Guest blog by “Chris” from Happy Endings?

In response to more raids “Chris” has written this, and I am including it in my blog.  It is titled “What I know, What I don’t know.”

I know that human trafficking is wrong and any one involved in trafficking humans should be punished.

 

I don’t know why, since the mid-nineties the FBI, IRS, ICE, state and local police have spent millions of dollars and man hours investigating the Asian businesses in Rhode Island and no one has been charged or found guilty with human trafficking.

 

I know that there has never been a report of guns, drugs, or violence in any of RI’s Asian businesses.

 

I don’t know why it takes ten police men to raid Asian businesses in RI (with out the help of translators), while the raids were under the guise of “Helping the women”.

 

I know that there has never been a crime committed or charged against any of the women in the Asian businesses in RI.  I know the customers have never filed complaints with the police about being robbed, and the workers have never filed any complaints against the customers.

 

I don’t know why a private transaction between two consenting adults, where no client or provider has complained of crime, would be investigated.

 

I know that since 1982 there has been no law in Rhode Island against indoor prostitution.

 

I don’t know how hundreds of Asian women were arrested for the crime of prostitution, prosecuted for the crime, and the lawyers were allowed to profit, while pleading women guilty to breaking a law that didn’t exist.

 

I know 48 states have laws against prostitution, where both the client and service provider are breaking the law, but the service providers are arrested at a 10 to 1 ratio to the clients.

 

I don’t know why in 14 years of raiding Asian businesses in RI, not one customer has been arrested, humiliated, and ridiculed by police, yet the service providers are subjected to arrest, humiliation, and ridicule, and even have had their names printed in the paper.

 

I know that “massage” occurs in strip clubs in Rhode Island.

 

I don’t know why women in Asian businesses were singled out to be arrested for “massage with out a license”?

 

I know if you look in Craig list you will find escorts and adult ads from providers of all nationalities and ethnic groups.

 

I don’t know why only the Asian businesses have been targeted by police, media, and politicians.

 

I know statistics on human trafficking shows the majority of the victims are young Caucasian women.

 

I don’t know why Human trafficking has been linked to RI’s Asian businesses, when in 14 years of investigating no link has been proven, and the women in the Asian businesses are between 30 and 50 years old and Asian, not fitting the profile of human trafficking victims.

 

I know there is a bill pending in the RI’s legislation to re-criminalize prostitution.

 

I don’t know how this bill will help any woman who engages in sex work for a living.

 

I know there is safety in numbers, and the women working together in Asian businesses are and have not been murdered, robbed, or beaten.

 

I don’t know why the focus has been put on the Asian businesses in RI, when independent providers have been victims of “The Craig list Killer” and Jeffery Mailhot.

 

I know if we criminalize prostitution we are not helping the women or men who participate in this private exchange between consenting adults.

 

I know that legalizing prostitution would mandate health checks, regulation, and tax revenue.

 

I don’t know why we would criminalize an activity that exists in every corner of the world, driving the industry underground and making it unsafe for all those involved.

 

I know if sex work was legal, we could use the regulations to make sure all the participants were willing and of legal age, driving out human traffickers.

 

I don’t know why we would change the prostitution law to help the women, when not one woman in the Asian businesses has asked for help.

 

I know that sex work is the world’s oldest profession, and no law will eradicate its existence.

 

I don’t know why we don’t spend the same effort and money to go after the reasons women are in sex work and not the women.

 

I know that money is the ultimate pimp, and as long as it is financially beneficial, prostitution will exist.  

it is so exciting…

and I am loving it.  I get to check my email around dinner time every night.  I wish I had more time to be on the computer and read blogs, twitter, and even update this blog, but I am on the road a lot lately.  I am trying to pull this show together, but when I get back in front of the computer, it is always a surprise.  I get emails from Police, Church Organizers, and Sex Worker Organizations.  I love that this film can mean something to some people.  This is the payoff  of making a film.

FILM FESTIVALS

I thought I would have been in a festival by now.  I don’t know why I want to get into a festival, but now that I haven’t gotten into one I want to get in one bad.  I wasn’t really thinking about it when I started this whole thing.  Funny thing is I tried to get into my local film festival RI International Film festival.  That was a joke.  Half of the people in my film are sponsoring the festival.  The City of Providence, The Pheonix, the director of the festival even has pictures of him and the mayor all over the festival web site.  The funniest thing about the whole process was when I asked why I was not selected I was told that the film was homophobic.

I wouldn’t consider myself homophobic, or the film for a few reasons.  Besides the fact that I myself am a lesbian, I have done many filming projects for my community.  If things are said in the film that are anti-gay, that does not make the film or the director homophobic.  The film is a cinema verite film.  If I were to edit out everything I disagreed with I would have a very short film.

Basically the way I see it is like this.  I am fat.  Every morning I look for a shirt that doesn’t make me look fat.  But I realize that it isn’t the shirt that makes me look fat, it is the fat that makes me look fat.  Same logic with the film, it is not the film that is homophobic, it is some of the people in the film who make some anti-gay or shall I say anti-gay mayor comments.

The oddest thing is while I was being rejected by RIFF I was dealing with RI Housing and a member of their staff was discriminating against me for being gay and saying the same things that were in the film, so homophobia does exist and to edit it out would force me to be unreal to the film especially when I faced it.

On the good side of things we were asked to submit to the Traverse City Film Festival.  That is Micheal Moore’s film festival.  We made it down to the final 50 or so films but didn’t make it to the final cut.  As usual he took a bunch of anti-Bush films and anti-war films.  I am sure we will find some place to show it, and it will blow up.  It deserves to.

Second trailer released on youtube!

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“happy endings” Website Launched

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Happy Endings documentary on line at youtube and myspace.

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The DVD includes.

Chapter Selection

2 Trailers

Etended Scenes.

Audio Commentary from the Filmmakers.

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This film is unrated.  It contains strong sexual content and images and strong language.