Hotel--Men Only

[URA]

These are pictures I took in downtown Chicago, just off Van Buren St., fairly close to Millennium Park. A sign like this screams "Prostitution!", but far more concerning is the amount of prostitutes who aren't there by choice**.

[UPDATE: I was informed by a user who knows this particular hotel that it is for men who are one step away from homelessness. I will still leave everything about this post here, because this still includes information that people need to know, but near as I can tell, this is not a case of trafficking. I suppose this also highlights the importance to communicate; by sharing these pictures online, I was able to find out that it is likely benign.]

Finding this to be suspicious, I took the pictures & sent them to the National Human Trafficking Hotline* ("human trafficking" being the fancy way to say "slavery"). I didn't have any evidence of forced commercial sex, just a suspicion, although it certainly was active, with a man walking in, 2 men walking out, and a man walking in, all within the few minutes I was there. (This sort of information has no conclusive information in itself, but a large database like the National Human Trafficking Hotline could piece together enough information to investigate; an alert that the place is active may help them get a fuller idea of the place).

I share this to show an example of things to be suspicious of; this hotel likely rents out rooms by the hour, and with the only people coming in & out being men who seemed to know nothing of each other, they were likely "Johns", people who buy prostitutes. Any indicator that someone was under the control of someone else would have been worthy of reporting to the Hotline as well; airline workers & hospital staff in particular are being trained to look for someone who seems to be controlled by another, especially a young woman with an older man, although women can be traffickers, as well**.

Please share any tips & experiences you may have regarding these situations.

Also, please pray for everyone involved in this wicked industry; for the vast amount of people who just don't realize that prostitutes (and strippers and porn actors) are rarely there by choice; for those who walk by, scared to do anything; for a change of heart in those who exploit others; for those who want to/already do fight against this crime on the front lines; and for the safety, hope, and recovery of the victims. Lord, have mercy!

*Report Trafficking ; any information can also be e-mailed to them at help@humantraffickinghotline.org.

**More information: Data on Human Trafficking

And if you (understandably) feel confused about how something like this could happen in a high-population, high-traffic area, this short video really helps show how slaves can be moved all around us, without being seen:

Please never lose hope, never stop praying, and never get so caught up in the fight against evil that you lose sight of the good! May God bless us all!

 

[Desk trauma]

The hysteria and paranoia that is starting to surround this reminds me of the satanic ritual abuse panic.

 

[Jonaitis]

Is this the same Wayne and Randy Cohen from Hardcore Pawn: Chicago? It looks like it is neighbors with a Pawn shop. Theirs was called "Royal Pawn Shop."

 

[Darkhorse]

I have heard of women's hotels in some large cities (women only).

I think it was an effort to enhance safety and minimize the chances of illicit use by unmarried couples (prostitution, etc.).

Couldn't a men's hotel exist for the same reason (no couples)?

I've stayed in hotels and motels where prostitution was one of the "optional services" they offered - they weren't single-sex businesses.

 

[Arcangl86]

I know this hotel. It caters to men who are one step away from being homeless.

 

[Silverback]

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These are pictures I took in downtown Chicago, just off Van Buren St., fairly close to Millennium Park. A sign like this screams "Prostitution!", but far more concerning is the amount of prostitutes who aren't there by choice**.

Finding this to be suspicious, I took the pictures & sent them to the National Human Trafficking Hotline* ("human trafficking" being the fancy way to say "slavery"). I didn't have any evidence of forced commercial sex, just a suspicion, although it certainly was active, with a man walking in, 2 men walking out, and a man walking in, all within the few minutes I was there. (This sort of information has no conclusive information in itself, but a large database like the National Human Trafficking Hotline could piece together enough information to investigate; an alert that the place is active may help them get a fuller idea of the place).

I share this to show an example of things to be suspicious of; this hotel likely rents out rooms by the hour, and with the only people coming in & out being men who seemed to know nothing of each other, they were likely "Johns", people who buy prostitutes. Any indicator that someone was under the control of someone else would have been worthy of reporting to the Hotline as well; airline workers & hospital staff in particular are being trained to look for someone who seems to be controlled by another, especially a young woman with an older man, although women can be traffickers, as well**.

Please share any tips & experiences you may have regarding these situations.

Also, please pray for everyone involved in this wicked industry; for the vast amount of people who just don't realize that prostitutes (and strippers and porn actors) are rarely there by choice; for those who walk by, scared to do anything; for a change of heart in those who exploit others; for those who want to/already do fight against this crime on the front lines; and for the safety, hope, and recovery of the victims. Lord, have mercy!

*Report Trafficking ; any information can also be e-mailed to them at help@humantraffickinghotline.org.

**More information: Data on Human Trafficking

And if you (understandably) feel confused about how something like this could happen in a high-population, high-traffic area, this short video really helps show how slaves can be moved all around us, without being seen:

Please never lose hope, never stop praying, and never get so caught up in the fight against evil that you lose sight of the good! May God bless us all!

it could be a human trafficking situation, it could also be a location where gay men go for anonymous sexual encounters.

It could also be a tenament location where men live, before they hit rock bottom and end up homeless.

Other possibilities could be a drug selling location, or, organized crime.

Hard to say, but you did a responsible thing.

 

[Speedwell]

It could also be a tenament location where men live, before they hit rock bottom and end up homeless.

And it says "men only" to keep the hookers out. Sorry, nothing to appeal to the prurient here. Just men down on their luck.

 

[Arcangl86]

I used to be part of a ministry that would walk downtown Chicago and give sack lunchs to people who needed them. We stopped at that hotel every week and it was bad.

 

[DaisyDay]

I used to be part of a ministry that would walk downtown Chicago and give sack lunchs to people who needed them. We stopped at that hotel every week and it was bad.

Bad in what way?

 

[Arcangl86]

Bad in what way?

Men packed in like sardines with the "rooms" being cots separated by chicken wire.

 

[URA]

I know this hotel. It caters to men who are one step away from being homeless.

Thank you for sharing; I told the people from the Hotline what you said about this being a place for nearly homeless men. That would fit with how weird some of the men seemed, and would also provide an explanation for it being people coming in & out one at a time.

I know that I have a passion for finding & fighting human trafficking, and I also know that I am new at this & likely to make mistakes. Thank you for helping me learn.

 

[URA]

I've stayed in hotels and motels where prostitution was one of the "optional services" they offered - they weren't single-sex businesses.

If you don't mind me asking (and if you do, I suppose you can just ignore my question), what's it like to stay at a place where you know prostitution is happening?

 

[Darkhorse]

If you don't mind me asking (and if you do, I suppose you can just ignore my question), what's it like to stay at a place where you know prostitution is happening?

The only thing I noticed was an unusual amount of sound coming through the walls from other rooms. It's not like the halls were full of hookers, just a greater-than-usual level of "activity".

Many hotels in Las Vegas used to have prostitutes available; I don't know how it is now.

 

[URA]

The hysteria and paranoia that is starting to surround this reminds me of the satanic ritual abuse panic.

Good evening! Could you explain what you mean?

 

[Desk trauma]

Could you explain what you mean?

I thought I was rather clear. The hysteria about human trafficking (drawing breathless conclusions on scant evidence as you have done here or the paranoid memes facebook is awash with such as the tie wrap on your wipers nonsense) is reaching the same non-sensical levels that the hysteria about satanic ritual abuse did a few decades ago. Children are abused, humans are trafficked. Making up lurid stories clouds rather than helps the issue.

 

[URA]

Children are abused, humans are trafficked. Making up lurid stories clouds rather than helps the issue.

Agreed. Straying from the truth always had dangerous consequences. In my report, I made sure to mention that it was only a suspicion, and part of why I reported it was to see if they had any information on the place. They didn't, but thanks to posting it here, I could let them know that it was more likely to be a place for nearly-homeless men. Part of the value of communicating things like this is to help avoid jumping to conclusions, and that's what happened.

In my post, I was heavy on the possibility of a trafficking situation, because this is a deep issue with me, and I want to help others learn about it. Looking back, I can see how I should've mentioned that this was just a suspicion more clearly.

 

[Desk trauma]

Agreed. Straying from the truth always had dangerous consequences. In my report, I made sure to mention that it was only a suspicion, and part of why I reported it was to see if they had any information on the place. They didn't, but thanks to posting it here, I could let them know that it was more likely to be a place for nearly-homeless men. Part of the value of communicating things like this is to help avoid jumping to conclusions, and that's what happened.

What happened is you wasted their time. Just like calling the police fearing some kind of grand satanic conspiracy over a inverted pentagram scrawled on a wall.

 

[URA]

What happened is you wasted their time. Just like calling the police fearing some kind of grand satanic conspiracy over a inverted pentagram scrawled on a wall.

That was a concern of mine. Still, I know that if I thought something suspicious was going on, and I didn't report it, I know I never would've found out that it was benign. Because of this process, I got a feel for what it's like to be fighting trafficking on the front lines (something I intend to do after college), I found out that the National Human Trafficking Hotline replies to e-mails very efficiently, and I would rather face the embarrassment of reporting something innocent than face the guilt of not reporting something that should be.

 

[Mountainmanbob]

A smart woman probably wouldn't want to stay in that place anyway.

We have half way houses for men only and for women only. There are many good reasons for that.

M-Bob