17 states demand Craigslist ban erotic services ads

17 attorney generals sent a joint letter to Craigslist (or: Craig's List) this week demanding founder Craig Newmark take down his site's Erotic Services sections.

The letter mentions the "Craigslist Killer," who committed suicide in jail last week, and other incidences of the site being used for heinous crimes. But, being mostly conservatives, the attorney generals are really concerned about all the female flesh up for rent, which offends their sensibilities. (Oh, and something about a child trafficking something something.)

"Only Craigslist has the power to stop these ads before they are even published," Kansas attorney general Steve Six said. "Sadly, they are completely unwilling to do so.

"No amount of money, however, can justify the scourge of illegal prostitution and the suffering of the women and children who will continue to be victimized, in the market and trafficking provided by Craigslist," the letter said. [NPR]

Think about it, though: closing down Craigslist's hooker pages does not stop prostitution or even child trafficking, it simply scatters them to smaller, harder-to-find sites. At least this way, cops can still set up stings and bust up the trafficking rings. Of course, Craigslist might try to be a bit more helpful by making anyone posting in erotic services -- besides a casual encounters/free sex poster -- register with the site. Of course that'll never happen.

Via.

Image.