Shocking video shows sex workers solicit customers outside California elementary school

Shocking images show women who appear to be sex workers walking up and down a stretch of street in front of a Catholic elementary school in California.

Dozens of videos captured by ABC News’ I-Team show women outside St. Anthony’s in Oakland soliciting customers in cars parked outside the school gate.

The video aired just 30 days after California passed a new bill decriminalizing loitering for prostitution under Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The Democratic lawmaker who sponsored the bill told ABC7 that under the old system, people were unfairly targeted based on their appearance, which would disproportionately affect transgender people.

Senator Scott Wiener went on to deny any claim that the prevalence of sex workers outside of school was caused by his bill, which went into effect on January 1. Instead, he argued that the problem has been a problem for decades.

Weiner’s SB357 struck down existing laws that made loitering to solicit prostitution illegal. Prostitution in general is still illegal in California.

But other community members suggested that the phenomenon of sex workers loitering on Oakland’s East 15th Street is a phenomenon made worse by construction that brought them to the residential area where the schools are located.

“We don’t want our students to witness the dangers of human trafficking,” said Rodney Pierre-Antoine, who oversees several Catholic elementary schools, including St. Anthony’s.

St. Anthony Parish has been a part of the East Oakland community for over 150 years.

When asked by ABC’s Stephanie Sierra if the police patrol the area outside the school on a daily basis, she simply said, “They’re present.”

Pierre-Antoine also stated that the police have not been able to police properly due to the introduction of the new bill. “With the passage of the loitering bill, their hands are kind of in handcuffs,” he said.

‘That is absolutely wrong, SB 357 has been in effect for 30 days. This problem has been around much longer,” Weiner said.

‘The hands of the police are not tied. They can arrest people for soliciting, they can cite vehicles stopped in the middle of the street, they can arrest customers, they can arrest pimps. If they have reason to believe that a solicitation is taking place, they can arrest them for solicitation,” he said.

St. Anthony Parish has been a part of the East Oakland community for over 150 years.

Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, who sponsored SB 357 that decriminalized loitering for the purpose of prostitution, insisted that the bill does not prevent police from addressing the problem.

By contrast, Rodney Pierre-Antoine, who oversees a group of Catholic schools including St. Anthony’s, says police have their hands “somewhat tied.”

He said that the old legislation was problematic and discriminatory. “What he did was allow a police officer to arrest a person not because of what he did, but just because of what he looked like,” he said.

That meant police were targeting people because they were wearing tight clothing, high heels and extra lipstick, he said.

However, Weiner acknowledged the fears of parents who are concerned that their children are exposed to prostitution so close to the school.

‘That video is very worrying. We don’t want schools asking for sex work,” she said. He also accused the police of using his bill as an excuse for failing to properly clean up the area.

“I think it’s a frank joke that the police say that this law, which is completely new, is somehow to blame,” he told ABC7.

Community members, including parish priest Ghebriel Woldai, told the channel that the problems run deeper and that the influx of pimps has also led to a rise in violent crime and clashes between pimps and gang members.

“If there is a violent shooting, sometimes we experience that type, it scares me a lot,” Father Ghebriel said. “We feel powerless, we just pray.”

St. Anthony Parish Father Ghebriel Woldai said he feels powerless to fix the situation outside the school gates and has no choice but to pray.

In a statement to ABC7, the Oakland Police Department said it had deployed additional patrols to the area and was actively addressing the issue.

The police department also said it was implementing a ‘Dear John Letter’ strategy to address the problem and discourage clients from visiting the neighborhood and requesting sex workers.

‘OPD also uses different programs such as the Dear John letter. These letters are compiled from citizens reporting vehicle license plates in high crime and loitering areas in the city of Oakland.

“This letter is written to warn and not to accuse the driver of engaging in illegal activities, but to inform the owner that the car was seen in known prostitution areas,” they wrote.