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Title: Oakland Cops Uncover Dead Colleague's Fling With Underage Sex Worker, Make Sure to Get Her Number for Themselves
Source:
Reason
URL Source: https://reason.com/blog/2016/06/29/ ... ex-trafficking-when-cops-do-it
Published: Jun 29, 2016
Author: Elizabeth Nolan Brown
Post Date: 2016-07-01 09:53:13 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 8240
Comments: 49
The young woman at the center of a scandal shaking multiple California police departments has revealed new and damning facts about the situation. Celeste Guap, 18, claims to have had sex with more than 30 Bay Area police officers in exchange for cash, tips about upcoming prostitution stings, and protection from prosecution. Things allegedly started when she was still a minor and met Oakland officer Brendan O'Brien in the course of fleeing an abusive pimp. According to Guap, she and O'Brien began having sex in February 2015. "We [would] tell each other you're my only, you know, like that, but he knew what it was," she told ABC 7 in a recent interview. O'Brien's wife had died the previous year in what had been ruled a suicide but some suspected O'Brien of being involved in. Guap told the TV station that in September 2015, she celebrated her 18th birthday by traveling to Puerto Rico, where she found herself alone in a "rough area" and called O'Brien for help. He didn't pick up. She threatened to expose him for sleeping with her when she was still 17 and, when he still didn't respond, she did it, sending a text to a commanding officer at OPD detailing her relationship with O'Brien and several other OPD officers. She then sent a screenshot of the text to O'Brien. A few hours later, O'Brien committed suicide. "Guap appears to have some guilt about this, and perhaps some anger toward the dozens of other officers who contacted her for sex over the ensuing months," SFist reports. I don't know about you, but if my colleague had killed himself after being threatened with exposure by a teen sex worker, my impulse would be, at least, to avoid her. OPD officers, however, thought otherwise. Not only did those alerted to O'Brien and Guap's relationship not report it, they began allegedly contacting Guap—the daughter of an OPD dispatcher—for sex themselves. Guap said she eventually began sleeping with cops from neighboring areas, too, including Alameda County and San Francisco. She turned over an array of cell phone records to various departments to corroborate her claims. Since these allegations came out, two OPD officers resigned and three more were placed on administrative leave pending investigation. The Alameda County Sheriff's Office investigated four offiers, but determined that because Guap was 18 at the time they slept with her and they did not pay her in cash, no wrongdoing was involved. In total, Guap claims to have slept with 32 members of local law enforcement, although she claims only three paid her. The rest she slept with for information and protection from arrest, said Guap, who mostly did street-based sex work. I don't mean to deny Guap's agency, but when your choices are have sex with someone or get thrown in jail... It might not be rape as we commonly think of it, but it's sure as hell—if nothing else—an abuse of authority. It's coercion. And it's a direct result of the criminalization of prostitution, a system that seems to benefit no one but corrupt cops and violent sex traffickers. While all of this was happening with Guap, the Oakland and Alameda County police departments were very public crusaders against prostitution. In the first six months of 2014, Oakland police made 295 arrests related to prostitution and conducted 30 prostitution stings. "We don't have a lot of resources," said OPD Luitenenant Kevin Wiley at the time. "But the ones we have, we dedicate 110 percent." The city even ran billboards featuring the mugshots of men who were arrested for attempting to pay for sex. Another series of recent Oakland city billboards featured slogans such as: "Buying a teen for sex is child abuse. Turning a blind eye is neglect." "Buying a teen for sex is child abuse," warned Oakland city billboards as its police force passed around a teenager for sex.
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 29.
#1. To: Deckard (#0)
An 18-year-old "teen" selling sex is not "street-based sex work". It's prostitution. Turning a blind eye is neglect.
Only you would defend cops that do this.
Has it been proven cops did this? ... "CLAIMS" ...
You stated: "Only you [misterwhite] would defend cops that do this." I then asked you: "Has it been proven cops did this?" I noted for you that the article is based entirely on "claims" by Guap ... I repeat, "claims." I can't find where you responded to my post. Therefore, I will continue and now as: Have you ever tried not to pass judgement on something or someone when you don’t have the facts? I realize this can be very difficult for some people. Because it’s the almost human nature for some folks to form an instant solidifying opinion, and make a snap judgment, about almost everything without stopping to consider what they are opining about and judging on may be a lie.
Can you find any post where I concluded the cop was guilty? Passing judgement on the act of cops having sex with minors is not the same thing. In fact, we apparently agree that that's wrong, embarrassing as that might be for you to be in agreement with a libertarian about something. I don't know if the cop was guilty or not, but people who are falsely accused of a crime generally don't respond by killing themselves. His suicide, if that's what it was, serves somewhat as a confession of guilt. True. You seem to be speaking from experience.
#31. To: Pinguinite (#29)
You are switching the discussion from a positive form (meaning the article is a positive because it exists, not the information in it is positive) and generalize in the abstract. If that is what you are doing, then I can of course agree with your open ended “generalized” statement. BOOM … BAM … BOOM! We are absolutely in total agreement on this point. Ah, but wait for the qualifier … I know it is coming. You indicated earlier that you have not concluded the cop was guilty, and I agreed that you had not. But at this point, I ask: Are you now making an assumptive judgment of guilt with your “somewhat” confession olf guilt statement?” It does appear that you are. If not, then what are you saying? [Pinguinite]: True. You seem to be speaking from experience.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest"Buying a teen for sex is child abuse. Turning a blind eye is neglect."
#2. To: misterwhite (#1)
#4. To: Pinguinite (#2)
(Edited)
Only you would defend cops that do this.
Celeste Guap, 18, claims to have had ...
#23. To: Pinguinite, misterwhite (#4)
#29. To: Gatlin (#23)
I noted for you that the article is based entirely on "claims" by Guap ... I repeat, "claims."
I can't find where you responded to my post.
I realize this can be very difficult for some people. Because it’s the almost human nature for some folks to form an instant solidifying opinion, and make a snap judgment, about almost everything without stopping to consider what they are opining about and judging on may be a lie.
Replies to Comment # 29. Can you find any post where I concluded the cop was guilty?
Nope. Passing judgement on the act of cops having sex with minors is not the same thing. In fact, we apparently agree that that's wrong, embarrassing as that might be for you to be in agreement with a libertarian about something.
I don't know if the cop was guilty or not …
… but people who are falsely accused of a crime generally don't respond by killing themselves. His suicide, if that's what it was, serves somewhat as a confession of guilt.
[Gatlin]: I realize this can be very difficult for some people. Because it’s the almost human nature for some folks to form an instant solidifying opinion, and make a snap judgment, about almost everything without stopping to consider what they are opining about and judging on may be a lie.
Yea, it was somewhat difficult for me … until I attained the age of 6. I then decided that it was not smart to form an instant solidifying opinion and make a snap judgment. Consequently, I am now devoting time and effort to convince those who consider themselves to be “mature educated adults” to stop making snap judgments on something that may be a lie.
End Trace Mode for Comment # 29.
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