Hookers in the ’hood

[Re: “Cyclops eyeing sex,” News, Front, July 16] It’s disturbing to hear that residents in Pointe St-Charles are being forced to aid the police in the crackdown of a law they may not agree with. And it’s even more disturbing to hear that this operation has been ongoing for the last eight years. Being a concerned citizen and taking the safety and future of your borough into your own hands is one thing, but being forced to do so and being told it’s your duty as a citizen is something completely different.

For a city that prides itself on topless breakfasts and up-close-and-personal strip clubs, it always enrages me to hear the city speak so lowly of sex workers. Prostitution is part of urban life and though it’s not always in the most desirable areas, it doesn’t mean we need to participate in a community watch. They say that prostitution is moving out of the downtown core into more residential neighbourhoods, but surely this migration is in part due to the pressures placed on the sex workers by police and city officials. I’m sure many sex workers would feel safer working in a designated red light district than being forced to work in family-friendly neighbourhoods.

What police and city officials don’t seem to understand is that sex workers will continue to work, no matter how many residents submit an observation report to the station. By treating sex work in such a harsh manner, we only compound the problem.

>>M.A. Foster

Hats off to Halperin

[Re: “Cashing in on cashing out,” News, July 16] Nice work on making douchewad Ian Halperin look good. I started out reading the article ready to hate that opportunistic ass but ended up feeling like he wasn’t such a bad guy. Pompous, sure, but I suppose that’s what comes with million-dollar book deals and people dropping libel suits as soon as he “releases the goods.”

In fact, he seemed to speak of Jackson with quite a bit of respect, which I wasn’t expecting. Nor was I expecting him to deflect Chris Barry’s questions about Jackson’s supposed homosexuality and the fact that his kids look absolutely nothing like the guy. In an impressive act of restraint, Barry kept most of his childish comments and line of questioning to himself.

Overall, not a bad interview with a guy who’s getting way too much press at the moment for something that, frankly, just isn’t that exciting.

One thing I didn’t get though: Did Barry really have to refer to Jackson as the King of Poop? I’m guessing he just couldn’t help himself.

>>Dan Borde

Brüno blew

[Re: “Bravo Brüno!,” Film, July 16] I saw Brüno this weekend and I was totally disappointed. I can’t believe you guys gave this movie a thumbs up. It was so over the top, it felt like everything was staged. It had none of the cleverness of Borat or that film’s ability to expose American bigots.

That star-studded scene at the end was really the nail in the coffin. Baron Cohen is clearly too famous to get up to his old tricks. He should live among the people he so clearly despises until he finds the ability to actually understand satire again.

>>Anonymous

Settlers, decide

[Re: “Einstein, El Saadawi as idols,” Letters, July 9] I fully agree with John Dirlik’s indirect suggestion that the supporters of Israel should have chosen Albert Einstein as their role model instead of Menachem Begin.

Now that the state of Israel is a reality, Arabs and the doubting Toms should finally recognize her. By the same token, Israel should withdraw to the 1967 borders and give the Jewish settlers in the West Bank the choice of whether they want to remain in the sovereign and independent Palestine or resettle anew in Israel.

>>Jalal Hussain

Correction

In last week’s article “Uncaged and on stage” about Zoofest, we mistakenly reported that Silent Disco consisted of only two people dancing with headphones. In actual fact, Silent Disco is a party with up to 400 possible participants who will be given wireless headphones in order to join the party.

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