainwashed, beaten, and sexually slaved in strip clubs all over the country? The Feds would counter that it is up to State and local law enforcement.

Alycia Martin's case is an exemplar how the local law enforcement deals with a similar situation. City of Troy Police perceptions of proper law enforcement are so distorted, and so perverse, that women actually prostituted are targeted for arrest and prosecution and the johns and pimps are unscathed, inconvenienced or bothered. To make the travesty complete, even a confessed John such as Thomas Athans is allowed to drive away after his suspended driver's license is confirmed and actually discussed at the scene of the stop.

The John confessed, orally on video tape and in writing, and was, in accordance with Official Police Policy in Troy, Michigan, not arrested and charged. Even more disturbing is the failure of the detectives involved to request for an arrest warrant for the fully identified (and recognized by the assistant hotel manager) pimp, the very person who according to in court testimony rented the hotel room on February 25, 2008, and a different room in July 2007 for prostitution of an african-american female. There is no reasonable explanation here for this dereliction of duty and countenance of criminal activity; just a stark misogynist double standard, or special treatment for Thomas Athans because he is rich and powerful. Troy police deny the later. Finally, the Police Chief, Troy City Attorney, County Prosecutor, State Attorney General, all aware of the facts of this case, acquiesced and refused to charge the John or the pimp.

To drive the point home, Troy police conducted raids again on May 8, 2008 at the Hilton Hotel in Troy, Michigan and again released the johns and charged the women. Assuming that these raids were not just a cover or misdirection for being called on giving Athans' total pass on Febrary 26, 2008, it seems it is the City of Troy's Public Policy to briefly detain the Johns, not prosecute pimps, and prosecute the hapless prostituted woman in a kind of "John heaven." http://www.cityoftroypolice.com/alerts_tips/alerts/2008/may/5-16-08.htm

Alycia Martin's experience as a dancer was no different then the Ukrainian girls. Yet, neither the Federal Governemnt agents or any Notre Dame law professors came to her assistance. Martin is an American citizen, yet her story, unfortunately, is so common and mundane that it does not merit attention or enforcement by peace officers. Even if a girl decides to dance for the easy money, how long before the girl is asked to take the next step? Granted a tiny fraction may not succumb, but the vast majority of young women will lose their bearings and submit. Most do not work their way through college and graduate school by being strippers. I have never met a doctor, lawyer, or college professor that was a stripper to achieve their professional goals.

When someone tells some fairy tale to the contrary, I ask myself whether this is what the girl told him at a "gentleman's club." More plausible is that it is merely a myth or urban legend used to dissuade critics and law enforcement from demanding strict compliance with the law and assuage the conscience of a society that allows the exploitation of impoverished and desperate women.

Macomb County Sheriff Undercover Raid Nets Madame - Arrested and Charged

2008-11-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 12, 2009
Charles E. Ramirez / The Detroit News

"MOUNT CLEMENS -- Police said today they have shut down a prostitution ring operating out of a beauty salon in nearby Harrison Township. Officers have arrested and charged two women, Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said today. Police arrested the women on Thursday during an undercover investigation into the Four Seasons salon and spa at Metropolitan Parkway and Crocker Boulevard, he said. Complaints from several Harrison Township residents prompted the investigation, according to police.
In yet another example of comprehensive law enforcement, undercover officers arrested and charged the higher up in the "prostitution ring" not just the prostituted woman. "Hackel identified the women as Yun Ok Shin, 48, of Rochester Hills and Ji Fu Xu, 49, of Harrison Township. Shin was arraigned in 41-B District Court on Friday on two charges: keeping a house of prostitution, a five-year felony, and admitting to a place of prostitution, a 93-day misdemeanor. A judge set her bond at $5,000. "

Meanwhile, Xu was arraigned on a count of prostitution, a 93-day misdemeanor. Her bond was set at $1,000.

Special Thanks to a Troy Michigan Resident

2008-11-03T11:41:00.001-08:00

Alycia Martin is pictured at right in a photograph with the children of a close friend in the Commonwealth of Massachusett before losing herself to falsehoods and lies of others. Alycia continues her recovery physically, emotionally, spiritually and loves children. Alycia hopes to start a family of her own after reuniting with a former boyfriend and veteran of the U.S. Navy and Iraq War.

Alycia wanted to thank the residents of Troy which have stepped forward, emailed, wrote to the local newspapers, and written their City officials about her case, and women similiarly situated in the Troy Police Department's "sting operations." Today, November 3, 2008, a resident of Troy, Michigan donated towards Alycia's education fund. Attorney Cusumano wrote to this individual the following thank you letter:

"Thank you for your generous donation of $100. I have established a completely segregated Pay Pal Account and linked it to a segregated and separate IOLTA client trust account for the purpose of funding Alycia's education expenses. In the next few days I will "accept" the donation and it will remain in the Pay Pal Account until being formally transfered into the IOLTA account for disbursement for Alycia's GED education expense. Important: In the event that I am unable raise enough money for the purpose of funding Alycia's GED review course or get her enrolled in the Cosmetology school (she needs a GED to enroll), I will be transferring the money back to Pay pal and refunding your donation. Therefore, it is important that I be advised via email of any change in your pay pal account address. In the event you used a credit card, or the address is not valid, I will email you to advise you of the status. This donation is being treated as a donation for the express purpose of Aycia's education, and for no other purposes, i.e. such a paying utility bills. Unfortunately, to date you are the first and only contributor to this fund raising effort. Several attorneys associated with UDM Law School and SS Peter & Paul Church, SJ., had helped in reviewing her Court filings, one woman attorney donated clothes, and my wife and I have helped with purchase of clothes, groceries, and transportation to and from Court. Otherwise, this young woman (she is totally destitute) has been figuratively orphaned by her parents and family (except he sister who is of extremely limited means financially) both emotionally and financially. I suppose this would somewhat explain her plight and falling into a false family/friend environment. In all the time I represented Alycia her father, although in town twice and fully aware of her situation, never called or inquired of me her status or well being. Thank you again on her behalf. On behalf of Alycia, heartfelt thanks. This young woman has so much more to contribute to the world then the role which she was cast by men like Thomas Athans and "Dewayne" (or whatever alias he calls himself now) and your kindness in helping her is more important then you could imagine. I truly believe that there are people in the world willing and able to help if given the information and opportunity. Thank you for validating this for me. "

Alycia Martin - Looks Forward to Voting in the Presidential Election

2008-10-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

November 4, 2008 - Voting in her First Presidential Election Just Around the Corner.

On November 4, 2008, Alycia Martin is the day that Alycia Martin appears before the 52-4 District Court Judge on her Motion to Modify Sentence. Alycia is asking the Court to reduce her sentence to time served or convict her on the reduced trespassing charge and end her probation.

November 4, 2008, is also election day.

Thanks to having her Michigan drivers license, and hence voter registration, Alycia is able to vote for the very first time in her life! Several early posts pictured Alycia at the Secretary of State Office in Detroit, Michigan studying the written portion of her license test.

Alycia is thankful for all the assistance the staff at the SOS office at Evergreen and 7 Mile Road, Detroit, Michigan in helping understand the complex matrix of identification papers and verification she needed to get her driver's license and be able to vote. After four trips, she had all the paper work, and realized that nothing is easy, but in the end the wait is worthwhile.

Alycia is very excited about participating in the election of the next President of the United States. Alycia is catching up on all the things most of us take for granted, such as driving legally and voting. Fear of being arrested is no longer a constant on her mind, since she is clear of all cases except the Troy case. Each day brings Alycia closer towards the goal to be the woman she was meant to be, not what others wanted to make her into.

These are hard times economically, but also times of hope for the future for Alycia, and she is thankful for the many blessings in her life.

Recent Articles, Posts, and News: Alycia Martin

2008-08-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Woman arrested in sex sting asks judge to end case
Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit News
TROY -- The woman arrested in a prostitution sting involving the spouse of U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow has no money to comply with the terms of her probation and is asking a judge to close her case.

Alycia Martin is unemployed, receives no financial support from her family and has no money to pay for drug and alcohol screens, monthly probation fees for her case or for the gasoline to get to the court-ordered appointments, her lawyer Frank Cusumano Jr. said.

Martin, arrested Feb. 26 at the Residence Inn and charged with prostitution, was allowed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of trespassing. Troy District Court Judge William Bolle placed Martin, who was 20 at the time of the offense, on probation under the state's Youthful Trainee Act, which allows her criminal record to become nonpublic if she completes six months of probation.

Compliance with the random screens, monthly probation fees and fuel expenses will cost Martin $745 over the six-month probationary period. If Martin -- who is more than five months pregnant -- cannot pay for the drug tests, Cusumano says, she risks violating probation and going to jail.

"Ms. Martin does not want to go to jail, especially pregnant," Cusumano wrote in a motion to the court requesting that Martin's probation be shortened from six months to time served.
Cusumano also is asking the judge to consider the alternatives of allowing Martin to pay the fees at the end of the case or to revoke her Youthful Trainee Act status and sentence her immediately.

Troy City Attorney Lori Bluhm said she had no objections to the requests.

Martin's case made national headlines when Stabenow's husband, Thomas Athans, was questioned and released as part of the investigation into a prostitution ring at the Troy hotel.
Athans, who was pulled over by Troy police the night of Feb. 26, admitted to officers during a traffic stop that he met a woman online and paid her $150 for oral sex at the hotel. Troy police learned Athans had a suspended driver's license but released him without arrest, expecting his cooperation in the criminal case against Martin.

Athans was never charged in the case and never testified. Martin, whose lawyers attempted to get the case dismissed, did not provide police information on whom she worked for.
Martin's motion is to be heard Nov. 4.

You can reach Jennifer Chambers at (248) 647-7402 or jchambers@detnews.com.

OTHER LINKS

http://www.experienceproject.com/uw.php?e=348668

http ://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/07/26/2008-07-26_in_prostitution_raids_lets_remember_men_-2.html

Celebrity Insider - Photos And News: Alycia Martin Causes Heartache To Senator

http://www.alyciamartin.blogspot.com/

Open Letter to People of Southeastern Michigan

2008-08-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

I am willing to work, and I am not looking for a hand out. I want to work. I want to be proud that I can do it on my own. I am just having trouble finding a job in this economy so I thought maybe someone out there knows a place that is hiring or has a business that could use a dedicated, reliable and honest young woman. I "have" to work vs. just working. When you "have" to work you always show up cause you can't afford not to.The City of Troy has me paying probation oversight fees of $300 that I am already behind on. Judge Bolle ordered drug testing and I have passed the tests, but they charge $25 per test, and I did not have enough money for gas to get to Troy, so I was charged $45 for the last test closer. I told my probation officer, and now the lab is charging me on account for the tests. I am going to owe alot when this is over, if Judge Bolle doesn't just violate me for not paying the fees. I don't want to go to jail again, but if I can't find a job, the Judge in Troy will probably find me in violation of probation and I'll be sent to jail.I am trying to better myself, not sell myself. I will not resort to selling drugs or my body, or anything illegal. I am honest and hard working. If you can help me with employment I can guarantee you will not regret it. I have experience in many areas and I am willing to do what it takes to prove myself in this society and economy. Please contact me if you can find it in your heart to extend a job not a hand out, I am not a charity, please don't get me wrong, I am simply trying to work for what I have and basic needs. I am not looking for a gift. Any job leads can be directed to my attorney at frankcusumanojr@gmail.com.

Ypsilanti's Response to Prostitution - Enforce Laws Equally Against Johns and Prostitutes and Provide Services To Get Prostitutes Off the Streets.

2008-08-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ypsilanti Township steps up prostitution crackdown

by Tom Gantert The Ann Arbor News
Sunday October 19, 2008, 8:15 AM
LEISA THOMPSON THE ANN ARBOR NEWS

During stings conducted from April 18 to Oct. 2, more than 20 prostitution arrests were made at the corner of East Michigan Avenue and Johnson Road in Ypsilanti Township.
Along East Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti Township, business owners say prostitutes are part of the landscape.

They loiter, day and night, waiting for men to stop and pick them up.
Vinay Lakhnkia said he got so fed up that he banned known prostitutes from his business, A&W Party Store, because they solicited customers. Last year, Lakhnkia said, prostitution was rampant on East Michigan Avenue. "It was like ants," he said.

But earlier this year, Ypsilanti Township officials took aim at the problem, using an approach that includes arresting prostitutes and their customers, as well as providing services to get prostitutes off the streets.

*******

"You know where there is a prostitute, there is a dope guy," Hage said. "The dope goes with it."
Radzik said the township's efforts center on enforcement and follow-up.
Undercover sting operations are nothing new. But taking aim at the "johns" and trying to help the prostitutes is a different approach.

When deputies catch men soliciting prostitutes - or undercover female deputies posing as streetwalkers - they confiscate their vehicles. For $750 and a promise not to return, police will agree not to go forward with civil forfeiture proceedings to permanently take the car, Radzik said."

*****

Glynnis Anderson, director of Home of New Visions, regularly visits the county jail to meet with as many as 10 women being held on prostitution charges.
Anderson assesses which women most need housing and mental health counseling and reports her findings to the court.

Home of New Visions offers six-month and 12-month programs, individual and group therapy, and temporary housing.

Anderson said three former prostitutes are in the program.

"Prior to what we are doing now, they would be back on the strip prostituting again," Anderson said.

Full story at http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2008/10/ypsilanti_township_steps_up_pr.html

Alycia and Cousin Jacob Christmas 2007

2008-08-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately the reality, often forgotten by people in the media and "media buffs" which follow certain cases they consider salacious or "newsworthy," is that people like Alycia caught up in the "news cycle" are real people, with families and lives. The circumstances of Alycia Martin's arrest and criminal case, when put into this perspective, are not really that important.

Despite all the issues of the past, and lost contact, her relatives still made contact with attorney Cusumano. Alycia's Aunt Karen requested that a scan picture of Alycia and her cousin Jacob be put on this page.

To love and be loved is what brings joy to the heart.

The picture is from Christmas 2007.

New York Daily News Article, July 26, 2008

2008-08-14T03:26:00.000-07:00

In prostitution raids, let's remember men break the law, too
BY ANGELA BONAVOGLIA
Saturday, July 26th 2008, 6:18 PM
Last week yet another Manhattan prostitution ring was busted. Operating out of the reportedly "posh," "plush" and "swanky" Hot Lap Dance Club, the operation run by lawyer Louis Posner catered to the last survivors of a crashing economy, the attorneys and Wall Streeters willing to pay up to $5,000 for some private time with the club's dancers.
A raid on the club's W. 38th St. loft headquarters netted 21 people, including Posner, his wife and 19 other club employees on charges ranging from money laundering to promoting prostitution. Among those arrested were four female dancers.
What was most interesting about this sting is that report after report simply stated that "no client was arrested," "no customer was cuffed." Period. No story detailed why no johns were nabbed, or even explained who the johns were or what they were doing during the raid.
Like so much of the handling of prostitution in the U.S., this latest legal sledgehammer landed nowhere near the protected heads of the johns who keep these businesses afloat.
Since buying sex is just as illegal as selling it in New York City, the johns should not get off scot-free.
In New York City, arrests for prostitution and loitering for purposes of prostitution are made at twice the rate of arrests for patronizing a prostitute. And while more than 50% of those prostitution charges result in convictions, a mere 5% of charges for patronizing do.
The picture is the same or worse nationally. And the women arrested have long included girls under the age of 18. While underage girls are forbidden by law to even consent to sex, they are charged as prostitutes and imprisoned, even as the men who pay to have sex with them - often fully aware and even turned on by the fact that they're underage - rarely set foot in a criminal court. It's time for Gov. Paterson to change this situation and sign the Safe Harbor Act, which would put young girls picked up for prostitution into social programs instead of being arrested.
Doing so would offer these minors a chance at a better life, and would prove to New Yorkers that Paterson cannot be swayed by the position of Mayor Bloomberg, who asserts the only way to keep kids safe and to prevent them from running away from programs is to keep them locked up. And the Safe Harbor Act would be a good complement to New York's new anti-trafficking law, which increased patronizing a prostitute from a Class B to a Class A misdemeanor carrying a maximum one-year prison sentence.
In 1979, Mayor Ed Koch ordered the city-owned radio station WNYC to read the names of convicted johns in a segment he called "The John Hour." While it didn't last, it was at least an attempt to level the playing field.
New York is not alone. A review of prostitution arrests in California's Sacramento County revealed an alarming gender bias. According to arrest data compiled by Sacramento Bee reporters Phillip Reese and Ryan Lillis over three months, Sacramento city police and county sheriff's deputies arrested 210 prostitutes but only two of their customers.
The extraordinarily sexist state of affairs reached its zenith recently when Thomas Athans, husband of Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), was observed by cops entering and leaving a hotel in Troy, Mich., that was under surveillance for prostitution. Athans confessed to paying $150 for oral sex. Athans, 47, was not arrested. The 21-year-old prostitute was. Adding insult to injury, Athans was expected to testify against the woman at her evidentiary hearing! She pleaded guilty, and Athans never had to appear.
In some states, johns can go to john school in exchange for having their arrest records expunged, an option not routinely available to women convicted of prostitution.
After the Hot Lap Dance Club raid, the door to the club was padlocked. According to one report, a "disappointed young customer" standing outside said that the place was "f-----' awesome," and that it was "the greatest establishment."
You have to wonder if he would have felt that way if he were spending the night behind bars.
Bonavoglia, who writes about women's issues, is the author of "Good Catholic Girls: How Women are Leading the Fight to Change the Church."

Alycia Martin Sentenced - HYTA Probation Six Month Term

2008-08-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

Alycia Martin was sentenced on August 12, 2008, on the Troy City ordinance violation of trespassing. Judge Bolle of the 52-4 District Court granted Alycia's attorney's Motion to have her sentenced her under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which allows a defendant to be assigned "youthful trainee" status if the offense was committed before the Defendant's 21st birthday. Alycia was given six months and cannot leave the state other then to attend her father's wedding in Las Vegas, NV. She must also continue her education and seek and maintain employment.

Although not required to speak before her sentencing, Alycia accepted responsibility for her actions in Court. Alycia continues to heal physically, spiritually and emotionally, and the process of accepting responsibility was another major step. Thomas Athans, on the other hand, was not required to appear in Court, face charges, or ever accept responsibility publicly, compliments of the Troy Police Department. In the video clip below, Alycia is asked about her thoughts about the refusal of the Troy Police to arrest, detain or inconvenience Athans. Alycia states that she has forgiven those involved, including the Troy Police involved, and "does not care" about the special treatment afforded Athans.

The picture above was taken just before sentencing. On Alycia's right arm is the bracelet which Julianne Cusumano gave her which reads, "Ask. Believe. Receive." Alycia has never taken this bracelet off since Julianne gave it to her. After sentencing, a tearful Alycia spoke to members of the media. A video clip from Fox 2 Detroit's Taryn Asher is below. Upon completion for the probationary term, this charge will be dismissed with no public record of the arrest or prosecution. Alycia looks forward to rebuilding her life. Alycia is thankful to Judge Bolle (Troy), Judge Faunce (Warren), and Judge Mack (Wayne) and for the thoughts and prayers of those who have followed her case. Her hopes are to continue to live in Southeastern Michigan which she loves.

Michigan does not have a safety net for young people such as Alycia, either privately or publicly funded. In Toledo, OH. the University of Toledo has worked with the University of Michigan to establish "Second Chance," and Portland, Oregon has the Lola Greene Baldwin Foundation. Any persons interested in helping attorney Frank Cusumano, Jr. organize a foundation or non-profit for this purpose, should contact attorney Cusumano at frankcusumano@msn.com.

Click the following link for more information: http://www.change.org/changes/view/2632

Ironically, if Alycia was a few years younger, there would be federal funds and law enforcement action taken against the pimps and handlers, since there are federally funded programs for the protection of minors accused of prostitution.

Julianne Cusumano - Attended Every Hearing in Support of Alycia

2008-08-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

Julianne Cusumano, Attorney Cusumano's wife of 18 years attended every hearing in support of Alycia.

Julianne is protective of Alycia and when Alycia was being hounded by the media and actually struck with a micophone to the face, stepped in shield Alycia from the assault. Julianne is a unique woman, "one in three billion" with whom Attorney Cusumano has four daughters and one son.

Julianne has given advice and counsel to Alycia, and just as important, has talked with her about everyday issues and topics apart from the case. Yes, there is a world out there outside this case, which Alycia lives, and Julianne has kept these facts in perspective and focus.

Job Search and GED Goal Continues

2008-08-04T18:01:00.001-07:00

On July 25, 2008, and July 30, 2008, Alycia filled out job applications in bars and restaurants for any available positions as a server near the sports stadiums and arenas in downtown Detroit. Attorney Cusumano drove her there. Alycia hopes to find a job, buy a car, and rent an apartment or home. Alycia has also enrolled in Michigan Job Corps which will provide the GED review course, and hopefully other opportunities. Alycia is struggling to meet short term financial needs while she continues to rebuild her life. Any persons wishing to help her can make a donation may do so via paypal by clicking on the donation link at the top of the page or send to: supportalyciamartin@gmail.com.

Barring anyone gifting a car to Alycia, she will be saving money for a car. Anyone with a reliable used car can email information and contact frankcusumano@msn.com. Attorney Cusumano and his wife Julianne, have paid to obtain Alycia's birth certificate, Michigan Identification, rented a car for Alycia to take her driving test, paid all her fees at the Secretary of State Office, and driven(at $4.00 per gallon of gas) her between Westland, Troy and Warren on all her cases at no charge. Cusumano has handled all her cases pro-bono and has provided some groceries, an occasional meal, and other sundry assistance. Alycia wants to be financially independent, unfortunately, everyday expenses such as clothing, food and shelter continue to pour in, and without a car Alycia's progress towards that goal is slow. It is now a possibility and not a dream. Alycia's strength and will to improve her life continues to impress all around her. Alycia reminds Cusumano that she decided to make the call to him, and no one should mistake that Frank and Julianne Cusumano are in it with her for the long haul with this young woman.
The picture above is from an evidence CD in the Troy prosecution. Alyica has a natural radiant beauty, and perhaps a modeling career is possible. However, in the short term, as with each of us, the bills need to be paid, so the job search continues.
Persons not familiar or educated in the phenomenon of prostitution, the following is uncanningly illustrative of how, why, when and where these young people get drawn in:
"WHERE THE WORKERS COME FROM"
"The sex industry ultimately is about power. This is best demonstrated by the care with which the industry takes to ensure that those it uses are powerless. The predators are neither irrational nor stupid. They watch carefully for a kind of "victim profile," and avoid anyone who may be uncontrollable or dangerous.
They focus on young people coming out of families that are abusive, disorganized, or non-existent. One fundamental function of the family is protection of its members, especially its children. The family also is a team, and all players must do their jobs. If a member is lost or disabled, others in the extended family or community must step in to carry on. When one or more adults in a family are absent, addicted, mentally ill, or severely demoralized, the children are in danger.When the family is poor, or part of a devalued minority group, and opportunities for education and good jobs are limited, some members of those families may be willing to take risks. If the young people are being terrorized, beaten, or sexually abused by the very people who should be protecting them, many are going to take their chances on the street. For some, nude dancing or even prostitution may look better than no job at all." (excerpt with permission from How Prostitution Works By Joseph Parker, Clinical DirectorThe Lola Greene Baldwin Foundation. 2008)
Alycia was found by, and has found a responsible family/support network which will help her through the troubled waters of her recovery, and not let her drift away again. Although, by accident of birth she is "poor" and not a member of the "nobility," she is still entitled to a life free from fear and degradation. Hopefully, her blood relatives, other then her sister who has always been there for her, will someday reestablish contact.
Sometimes Cusumano calls Alycia and just says hello and asks her how she is doing. Maybe being around normal decent people is all it takes to change a young woman's life.

What the Troy Police Intentionally Inflicted on Alycia Martin, a "little person."

2008-08-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Recently a T-Shirt was put up for sale on the internet. It purports to be directed at Thomas Athans (since no one would even know who Alycia Martin is otherwise) however, Thomas Athans is not mentioned, depicted in picture, or otherwise referenced, on the shirt. This is because Thomas Athans was never charged with any crime stemming from the events of February 26, 2008. This remarkable lack of prosecution and fodder for the media (and this T-Shirt company) is a direct result of the "special treatment" afforded Thomas Athans. There simply is no "mug shot" of Thomas Athans to use. Instead there is only the widely disseminated picture of Alycia Martin which is captioned "The Information Super Ho-Way." Athans is, by virtue of his marriage to U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and/or his failed business venture in Liberal Talk Radio, an "important person" to the media. Since there is no charges against him, Alycia becomes the surrogate "whipping girl."

Lt. Gerry Scherlinck, public relations specialist for the Troy Police Department, released a high resolution digital picture of Martin's booking picture to the media in response to a Freedom of Information Request (FOIA) from the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, for one and one purpose only, to maximize Alycia's exposure to the media, and convict her in the Court of public opinion. Most, if not all police departments release only printed low resolution pictures in response to FOIA requests. This "overkill" is not justifiable under any reasonable circumstances. The Troy Police knew Martin's desperate situation, yet purposefully decided to grind her into the dust. Alycia Martin will survive this assault on her dignity as she survived the other degradations visited upon her. Alycia was supposed to jump bond, but to the surprise of the Troy Police and Thomas Athans appeared in Court to face the charge. Alycia has not missed or been late to a single Court appearance. Alycia refused to disappear into the night, and decided to fight to regain her life against the odds. Attorney Frank Cusumano Jr. has and will continue to stand by her, as he has through her other challenges, in Court and in her life, to help her get back what was lost. Alycia should serve as an inspiration to others in similar straits that they can make positive change and get their lives back.

Predictably, Martin's FOIA requests for documents and for the inspection of things to the City of Troy relative to the investigation and prosecution of Alycia Martin were denied in total. Martin is, of course, a "little person" and is expected to absorb the glare and brunt of negative publicity while Athans, as if nobility, walks away "scot free."

In feudal Europe, nobility could not be punished for their crimes. Usually the nobleman was not charged at all. If charged and after the finding of guilt, the sheriff would pick out a peasant servant or one from the crowd and lash him/her to the whipping post to absorb the beating. This was "punishment" since it was such a "disgrace" and "embarrassment" to the person of noble birth to have to witness such a thing. Nobility could not be touched. Likewise, in People v. Martin, the Troy Police argue that Athans has been "punished" by his embarrassment of having been caught in criminal activity, and having to endure the legal proceedings against Alycia. Athans has not had to defend himself against criminal charges, bears no criminal record, has not been pilloried in the press like Alycia, and was not even forced to testify when Martin called him as a witness in her pretrial Motion to Dismiss. Alycia Martin, who had surprisingly few choices in her life, is portrayed as "evil" and prosecution is necessary for law and order, but the same does not apply to Athans. The founding fathers of this country rejected such notions of entitlement and opted for "equal justice."

It should be noted that U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow has spent a life time of public service to the people of the State of Michigan, and should not be victimized, or her contributions diminished, for the actions of her legal spouse, Athans or the actions of the Troy Police Department relative to their handling of Athans. Misogyny in any form should not be tolerated, and this principal holds for both Stabenow and Martin, irrespective of political, social or economic wealth or influence.

Alycia's survivorship story is on the full blog page. http://www.alyciamartin.blogspot.com/. It is not what the Troy "ministry of public relations" would have you believe. Alycia Martin is a person and she is healing physically, spiritually and emotionally, with the help of those who reached out and would not let go. Alycia is a survivor.

2008-07-23T02:07:00.001-07:00

On July 22, 2008, Alycia Martin received her first full Michigan Driver's License at the Westland Michigan Secretary of State (SOS). The picture at left shows her getting her license photograph taken. Alycia is also now registered to vote and intends to do so in the upcoming presidential election. Given the difficulties reassembling Alycia's birth certificate, identification, and the post 9/11 requirements, Attorney Frank Cusumano, Jr. considers Alycia's Drivers License one of the most important milestones in his representation. After five trips to the Secretary of State's Branch Offices (including obtaining her temporary learner's permit), four appearances in the 37th District Court, rental of a car for her road test, and three calls to the toll free Secretary of States' telephone, Alycia finally got her first driver's license. During the Driver's Road Test Alycia hit the cones twice on the parallel parking, and on the third and last allowable try parked the rental car perfectly. Alycia commented to Cusumano when he dropped her off that afternoon, "I would never have gotten this (my driver's license) if it wasn't for you." Alycia intends to protect her license by driving defensively and carefully.

As of July 22, 2008, Alycia Martin has no warrants or holds for her arrest. She can drive legally without fear of being stopped and arrested by police for driving without a license. MCL 257.904. Alycia would not be considered an "important person" or "politically connected" by police officers, unlike Thomas Athans, so if caught driving without a license would be arrested and hauled off to jail immediately and without hesitation. This is what had occurred in the 37th District, Warren, Michigan case.

Coincidentally, on February 26, 2008, Athans was in violation of the same statute MCL 257.904 when driving while license suspended in Troy on February 26, 2008, as Alycia was charged in Warren, Michigan. Athans was let go at the scene by the Troy Police, and ticketed the next day by certified mail. Secretary of State records show that Athans did not clear his suspension for another two weeks, just before his Court date. Troy police counter that they did not want to pay overtime and, therefore, did not ticket Athans when they "discovered" his license was suspended later that night. The officer that discussed the suspension with Athans in the police patrol car video, according to the official police version, did not inform the officer in charge (the officer that was sitting with Athans at various times in the patrol car video) that Athans had a suspended license. When the mistake was "discovered" it was decided that, rather then pay overtime, the ticket would be written the next day. It is left to the reader whether this version of events is credible. The Troy Police, however, did not mind bringing in two officers at almost 11:00 PM to have Alycia Martin sign a "Consent Forfeiture Agreement" in order to forfeit all the money they seized, $432.00 even though Athans in his confession only claimed to have given Alycia Martin $150. Apparently, this overtime was acceptable. Ultimately, Athans pled to the lesser charge of "no valid operators license in possession" on March 27, 2008, and was fined $75.00 and $40.00 costs for a total of $115.00.

Alycia Martin, in her case in Warren, charged under the same misdemeanor statute as Athans' original DWLS charge, served 22 days in the Macomb County Jail, was charged $660.00 for incarceration, fines and costs in the amount of $750.00 and 25 hours of Community Service. Judge Jennifer Faunce in an act in the service of justice and judicial compassion, suspended the fines and abstracted the file to the Secretary of State, allowing Alycia to have hope of obtaining her driver's license. Judge Jennifer Faunce, a former state prosecutor and State Representative on the House Judiciary Committee, should be lauded for her reasoned judicial temperament in not forcing Alycia into making impossible and destructive choices in order to pay judicially imposed fines and costs in order to avoid more jail time.

Alycia is grateful to all the persons who have assisted her in regaining her life. Alycia now looks forward to becoming gainfully employed, so she can obtain a car, get a home, pay her taxes, vote, and someday have a family and live in the Southeastern Michigan community which she loves.

Background

2008-07-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

On February 26, 2008, Special Investigation (SIU) for the City of Troy, Michigan, initiated a sting operation on a suspected prostitution ring. Detective Mork, an officer which identifies and investigates internet crimes, went to http://www.backpage.com/. On that site Mork alleges to have hit a page which he claimed advertised prostitution. The page was captured and archived at thesmokinggun web site which is hyperlinked below. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0402081stabenow4.html

On February 26, 2008, the SIU officers went to the Residence Inn in Troy and established surveillance on Unit 1822. An officer wanted to be positioned directly west of Unit 1822 and asked the Residence Inn manager for a room to set up surveillance. The units directly west which offered an unobstructed view were all occupied by guests, so the officer had to settle for a unit to the northwest. The view was obstructed by a tree and the roof over the stairs. Not letting this fact get in the way, the detective wrote in the official report that "room 1024, which is positioned directly west of 1822...offers an unobstructed view of the door to the room." The detective was probably just monitoring automobiles which drove up, and assumed if a person exited that the person that he/she was visiting room unit 1822. At approximately 6:05 PM an individual male driving a Silver 4 door Cadillac Deville drove up, exited his vehicle, and went up the stairs. According to the Detective watching the man left approximately 15 minutes later. The official report and a summary (factually flawed and inaccurate as it is) can be viewed at the following site: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0402081stabenow1.html

The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press broke the story in early April after a FOIA request. The story hit the national news cycle immediately and was widely reported based on the reports from these two sources. The occupant of the Cadillac Deville was the legal spouse of U.S. Senator Deborah Stabenow, and no charges of any kind were brought against him relative to this incident. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/02/senators.husband/

Several items should immediately become apparent to a critical reader of the the official report. Many persons reading the news account were angry and disappointed that Athans, the Senator's spouse, was not arrested, charged or otherwise inconvenienced by the police officers and a 20 year old girl was being labelled and vilified in the press. However, what caught attorney Cusumano's eye was the release from the scene of the traffic stop on February 26, 2008 and ticketing of Athans for Driving While License Suspended issued a full day later on February 27, 2008. Had any other person stopped for 15 minutes at a suspected prostitution operation , that person would have been, at the very least, arrested, searched, car impounded, or any combination. If the individual would have been a woman, a minority male, or anyone else other then a "politically connected" and "important person" the suspicion of the SIU would have triggered a complete "forfeiture shake down" of the suspected john/madame/pimp, and a complete search on the car and it's contents and a "charge up" of crimes to the hilt. Additionally, the suspect would have been spun 180 degrees on his/her heels and driven back to the hotel room for live identification of the alleged prostitute.

Other statements by Lt. Scherlinck, public relations specialist of the Troy Police Department, simply did not make sense. On April 3, 2008, Jennifer Chambers of the Detroit News interviewed Lt. Scherlinck of the Troy Police Department. Scherlinck is quoted as stating the following: "Athans fully cooperated with officers during questioning and never identified himself as Stabenow's spouse." Yet the police report indicated that Athans was evasive in his answers. Later the police patrol car Audio/Video showed in the first 30 seconds of the stop, Detective Jones stated to Athans that the car is "not registered" to Athans. Implicit in the conversation is that the registration had been run on the vehicle by Troy Police before the stop and questioning and that Jones was aware of the registration information. Athans responded that the vehicle is registered to"me and my wife Debbie Stabenow." This is in the first 30 seconds of the exchange. Of course, everyone knew who Thomas Athans was and to suggest otherwise is insulting to the intelligence of the public.

Scherlinck continued in the interview that, "He [Athans] was told he would be called as a witness to testify and positively identify the woman if the case goes to trial." In the last several minutes of the audio/video, an officer states (paraphrased) that "we hit them with as much information as possible and they take the ticket and run.. You will probably never hear from us again." In other words, the alleged prostitute is predicted to jump bond and run. Scherlinck continued to spin doctor the story: "There is no hiding it. You have to write a statement and testify in court and your name appears in a police report. According to Scherlinck, as quoted by the Detroit News, after being released, Athans was later issued a ticket by Troy police for driving with a suspended license. The officers who interviewed Athans did not have a computer to check whether Athans' license was valid. A check performed later revealed Athans' license was suspended (DWLS). A ticket was mailed to his address in Lansing." This statement is just plain false. The suspension was discussed with Athans in the patrol car audio/video at the stop and before Athans' release. More plausible and probable is that the police simply gave Athans VIP treatment, by virtue of his marriage to a sitting U.S. Senator.

Some have argued that more disturbing is that Athans is above suspicion and the law. There is no other reasonable explanation for this disparate treatment of a confessed criminal and the Defendant when she is arrested. Peace officers, sworn to enforce the laws of the State of Michigan, do nothing to enforce any of the admitted violations of law committed by Athans. Aside from the prostitution charges waived by the SIU detectives, in a sort of "street justice" the DWLS is open and shut, at the scene of the stop, yet Athans was allowed to drive away, only to be ticketed the next day by certified mail.

The alleged prostitute was not questioned about whether she was, in fact, assaulted by Athans. Athans is above suspicion in the investigation, both at the stop and in the handling of the defendant. Due to the prejudice and VIP treatment of Athans, it is impossible to determine the extent of his criminal activity, other then what he confessed to in his written statement. Here are some sobering statistics from a research study:

82% of these respondents reported having been physically assaulted since entering prostitution of these 55% had been assaulted by customers;

88% had been physically threatened while in prostitution;

83% had been physically threatened with a weapon;

68% reported having been raped since entering prostitution;

48% had been raped more than five times; and

46% those who reported rapes stated that they had been raped by customers.

Source http://womensissues.about.com/od/rapesexualassault/a/Wuornos.htm

Ms. Martin was not allowed to be medically examined, nor questioned in any manner relative to the activities of Athans. The investigation began and ended with the goal of punishing the alleged prostitute. To date, no disciplinary action has been taken or is known to be contemplated against any of the officers involved in this inaction either at the stop of Athans or at the arrest of Alycia Martin by the Troy Police Department which tacitly approves this conduct.

Athans was released "scot free" after a slight delay and sent on his way. Any Michigan resident knows the route he was taking on north I-75 would not have been the most direct route to Athans' home in Lansing; that direct route from downtown Detroit being I-96. Wherever he was going that night, he was sent on his way, with his car and suspended license in hand. Subsequent investigation showed that he was never even threatened with arrest or prosecution on the prostitution issue or the DWLS. Athans vehicle was stopped several cities away from the Troy City limits up I-75. The dialogue between the officers and Athans is congenial and friendly. It is openly discussed, as the officer in the patrol car runs Athans, that he has a suspended license out of the District Court in Charlotte, Michigan. Athans is not arrested, ticketed or detained. Athans' car, at least should have been impounded. At one point the officers and Athans share a laugh about the time it took him, according to Athans, to copulate compared to the timing the SIU officers took. After giving a witness statement the Detectives reassured him that "we hit them with all the information..and they always run." This means that the alleged prostitutes are, according to the officer, supposed to jump bond and become fugitive. Athans was told "you will never hear from us again..." before being escorted back to his Cadillac Deville. An officer shakes his hand and Athans is allowed to drive away on a suspended license. This must have made Athans very happy.

Attorney Cusumano, like many persons reading the story, was outraged and began to write on a blog hosted at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/. Although not actively practicing for almost 10 years, he read a post, before her scheduled Court date of April 22, 2008, in which the family of Alycia Martin said she had disappeared before her scheduled Court date. This page was still active as of August 8, 2008. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/02/alycia-martin-alleged-pro_n_94706.html. April 22, 2008 came and went and Alycia Martin did not appear for her Troy Court date. A warrant was issued for her arrest. Cusumano e-mailed the address posted and contacted a family member that had contact with Alycia. Cusumano agreed to represent her pro bono if she decided to turn herself in. Cusumano agreed that if she called, he would pick her up immediately and take her to a place of safety and present her to the various Court where she had warrants, and ultimately to the 52-3 District Court in Troy, Michigan. Cusumano, as all other members of the State Bar of Michigan is listed as an active member in good standing and the relatives confirmed his identity. Martin had two other cases, one in Warren, Michigan for DWLS (the same charge as Athan's coincidentally) and one in Wayne for Minor in Possession of Alcohol.

On April 28, 2008, Cusumano received a call from an aunt of Alycia that lived in New England. The aunt indicated that Alycia had told her she was being moved from hotel to hotel, Alycia had not been given food for two days, and was told she was to be transported out of the state of Michigan a fugitive by a handler. Alycia had called her and said she wanted to turn herself in. This was the first and most important step in her recovery and survivorship.

Cusumano, true to his word, left his work and picked her up at a hotel in Roseville, Michigan. Due to the late hour, it was impossible to bring her into Court that day. Additionally, Ms. Martin's entire worldly possessions fit into a single athletic bag. This is one of the rules of the "game," if you leave, you will leave destitute. Cusumano called his wife, Julianne, and after getting Ms. Martin's clothing size, Mrs. Cusumano went to a store and purchased clothing for Ms. Martin to wear both in and out of Court. Cusumano then told Ms. Martin that she could go anywhere she wanted to eat, and she chose Red Lobster, which is the highest end fine dining she had ever known. After getting her a meal she was dropped off at a safe location for the night.

The next day, April 29, 2008, Alycia was given her clothes Julianne Cusumano had purchased for her and after stopping for breakfast, Ms. Martin was presented at the Wayne District Court. It was thought on a warrant for her arrest. The clerk simply looked down and checked off Martin's name on a list at the Clerk of the Court window. Cusumano asked, "what is that list? She is here on a warrant." "No she isn't, today is her Court date on the Probation violation," replied the Clerk. Cusumano had repeatedly told Martin that there was a "slim chance" she could stay out of jail. The only reason to allow her to stay out was that she now had an attorney representing her. Hopefully, it would be different, Cusumano told her, "you have me standing next to you, I have a "P" [law license for State Bar of Michigan] number." In fact, her Wayne hearing was scheduled for that day. There were repeated indications over the course of this case that indicate providence was at work in helping Ms. Martin through this period in her life. Martin was sent down to probation met with Amy, the probationary officer, and went before Judge Laura Mack of the 29th Dirict Court. Cusumano overheard Amy tell Alycia, "whatever has happened in the past is in the past, today and tomorrow are up to you," and recommended dismissal of the entire case. Judge Mack showed some compassion which Alycia had never experienced from the judicial system. Mack closed the case, saying to Ms. Martin, "you have bigger fish to fry in Troy. Good luck to you."

Cusumano acknowledged that Martin had a warrant in Troy, but Mack, on Cusumano's word as an officer of the Court, declined to have her arrested on the spot. "We are on our way to Troy," Cusumano assured the Court, and the Court listened. Next stop was Warren's 37th District Court, where Judge Jennifer Faunce, recalled the warrant from that Court. Finally, came Troy.

Comment: Attorney Cusumano on Pro Bono Work

2008-07-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

Everytime I leave Alycia she says "thank you." After a hearing in the 37th District Court, Warren, Michigan she thanked my wife, Julianne, and me as Alycia and two of our five children ate lunch together. Alycia said, "if it wasn't for you two, I would still be in that hotel room." I thank her, and God, for allowing me to represent her. It is an honor, and I think I did some good with a law license which rarely sees the light of day for the last decade. Observers think this case is about legal issues. I commented to a close police officer friend that I can write a legal brief, but the real challenge is to help Alycia solve the problems which young women like Alycia face daily. One of my first conversations with Alycia highlighted the problem. "I have a roof over my head, and food in my stomach," she said. This was the life fraction, basic sustenance. Alycia had run away from the "game" only to spend the night outdoors in freezing weather. She went back and resigned herself to do what she was told. There is simply nothing available to help these young people (women and men) trapped in a similiar endless cycle, of homelessness, with no support from family, brushes with the law, and finally fear. Fear of evil handlers. Fear of the johns. Fear of the police. Surrounded by false friends and false pride. As the economy continues to collapse in Southeastern Michigan, the ranks of these lost souls continue to increase. If nothing else, keep them in your prayers.

Helping Alycia has taken some money to purchase essentials such as clothes and food. There are also miscellaneous fees for the Secretary of State to empower Alycia away from dependency. But, bottom line, without some money Alycia can't break this cycle. A person needs a driver's license to and from a job. I am thankful for the kind heart and generosity of my wife, Julianne who has reached out to Alycia. Julianne has attended every hearing and sits in support of Alycia. Alycia wears a silver bracelet which was a gift from my wife. It is engraved with: "Ask. Believe. Receive." Through everything, Alycia has never taken it off. When Alycia turned 21, the only presents she received was from my wife. People ask my wife and I whether the time and energy is worth it. I think the pictures on this blog answer that question. Frank Cusumano, Jr.

Excerpted from pleading filed in People v. Martin, Case 080001038 OM, 52-4 District Court, Troy, Michigan
Alycia Martin was charged with the crime of prostitution. A 90 days misdemeanor is a crime, and City Attorney for Troy attempts to minimize it’s significance and effect. For most common everyday people a criminal conviction and incarceration for even a short period result is severe and dire consequences. Most ordinary working people lose their jobs immediately. Working class people for the most part have little money saved, eviction from rented properties, automobile repossession, and family trauma follow quickly. Most are forced to plead guilty or face these unimaginable losses.

The implication that Alycia Martin has little or nothing, and therefore should not be afforded a credible vigorous defense (and the means by which to assert such defenses) further underscores the perceived disparity between the monied haves and the have nots when it comes to the law in the perception of the general populace. Legally certain jobs may never be available to the convicted person. The crime Defendant is charged with is still widely considered a burden which many women never recover. A Google search of "Alycia Martin" and the variations of the word "prostitute" and "prostitution" returned 423,000 hits as of May 22, 2008. This 20 years old young woman deserves a chance to test this case and, at least in the eyes of the law, clear herself if the charges where doubtful, unfounded or obtained by police conduct outside the bounds of legally acceptable law enforcement.

This is her right and this is each member of the bar’s responsibility involved in this case to see that she is allowed to fully exercise that right should she so choose. Defendant’s counsel is keenly aware that this case should reflect the highest standards, in order to make clear that, in a Court of Law in this State, all parties are treated fairly and equally, irrespective of limited financial means or perceived wealth and political power.

Confessed Crimes by Thomas Athans - No Charges

2008-07-18T04:17:00.000-07:00

THE USERS

"No business can afford to create a product for which there are no buyers. The first step in understanding the sex industry is to understand the customers, the johns.

Real sexual relationships are not hard to find. There are plenty of adults of both sexes who are willing to have sex if someone treats them well, and asks. But there lies the problem. Some people do not want an equal, sharing relationship. They do not want to be nice. They do not want to ask. They like the power involved in buying a human being who can be made to do almost anything.

The business of prostitution and pornography is the use of real human beings to support the fantasies of others. Anyone working in prostitution who tells a john too much about who they really are, interferes with the fantasy. They risk losing a customer, and may get a beating as well. In real relationships with real people, you are stuck with the limitations of who you are, who your partner is, and what you can do together without hurting each other.

Some people do not want real relationships, or feel entitled to something beyond the real relationships they have. They want to play "super stud and sex slave" or whatever, inside their own heads. If they need to support their fantasies with pictures, videotapes, or real people to abuse, the sex trade is ready to supply them.

For a price, they can be "a legend in their own minds."

The most common type of prostitution customer is the user. He is quite self-centered, and simply wants what he considers to be his needs met. The user would deny any intent to harm anyone, and might even claim some empathy for the sex workers he uses. However, his empathy does not extend to discontinuing his using behavior, nor to helping anyone escape from the sex industry. He does not care whether the person he is using is unwilling or unusually vulnerable. He simply feels entitled to whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. If someone is hurt, that is not his problem. He feels that the fee he pays covers any damages.

He sees himself as a respectable person, and works to protect that appearance. Users provide a large, safe, and steady income for the pimps and other "businessmen," of the sex industry. "

(excerpt with permission from How Prostitution Works, By Joseph Parker, Clinical DirectorThe Lola Greene Baldwin Foundation) http://www.prostitutionrecovery.org/how_prostitution_works.html

Many find the double standard applied in this case to be controversial and highly offensive to common perceptions of law enforcement and justice. Even if one were to blindly accept the contention of the Troy Police that charging an alleged prostitute while releasing the alleged john "scot free" is a legitimate law enforcement technique (which is not followed by any other neighboring jurisdictions) the "smoking gun" which should raise eyebrows and hints at the true motive behind the kid glove treatment of Athans, Senator Stabenow's spouse, is revealed by the Troy Police allowing him to drive away on a suspended license on February 26, 2008, after the stop on Northbound I-75. Any other citizen would have, at least, had the automobile impounded and been ticketed. Athans is never handcuffed or made uncomfortable.

The Troy police involved in this investigation take Athans' confession, then during one of the many relaxed and congenial moments of familiarity and levity in the patrol car, share a laugh on the length of time it allegedly took Athans (according to Athans) to copulate. Athans: "the whole thing took fifteen minutes." Police: "Yeah, we timed it." [Laughter]
In a final gesture of respect, and concern, one of the officers escorts and helps Athans back to his automobile (it was icy out). After some more friendly conversation/gestures, and in a final act of fealty, the officer actually shakes Athans' hand. Athans then gets into his Cadillac Deville and drives away. Investigation reveals that Athans did not clear his suspended license for another 14 days, and if he drove, continued to do so on the suspension.

Several hours later Alycia Martin was arrested at the room where Athans alleged he had committed his crimes, and was handcuffed tightly and transported back to the Troy Police Department. At the station, Ms. Martin visibly winces in pain as her arms, with hands still cuffed, are forced upward as she is searched, processed and booked at the Troy Police Department. Alycia does not cry because she is has convinced herself she is "tough."
THE VIDEO VIGILANTE - TIME FOR ONE IN SE MICHIGAN?
In Oaklahoma City one citizen fed up with lack enforcement and the soft treatment of Johns by local law enforcement took matters into his own hands. The "Video Vigilante" has become somewhat of a celebrity in his own right, with appearances on national talk shows, a web site, and multiple posts on Youtube.

In any event, below is a list of the crimes the Senator's husband allegedly confessed to committing to the Troy Police Officers in the witness statement and orally on February 26, 2008. Athans was not arrested by the police, nor has the City Attorney of Troy, Oakland County Prosecutor's Office or the State Attorney General, in their discretion, chosen to charge him.

State of Michigan Laws

MCL 750.158 Crime against nature or sodomy (Felony)
Any person who shall commit the abominable and detestable crime against nature either with mankind or with any animal shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison not more than 15 years, or if such person was at the time of the said offense a sexually delinquent person, may be punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for an indeterminate term, the minimum of which shall be 1 day and the maximum of which shall be life.

MCL 750.167 “Disorderly person” (Misdemeanor)
(1) A person is a disorderly person if the person is any of the following:
(i) A person found loitering in a house of ill fame or prostitution or place where prostitution or lewdness is practiced, encouraged, or allowed.
(j) A person who knowingly loiters in or about a place where an illegal occupation or business is being conducted.

MCL 750.448 Soliciting, accosting, or inviting to commit prostitution or immoral act; crime;
A person 16 years of age or older who accosts, solicits, or invites another person in a public place or in or from a building or vehicle, by word, gesture, or any other means, to commit prostitution or to do any other lewd or immoral act, is guilty of a crime punishable as provided in section 451.
MCL 750.449a Engaging services for purposes of prostitution, lewdness, or assignation, offer to engage, penalty; (penalty provisions found at MCL 750.451)
Any male person who engages or offers to engage the services of a female person, not his wife, for the purpose of prostitution, lewdness or assignation, by the payment in money or other forms of consideration, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Penalties

MCL 750.451 Violation of §§ 750.448, 750.449, 750.449a, 750.450, or 750.462; prior convictions; penalty; definition.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person convicted of violating section 448, 449, 449a, 450, or 462 is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 93 days or a fine of not more than $500.00, or both.

Troy City Ordinance Violations

98.03.11 Frequent Place of Illegal Business.
No person shall knowingly attend, frequent, operate or be an occupant or resident of any place where any illegal business or occupation is permitted or conducted by the owner or occupant of the premises. A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 90 days or by a fine of not more than $500, or both.

98.03.12 Solicit Illegal Acts.
No person shall solicit or accost any person for the purpose of inducing the commission of any illegal or immoral act. A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 90 days or by a fine of not more than $500, or both.

98.03.10 Transport to Place of Illegal Acts.
No person shall knowingly transport any person to a place where prostitution or gambling is practiced, encouraged, or allowed for the purpose of enabling a person to engage in gambling, prostitution, or any illegal or immoral act. A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 90 days or by a fine of not more than $500,or both.

NOTE: Alycia Martin confessed to nothing, yet is routinely portrayed as a "prostitute." This allegation has never been proven in a Court of Law and in fact she has never been identified by Athans as the woman he allegedly had committed his extra-marital sex act. Athans, on the other hand, openly confessed, yet is never referenced as a criminal. In an Orwellian - Kafkesque twist Athans is portrayed as a victim of an "evil" woman.

Of course, Athans is presumed innocent, even with his written confession, until guilt is proven in a Court of Law. Given his political status, and the position of his spouse, it appears Athans will never be charged with anything in a Court of Law. Alycia Martin was not afforded the presumption of innocence by the press, but willingly affirms it for Athans.

Witness Local and National Headline: "Hooker Causes Heartache to Senator Stabenow, " and "Accused Hooker pleads Guilty." Even to date Martin is described in derogatory terms, while Athans is never referenced as "accused john" or criminal in any manner. http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/062008/loc_localn02.shtml

Post Plea Comment by Attorney Cusumano

2008-07-18T04:14:00.000-07:00

Grief of the Survivor of Prostitution.
excerpt from "Prostitution-induced Changes in Emotion: the Dance of Rage and Grief," by Joseph Parker, Clinical Director The Lola Greene Baldwin Foundation

"It is easy to forget that, while all these bad things are going on, a whole range of normal and good things are not.

Prostituted people pass through the same world everyone else does. They go to stores, pass by schools, and see people living in houses and driving cars. They are aware that, by their 20's, most people have some degree of education, a job, a house and a car, perhaps a spouse and children, a pet, or whatever portion of those things they may choose.

Most people are free of compulsive alcohol and drug use, are free to go wherever they want without the permission of the criminal justice system, and are allowed to keep most of the money they earn. They see others treated as people, not things to be used, hurt, or stolen from. They watch all this as if through a wall of glass, able to see, but not able to touch.

They grieve for all that the have lost, including good health, children, and a normal identity, as well as for all the things they never had, but see that others take for granted.There is a difference between grief and depression. Most survivors have depression, and respond to treatment for it, but even the best treatment cannot give back the things they have lost. People grieving the expectable losses of normal life usually can count on the support of others, because others can understand the losses, and know that they could have or have had similar losses themselves.

Grieving survivors of prostitution are isolated because they dare not tell anyone how they lost what they lost. They justifiably fear that they will be told that they brought the losses on themselves, and even deserved them.The intensity of the grief is another problem. People who have had luckier lives often choose not to tolerate contact with that degree of distress, and withdraw from the survivor, whether or not they even know that the losses are prostitution related.

The pain must be managed some way to survive. The crude way is with alcohol and drugs, but that method is retraumatizing because of what is involved in obtaining and using them. They trigger intrusive recollections and flashbacks of bad things that happened previously, related to substance use. The chemicals may "release" feelings and behaviors which are even more painful or destructive than those the substances were being used to control."

full article http://www.prostitutionrecovery.org/emotional_state.html

Next post... Athans' confessed crimes with no charges whatsoever.