413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

Reasons for restrictions varied, but the most prevalent concern regarding black men was that they could
be pimps attempting to hire employees. One pimp explained that his clientele rules were “Just no blacks.
You can’t distinguish if he is a pimp or not, so just cut all that out of the way. You won’t end up
bamboozled. Guy comes and says, ‘I am not a pimp, I just want a date.’ He then takes her to a hotel, and
then says he is taking her with [him]” (E2). Another respondent explained, “It’s basically no black men.
Most of the time the other black men were other guys who were trying to pimp on them or take advantage
of them. Try to rape them or something like that” (E16).
Pimps also reported concerns about violence, compensation, and drug use. One respondent explained:
They are not allowed to date black dudes … 25 and under, [I] don’t let them date either.
Don’t let them date unless [the guy is] 50 [years old] or something. Young dudes usually
want to do drugs with them or rob them. Black dudes might try to fight them or might be
pimps. They try to take their money or say they will pay you later. It’s always something.
(E10)
Another respondent expressed his desire to avoid deals with younger men: “I’d peep and see what type.
Young dudes, that’s a no, I already know what they’re doing. They’re trying to pay with counterfeit money,
get drugs. There’s no swapping for drugs. They’ll try and play those games” (G11). Sharing similar clientele
assumptions, another offender explained, “It’d be no black men, and we wanted them to not be 30 or
under. Because sometimes even the younger white men, they won’t tip, or they would think that they
could beat the [woman] up, or think they could do it multiple times in one hour” (A8).
Concerns regarding compensation also demonstrated racial assumptions regarding socioeconomic status
and employment. A respondent explained his policy: “That’s why I don’t deal with black guys, they don’t
want to pay the price or want extra time. If you deal with someone working 9:00–5:00, it’s not going to be
a problem” (C8). The respondent’s clientele restrictions seemed to be grounded in the assumption that
black men were not engaged in consistent or legal employment. Other pimps made exceptions based on
circumstance; one pimp explained “I accepted black customers when they called the ads. No black guy off
the track. If he called the ads, he’s bringing his driver’s license” (D13). Pimps generally reported reaching
a wealthier, higher-paying clientele through online advertisement.
Communications with Other Pimps
Pimps at times attempted to restrict the communications between their employees and other pimps.
Nineteen percent of respondents set rules relating to communication between employees and other
pimps. To some respondents, this was a strict and clear-cut rule: “The females couldn’t talk to the guys.
Period” (A7). Another respondent explained, “There was no talking to other business owners. The girls
would tell on each other, or I knew the other owners, and they’d tell me” (A1). A bottom corroborated her
pimp’s regulations surrounding communications with other pimps, explaining employees “couldn’t talk to
whoever you wanted to talk to, couldn’t talk to other pimps” (D21).
Rules were sometimes intended to ensure that employees respected a pimp’s authority: “Don’t disrespect
me. A bitch got to be in pocket. Another p[imp] come along, don’t be looking at him. Keep your head
down, look the other way” (B3). However, respondents also shared the belief that they were protecting
their employees by regulating their interactions with other men. One respondent explained:
The reason people tell the girls not to look at other males, or black males, is for the sole
purpose of their own protection. If a young lady or girl is looking at another man it is like
being in a relationship again. You are opening up a door for you to be approached for you
lustin’ or whatever the case it be. The guy catch you looking, he might think he can go talk
to her. If you show him no mind, then he will leave you alone. In that lifestyle he going to
come up to you, talk to you, and if he don’t like your attitude he might grab you. (E3)
While rationales varied, pimps were able to gain control over employees and further enforce dependency
by restricting employees’ communications and relationships with other pimps.
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