Street Chronicles

Why Should I Eat Cornbread While You Eat Cake? 

“Sex Work in Milwaukee: A Struggle for Survival”

Monologues based on interviews with members of the local community.

By:  Lauren Koster

-Inspired by a woman in the program at The Benedict Center-

When I was younger, there were things we didn’t talk about. 
It wasn’t uncommon for little girls being molested; girls being snatched off of the street.   I’ve been raped, molested, and messed over so many times I can’t even count them.   I had no one to talk to, no one to turn to. It seemed as if everyone in my life, including my mother, viewed me as ugly.  I had zero self-esteem by the time I was six-years-old. 

My parents were always drunk.  They had no idea what was going on with me.  My mom didn’t care to know that her friends and my own blood were touching me.  I was just a little girl and felt that I had to get away.  When I turned 13, I knew I had to get away from home.  There was no way I was gonna make it in that house.  I didn’t know how hard it was going to be to survive by myself either.  I did get a job but it wasn’t enough to fully survive on.  I would lay down with men to get things.  Giving my body up was a way for me to get a place to stay, money, and drugs.

My five children have been in the custody of my family members.  There’s no way I can afford to take care of them emotionally and financially.  My oldest daughter is on the streets like I was.   It’s her only way of getting by. 

I’ve done it all.  I have danced, sold drugs, prostituted, and gone to jail.   I’m really trying to stay clean and get myself a job.  My felonies and age prevent me from finding a stable job.  Nobody wants to hire us.  My record stops a lot of things.  I gotta do what I gotta do.  A job means more to me than a man.   Prostitution is a woman’s way of survival.  That’s all we got.  I’ll do it as long as I can eat, pay my bills, and take care of my kids.  I’ve been in survival mode most of my life. 

When I found the Benedict Center, my life finally began to turn around.  I could get on track with help from people that truly seem to care about me.  Even if I messed up, the Benedict Center would always help me get in the right direction again.  Going to class and talking with other women in my situation has helped me realize that I can overcome the obstacles in my life.

-Inspired by a woman in the program at The Benedict Center-

Ever since I can remember, my Mom has been in and out of jail for drugs and selling herself. 
When she gets out, she’ll do the same thing and get put right back where she was.  I know that there are people and families out there that have a sense of security and safety.  I have never had that.  I have never known what it’s like to feel real love.  I just want to feel loved.  It’s a struggle to find a job and a place to call home.   The only thing I know how to do is to sell myself.

When I sell my body I get attention, money, and drugs in return.  The drugs have helped me escape from the pain in my past.  Cocaine and heroin have helped me not think about the terrible ways I am letting my body be used.  Almost all of the girls on the streets are hooked on something to get by.   Some women I know don’t care about bathing themselves or washing their clothes.  The only thing they’re concerned about is where to get the next fix.  I think it’s easier for them to think that way. 

I’ve always been afraid to get help.  I have lost my job, children, and family.  I have lost myself.  Every time I would get arrested and go to jail, I would end up doing the same things again.  There are no real jobs out there for me.  I apply and apply to as many places that I can, but there’s no response.  My charges seem to prevent me from moving on and having a crime-free lifestyle.  I truly am trying to do better, but once you have that on your record, your name is messed.

I have been coming to the Benedict Center for two years.  They’ve helped me find ways to improve myself and not let my charges stop me from having a good life.  I’m starting to do things that make me feel like a better person.  When I come here there’s a good feeling in my heart.  There is a lot of love and support here.  Anytime I’m having a bad day I come to the Benedict Center. 

-Inspired by a woman in the program at The Benedict Center-

I remember when I first started selling my body.  I was only 14.  
There was no other choice for me. I have no real family and all my friends are in the game.   I hate where my life is right now.  I just had my 17^th birthday and I feel so alone. 

My home is a hotel room right now.  It’s the only way for me to be off the streets and able to make money.  At least I’m young and skinny, which makes it easy to get Johns all the time.  The men come to my room at all hours of the day and night.  I’m so ashamed and disgusted with myself, but I just don’t know any other way.  Most of the men are so vulgar and demanding that I can’t stand it.  I have to keep them coming back thought, or else my pimp will find out.  My pimp is 45 and has a wife, kids, and everything.  I know he just takes all the money back home to his wife.  I know it’s messed up, but he makes me feel like I’m loved at least a little bit.  I truly hate myself and how I feel.  Even though I’m selling my body all the time, I don’t get that much out of it.  I usually just end up with a pack of cigs and enough money for food.  At least my man pays for the hotel room I’m in now, who knows if that will last though.  I wish I had a way out of this life. 

-Inspired by the Legislative Assistant for Milwaukee’s City Hall, Keith Stanley-

As I set out to renovate the Milwaukee community, there are various obstacles that I have to overcome. 
The Mainstreet Milwaukee Program that I am involved with sets out to rebuild blighted areas of the community.    I have a strong compassion for bringing back the life to the North 27^th Street area.  Through establishing new businesses and improving current ones, I can begin to change the perception people have of Milwaukee’s inner city.  The only way that I can improve certain areas of Milwaukee is through having cooperation with the community members and businesses owners.  Going door to door was an immense task at first.  I wanted to talk with the people living in the neighborhood.  At first, I would have people refuse to answer and have doors slammed in my face.  That did not stop my efforts.  A large portion of the business owners are immigrants which causes cultural barriers to work through.  In the beginning of this project, they were extremely reluctant to build relationships with me to help change the community. After months of building trust with those in the neighborhood, I could begin to work others to pinpoint the major issues that were restraining this area from thriving. 

I began to see that there was a cycle between the economy and crime.  There are few jobs available and many stores have closed.  Business owners want people to feel safe walking around the neighborhood.  Crime and solicitation of prostitution have deterred the growth of the community.  Prostitution not only stigmatizes the women, but it affects the entire surrounding area. If everyone is involved in creating a safer environment, people will begin to feel proud of where they live.   I want everyone in Milwaukee to be able to walk down the street and have confidence in their district.

It’s been a long journey, but steps have been made to make this area believe in itself.  There have been wireless cameras set up to help deter crime.  We now have a better connection with business and property owners.   The business and homeowners have now realized that the women have mental and health issues.  Merely sending them to jail just does not work.   Johns, community leaders, and officers have taken part in Justice Circles to begin a new approach in helping those involved in crime and prostitution. We got people from the East Side to come enjoy music and art in an area where they had never been before.  We are working hard to change crime statistics.  There has been huge progress and a positive step towards change. 

-Inspired by the Assistant District Attorney, Christopher Ladwig-

Day after day, I hear the community crying out for help with the fight against prostitution.
Milwaukee citizens and business owners are constantly complaining about how prostitution negatively affects their lives.  Syringes, condoms, and trash are strewn across the alleys and streets where prostitutes congregate. Children and adolescents are constantly exposed to this risky behavior.  The sex acts often take place in cars and alleys.  Although the community is very frustrated, they are willing to work with the police and women.  These women that are involved in prostitution are not bad people.  A lifetime scattered with abuse and addiction has caused them to turn to crime. 

My experience as a prosecutor has allowed me to see how the crime in Milwaukee is all related.  A majority of the crime is directly connected to prostitution.  The prostitutes earn money which is typically spent on their drug addiction.  Drug dealing, drug abuse, and domestic violence seem to go hand-in-hand.  There is a high level of pressure for the police to do something about prostitution.  Meetings about the issue have opened doors to work with organizations, such as The Benedict Center, to create support for alternative options for arrests and jail.

As a community prosecutor, I see on a daily basis how putting women in jail simply does not work.  There needs to be a better opportunity for success than jail.  After women are arrested, they are back on the streets within the next hours or days.  Even if a woman is monitored for drug use, it’s likely that she will relapse on probation.  The Department of Corrections is overworked and overtaxed which allows for only the felons to be strictly monitored.  Once the women get out of jail, they have lost their home and there is no help.  Only a very few number of people recover from jail.  The amount of re-offenders in the Milwaukee area is astounding.  That is why we are so willing to partner with police and The Benedict Center to get to the root of what is affecting the person.  I have seen firsthand how vital outreach is to the community.  If I see that these women are working toward something, we’re willing to work with them.  It’s time to progress and try new options for handling crime.