413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

eally nice—not whorish—I’d have her dress nice in form-fitting clothing. I’d have her
drop off a yellow envelope when I’m having lunch with the new girl to be. She’d say, “Hi
Daddy, give me a kiss.” I’d say, “Hi Michelle … how are Becky and Jenna” … The whole
goal is to get her jealous and curious, and get her to think, “What’s up with this
envelope”
They labeled me a con man. I didn’t think of it as con, but it is. I’d sit there, open up the
envelope and flip through it. It’s my money I probably made last week. She sees
hundreds, twenties, fifties. She’d ask, “I don’t mean to get in your business, but who was
that” I’d say, “I told you before, if I told you I’d have to kill you” with a smile. And I’d say,
“Everyone doesn’t want to make $1,000 a day. That was Carrie, let’s finish our food.”
I learned these techniques being involved with sales and marketing. [I learned] how to
influence people. All of those books, tapes, and CDs. They were all in my library. She
would probably ask if I’m a pimp. I would say with a straight face, “Are you a ho” She’d
say no. I’d say, “Did I approach you like you’re a ho Like I said, everyone doesn’t want to
make $1,000 a day.” We’d go home, I’d drop her off. Before I was four blocks away, my
phone was blowing up. (D18)
While not all respondents reported that they actively recruited women (instead, they reported women
approached them), there were similarities across respondents regarding the age and race of recruits or
new employees, the locations where pimps met new employees, and the types of tactics employed to
compel women to engage in sex work.
Demographics of Recruited Individuals
The individuals who become involved in the UCSE are demographically diverse, and pimps target
individuals across race, age, gender, and socio-economic background. However, some respondents
expressed preferences regarding the demographics of the individuals they recruited. The information
below is not intended to produce a profile of the individuals most frequently targeted by pimps for
commercial sex work. However, the following section offers some insight into the considerations that
shape pimps’ recruitment tactics.
Race
I tried to keep people that were marketable. (A5)
A majority of respondents stated they preferred to hire white women. Explanations of the rationale for
this preference varied. Some pimps believed white women could make more money, due to the interests of
their clientele. One respondent reported: “They have a saying in the pimp game, ‘If it ain’t white, it ain’t
right. If it ain’t snowing, I ain’t going’” (D18). Another pimp explained, “Some dudes exclusively chase
white girls. That’s their thing. Go to the suburbs, malls, that kind of thing” (D10). As chapter 4 discussed,
law enforcement officials in San Diego observed that pimps often prefer white girls since they are able to
make more money, while Dallas-based law enforcement explained that white women are often expected to
earn more money and thus assigned higher quotas. An offender also explained his preference for white
employees was monetary: “Only white. I mean, everyone says in this business that they’re the only ones
that make money. Because the main clientele was Asian or Indian, and they want white, they only want
white” (A4).
Demand in different geographic locations also determined the recruitment and employment of different
races. Pimps sought out different women based largely on their marketability to the local population. One
pimp explained the trends he observed at one point while working in California: “Asians were a hot
commodity so they go quicker. Caucasians and Latinos not that much because [I was working] closer to
the border. African Americans are everywhere. Asians were the commodity” (E15). Other pimps sought
other races for the same reason. They expressed a sentiment that certain races appealed more to the
clientele in the area they worked. Relative exoticism thus drove demand because “the client base wants
anything exotic looking” (D18).
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