[ASP] Abbotsford, BC street report
un_circumcised
I've read, there was no regular street scene here until about five years ago
when hookers started working around the intersection of S Fraser Way and
Clearbrook Rd. The complaints of nearby merchants prompted the cops to begin
decoy stings, and there was a brouhaha when the police threatened to (and
eventually did, I think) release the names of the initial 43 busted johns to the
media for publication. In 1999, Abbotsford was selected as the test site for a
sting involving cops from Vancouver and the provincial prostitution unit in
which the decoy would play an under-18 hooker and allude to that in her side of
the conversation, thereby entrapping men seeking sex from juveniles. Seven men
were busted this way, and faced up to 5 years in prison. Last year, the cops did
stings at Pauline and Homeview streets, indicating the trade had moved.
I went out here for the first time two years ago and saw only one convincing
hooker working the south side of Clearbrook Rd at S Fraser Way. This time I saw
5 to 10 women working around Pauline and Homeview streets. They were out when I
arrived about 3 PM, and there were usually at least a couple until after
midnight--when their presence became more sporadic. The quality varied from poor
to good. There were even one or two that I would rate an *8* or *9* as
streetwalkers go. There was no major police presence on the stroll until
dusk--when a marked cruiser parked on Homeview and sat there for 15 minutes or
so. After that, the cops made regular passes through the area, but I saw no
prostitution-related stops. There were a fair number of johns circling too, but
again I saw none being hassled. I made a few trips up S Fraser Way to Clearbrook
Rd at various times but saw nothing, so I assume that area has been abandoned in
favor of Pauline / Homeview.
Abbotsford is quite geographically isolated from the Vancouver-Surrey strolls
and is a rather complicated drive on two-lane roads for johns coming from WA
beyond eastern Whatcom County. Therefore, I assume the city will mainly be of
interest to locals, those farther up the Fraser Valley, and johns who have been
busted in or banned from other strolls. If you're arriving via Hwy 1, take the
McCallum Rd exit and go north to Homeview St, then right. For johns coming from
Bellingham or south, the shortest route appears to be this: Take the Sunset Dr /
Hwy 542 (exit 255) exit from I-5 in Bellingham. Go east to Everson Goshen Rd,
then north to the end at Hwy 544. Go right on Hwy 544 through Everson to the end
at Hwy 9. Go north on Hwy 9 to the end at the border crossing in Sumas. Continue
north on Hwy 11 to S Fraser Way, then west to Laurel or Pauline streets, then
left.
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Seattle-Vancouver street guide:
www.geocities.com/un_csd/streetguide.html