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January 2007
Is prostitution prevalent in Gwinnett?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The phrase “sex sells” usually has to do with advertising.
The Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue, for example, is full of scantily clad twenty-somethings using our hormones to control us like puppets so we will fill our closets with their clothes.
I personally read it for the articles. (Oh, wait, there are no articles, ahem.)
And we can’t forget the Calvin Klein models who apparently are told to not leave much to the imagination.
But I’m not going to complain.
“Sex sells” now seems to have taken a more literal meaning here in Gwinnett, where the world’s oldest profession seems to be thriving.
As of Nov. 21, 2006, Gwinnett County had prosecuted 81 prostitution cases. And nearly two out of three prostitution arrests last year came out of Gwinnett Village.
As a matter of fact, one of the first acts of the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District was to clear some underbrush from an area near I-85 and Indian Trail Lilburn Road known for squatters, drug dealers and prostitutes.
Approximately 125 people were arrested for offering to pay for sex last year in the area of Brook Hollow Parkway and Indian Trail Lilburn Road.
In December, the AJC Gwinnett News Gwinnett reported that Norcross Police monitors Craigs-list ads that offer “erotic services” in exchange for “125 kisses” or “150 roses” as a donation for an hour of service.
More recently, Lisa Ann Taylor, a former Penthouse Pet who is now being called the “Mansion Madam”, has been charged with running a call-girl operation from her upscale Sugarloaf Country Club home. Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter has said she and Nicole A. Probert charged as much as $5,000 to $10,000 for sex acts.
Porter says the women’s customers are doctors, lawyers and businessmen.
It sounds like the perfect script for a modern version of the Dolly Parton/Burt Reynolds classic, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” doesn’t it?
Given her recent antics, I think Britney Spears has appropriately positioned herself to play Lisa Ann Taylor in the role of the movie musical “The Mansion Madam of Sugarloaf.”
To research her role Britney should follow “Miss Lisa Ann” around as the former Penthouse Pet visits dance clubs in Detroit and her native Canada to raise funds to pay her legal fees.
Seriously though, if appearances (and police) are correct, Gwinnett has an emerging growth industry. Investors would be drooling at the thought of the revenue that could be generated - if it were legal, of course.
Are you surprised about reports of prostitution in Gwinnett? Do you think it’s prevalent here? Who would you cast in the movie musical “The Mansion Madam of Sugarloaf”?
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Do you favor an immigration ordinance for Gwinnett’s landlords?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
People feel passionately about illegal immigration in Gwinnett, judging by comments posted on this blog.
Many of you blame a lot of our county’s problems on it.
For instance, when I asked “Who is committing the crimes in Gwinnett?”
Someone who used the initials “SBW” wrote: “I have daily e-mails sent to me about all arrests in my county via “scangwinnett” (an online police scanning site). 99% of them are Hispanic and many times 100% of them are Hispanic. That’s not being racial…that’s a FACT.”
When I asked “What code violators would you report?”
Someone who used the name “Meg” wrote: “It seems laws only apply to average American citizens and not to immigrants or the slave traders who hire them.”
When I said “Gwinnett’s growing population needs traffic relief,” I got this response from “EX Gwinnettian:”
“The illegal population had brought a big influx of traffic to Gwinnett. If they would do something about the clunkers without tags, etc. there might be less traffic. The illegals have also brought an extra “rush hour” traffic….around 8 pm after the construction jobs close.”
It sounds like you’re fed up and want something done about it.
Cherokee County recently passed an ordinance that would require landlords to gather and keep information on renters. When asked by the county, they would have to turn the information over for verification of legal status with federal databases, according to AJC reports.
Landlords who rent to illegal immigrants would risk have business licenses suspended. (Cherokee County commissioners also made English the official language of the county.)
But lawsuits filed against the ordinance have so far kept the county from enforcing it because of the threat of high legal bills.
I bet counties around the state, including Gwinnett, are watching closely to see how this story will play out. If this ordinance survives, there is little doubt that other counties will enact their own versions.
Gwinnett cannot control or enforce who crosses our borders, but if the common theme is “We want them out,” perhaps the county should look for way to make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to live and work in Gwinnett.
But before you decide if Gwinnett should have a similar ordinance, I would ask you to consider two things:
Such an ordinance would mean that people would give up rights as private property owners.
And it would mean further governmental intervention in your lives, which, judging from your comments to this blog, is something you are vehemently against.
I’m sure I know the answer already, but would you support a similar measure here in Gwinnett County?
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Trash talk: Mandatory recycling in Gwinnett?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Gwinnett County Commission recently took a fact-finding trip to Fairfax County, Virginia, a county similar to Gwinnett in size, population and location within a major metropolitan area.
The matters discussed included transportation, economic development, education and healthcare.
Fairfax has a very innovative program that, unfortunately, was not a part of the discussion.
It should have been.
In 1988 Fairfax County began a pilot program that in 1992 became a mandatory recycling program throughout the county.
It’s a simple process. Trash is separated into two containers. Fiber products are placed in one container, such as newspaper, cereal boxes and cardboard. Plastic, metal and glass are put in the other container.
From there, the recyclable materials are delivered to a privately owned Materials Recovery Facility then sorted by type and, in the case of glass, color. After that, they are processed and prepared for sale to recyclable materials brokers or directly to manufacturers.
For example, fiber products are sold to Capitol Fiber. It sells the recycled paper to Canusa Fibers, which then produces newsprint purchased by the Washington Post. Thereby “a clear product life cycle” is created for newsprint widely circulated in Fairfax County,” said Merni Fitzgerald, director of public affairs for Fairfax County.
Fairfax County currently recycles approximately 30 percent (over 400,000 tons annually) of all solid waste generated within the county.
Aside from the 400,000 tons of solid waste Fairfax recycles annually, Fitzgerald says the program has led to several benefits, including:
Reduced impact on air, water and soil because recyclables are not sent to a landfill.
A reduced need to use paper products, therefore reduced emissions from paper pulping plants and paper mills, many of which are located in Virginia.
Less timber extraction.
Learning opportunities for school-age children in the county.
Offset tipping fees for the disposal of trash (currently $46.95/ton)
I would encourage the Gwinnett County Commission to take a very close look at this program and consider implementing it countywide. Perhaps someday, Gwinnett can reduce its need for four landfills.
What amount of recycling do you do in your home or office now? Would you support a mandatory recycling program similar to Fairfax County’s?
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