Years ago, just after ASPD was founded, I and many other persons in Houston and in Dallas and elsewhere assessed the risks (and potential rewards, if that) of organizing and hosting meet & greet events in both public and semi-private and totally private venues, without and sometimes with the potential of P4P.
My personal decision then and now was that at virtually any event I organized, there would be zero illegal activities, in which the rules prohibit even the open discussion of illegal activities.
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Yes, several times over the past 15 years I have also organized and hosted several very very private limited edition events, always in a hotel room setting, at which P4P was the main objective for the dozen or so known associates. Call these what they were: orgies! Or close enough, but not always. Many couples paired off, but there was also the "how come CK gets to be alone on that bed with 4 ladies all at once!" We called the events "Night at the movies" basically, just some folks getting together in very private (almost residential) spaces to meet and greet and eat and munch and hunch a bunch.
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With the exception of the single Houston event in December 2009 there has never been any LE issues, and in that event (do your research) the venue was threatened with loss of its liquor license if it didn't allow UCs to enter. More than 200 people attended that event, and, when it was raided minutes before we made last call, 15 of the 120 or so folks still there were separated from the crowd, and 12 were ultimately taken downtown. They were accused of responding to UCs entreaties for P4P.
Violating the event's "nothing illegal" rules cost those people (including four agency ladies with no green cards, one provider with outstanding driving warrants and the rest with P issues) but the majority of the group walked without incident after paying a bar tab or just walked out.
The hosts/organizers were not confronted or questioned by the 2 dozen LEOs there who made it very apparent by their respect for the crowd that they (the LEOs) felt the entire raid was a total waste of taxpayer money and the LEOs' time. Note that the chief of police at the time lost his job due to the new Mayor taking office, and the chief was the same person who cost the City of Phoenix millions of dollars in payouts due to the Federal suit filed by the gay sex clubs for his raids.
Meanwhile, if I read the basics of the "Whispers Theory" you basically accuse every single person [poster or not] on this and any other review board of breaking the law and being subject to prosecution (and persecution) whether they P4P or they are just a silent member. Heck, the "Whispers Theory" no doubt allows for criminal prosecution of lurkers, too!
Given that very few board members can be publicly identified without extensive warrants served on the boards or the ISPs, it's very very unlikely many city, state or federal agenciies would spend precious resources on such a witch hunt. But Seattle and California AG obviously prove the exception to making that a rule.
The Hobby has always been a risky business. Those who don't properly acknowledge and properly manage that risk must accept the potential for consequences and be prepared to defend their actions.
My legal counselors over the years have laid out my risks and have also given me astute advice on how to minimize the risks. Several attorneys associated with the Texas ACLU have told me that organization may not agree with review board content, but the organization might well come to a board's defense given the right circumstances.
My rewards have never been financial or pecuniary. I view the Meet & Greets as giving back to the community, and to the several thousands (yes, probably 2,500 to maybe 3,000 -- I've never kept exact track, but my data sheets have close to 4,000 entries or more!) of people who have attended something like 400+ events in half a dozen Texas cities.
See my signature for info on social events in 2017.
Originally Posted by ck1942
As I see it, everyone who appears to have been arrested for "writing reviews" met some undercover cops at a gathering later and were identified that way, and not through a subpoena of their internet records to ascertain who the suspects were. That was the reason for the face to face meeting. That is, connecting actual people to the reviews, and them admitting to the UC officer they paid to have sex with a girl, or transvestite in Assup's case, thus stretching the statute all to hell, but making their case.
However, it brings up an interesting point. If someone got a discount for writing a review, could it be considered as a consideration, and thus fall under the wording of the crime of prostitution, "Agrees to engage, offers to engage, or engages in sexual activity for a consideration"?
Myself, I have never gotten free sex or a discount on sex in return for writing a review. Plus, all my reviews are fake, anyway.