+
upworthy
More

Ever heard of Monica Jones? She was arrested for what's called 'manifesting prostitution.' Yup.

With all that is happening in the streets of the good ol' U.S. of A., isn't there a better way for cops to spend their time?

True
Open Society Foundations

The story of Monica Jones

All images via Fusion.


Monica Jones, a student and LGBT activist at Arizona State University, accepted a ride home from her favorite bar. The next thing you know, she was charged with "manifesting prostitution."

Wait, what?! It's a thing. In Phoenix, it's a misdemeanor crime that's part of the municipal code. Basically, cops can throw a person in jail for trying to stop or repeatedly talk to passersby, for engaging them in conversation, for asking someone if they are a cop, or for asking to be touched sexually.

So, after accepting a ride from someone, Monica was arrested, spent 15 days in jail, and then was sentenced and fined. But, thankfully, that's not how the story ends.

The effects of a manifesting prostitution charge are devastating.

I'll get back to Monica's story in a minute. Meanwhile, about those "manifesting prostitution" laws: They're all over the country. As the Fusion video below shows, 57,000 people were arrested for violating these laws in 2011 alone.

These laws open the door for racial profiling like you've never seen it: 94% of the people arrested in Brooklyn for this "offense" were African-Americans, largely women. And the trans community is quite frequently profiled as sex workers — so much so that the offense has been referred to as "walking while trans."

It becomes even more problematic because cops can actually engage in sexual activity with sex workers and THEN arrest them. I mean ... wow.


Legalization of sex work?

How do we fix this situation? Sex worker activists have called for the decriminalization of consensual sex work. But some fight legalization and support things like the "manifesting prostitution" laws because they fear that human trafficking is a big problem in the sex worker industry.

In reality, there's a lot more trafficking in other professions, such as domestic workers, agriculture, and construction. No one is calling to eliminate those jobs. Calling an end to consensual sex work because of the threat of trafficking just doesn't make sense. Creating a world where safe, healthy decisions about sex can be made without abusive policing does.

What happened to Monica?

So, back to Monica. She organized with other trans women and activists to help get the word out after she was first convicted. This past January, her conviction was overturned with the help of the ACLU. Now, she's continuing her important work to eliminate such broad and myopic laws.

Here's more about how all of this played out and more about the treatment of sex workers in America:

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

Keep ReadingShow less

A group of men look at paperwork.

The massive changes to the American workplace caused by the COVID-19 pandemic invited many to reconsider their professional lives. This reevaluation has led people to push for improved work-life balance, and many now are looking for work to provide a greater sense of meaning and purpose.

When the world returned to work after COVID, many believed they deserved to be treated better by their employers. This resulted in many taking a break from the workforce or changing professions altogether. It also helped usher in a more comfortable culture for calling out companies that don’t treat their employees respectfully.

Recently, a group of thousands came together on Reddit to expose the common mistruths that people often hear at the workplace. It all started when a Redditor named PretenstoKnow asked: "What's the most common lie employers tell their employees?" And over 2,600 people responded.

Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Mom calls out teacher who gave her son a 'zero' grade for not providing class with supplies

Her viral video sparked a debate as to whether or not providing school supplies should be mandatory for parents.

@shanittanicole/TikTok

A zero grade for not providing school supplies?

The debate as to whether or not parents should supply classroom supplies is not new. But as prices continue to rise, parents are growing more baffled as to how they can be expected by teachers to provide all the various glue sticks, colored pencils, rulers and other various items the incoming students might need.

What’s even more perplexing, however, is penalizing the children of parents who won’t (or can’t) provide them.

This was the case for Shanitta Nicole, who discovered her son received a zero grade in his new school for not bringing school supplies for the entire classroom.
Keep ReadingShow less
Photo Credit: William Fortunado via Canva

Amanda Seals breaks down history of DAP handshake

We've all seen people do it. Anywhere from basketball players on television to kids meeting up at the skating rink. Even former president Barack Obama when greeting a mixed group of men gave "DAP" to the Black men in the group, yet switched to a firm handshake when greeting the other men.

It was almost like watching the president code switch, but with body language, in a move that many Black Americans recognize as a gesture of acceptance and comradery. But did you know that there's an actual history behind the DAP that has nothing to do with looking cool? Social justice educator and actress, Amanda Seales, recently re-shared a clip from "The Real" where she was diving into the history of the handshake.

Seales, who has a master's degree in African American Studies from Columbia University, was also admittedly surprised when she learned there was a deeper meaning to the gesture.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Neuroscientist reveals perfect amount of time to spend on social media for your mental health

Over several weeks, the participants felt less loneliness, depression and anxiety.

@rachelle_summers/TikTok

Anyone can use this checklist.

There are pretty clear cut guidelines on how much screen time kids should have, but for adults…not so much. And perhaps it’s this lack of clarity that leaves people to go on full blown digital detoxes or get off social media entirely.

And while there is certainly a case to be made for that decision, for many of us, that isn’t quite feasible—especially in certain lines of work.

Luckily, according to neuroscientist Rachelle Summers, there is a way we can still be on social media, without being subjected to its negative side effects.
Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Kats Weil on Unsplash

Ready for a refreshingly wholesome story?

The stereotypical image we get of bachelor parties is a booze-filled evening of depravity and bad choices. Followed of course by a massive hangover…and some regrets.

And granted, there are plenty of viral videos to show that this is sometimes the case. But there are also plenty of grooms who don’t see it as their “last night as a free man.” On the contrary, they see it as an opportunity to simply celebrate the next chapter with close friends.

Case and point: a husband-to-be named Luke, who apparently couldn’t stop “gushing” about his bride, Sam. This, according to a woman also named Sam, who happened to be at the bar Luke was having his bachelor party at.
Keep ReadingShow less