ROCK SPRINGS — Local massage therapists and their supporters said they were “insulted” by two ordinances the City of Rock Springs is proposing aimed at cutting down on illicit massage parlors and sex trafficking operating within city limits.
While everyone in attendance could agree on the need to clamp down on sex trafficking occurring in the city, they couldn’t agree on the best route to take to achieve that goal.
In an effort to get rid of the sex trafficking taking place in Rock Springs, the City of Rock Springs drafted a new ordinance and updated language to an existing ordinance. The new proposed ordinance, referred to as 2022-14, states “The City of Rock Springs also recognizes that certain establishments and individuals within the city have used and are using massage establishments and massage therapy as a front for illegal prostitution and human sex trafficking…” Under this ordinance, massage therapists will be required to obtain a license and complete a background check.
As for updated language, that will occur under the the ordinance called “offenses concerning public morals and decencies.” This ordinance is being referred to as 2022-13. Some of the language proposed to be added to this ordinance is “For the purposes of this article, in addition to the ordinary meaning of the words ‘bawdyhouse, house of assignation, whore house, or house of ill-fame’ the words also include any property in the City at which sexual contact takes places in exchange for consideration.” A definition of sexual contact is also included.
The Discussion
Rock Springs resident Joy Turner said she didn’t think either of these ordinances would do anything to stop the sex trafficking happening in Rock Springs saying all these ordinances would do is punish the massage therapists who were already following the rules. According to Turner, there are no Wyoming massage therapy schools so requiring massage therapists to have a license or certification doesn’t make any sense. Turner said most of the massage therapists here have obtained their certifications and licenses in other states. Turner suggested the city target the sex traffickers by charging them with prostitution.
City Attorney Richard Beckwith said all the ordinance is asking for is massage therapists to file an application demonstrating that they have some sort of training to obtain a license otherwise anyone can simply hang up a sign and claim to be a massage therapist. There needs to be some sort of regulation, he said.
“I don’t think we have a lot of massage therapists working in Rock Springs who don’t have some sort of training,” Beckwith said.
Councilor Rob Zotti said he could understand why the city needed ordinance 13, but he believes ordinance 14 is putting an unnecessary burden on the massage therapists who are law abiding citizens. He said all this would do is drive the sex trafficking underground and won’t change anything.
Councilor David Halter said ordinance 13 addresses the definition and allows the city to go after the person, where ordinance 14 allows the city to go after the business and the owner of the illicit business. Without 14 developing regulations to follow, they can’t shut the business down. Rock Springs Police Department Interim Chief Bill Erspamer said ordinance 13 only allows officers to go after the one committing the crime, which is usually the victim who is being trafficked.
Local massage therapist Tammy Curtis Morlock said it’s insulting to trained massage therapists lumped in with massage parlors that are sex trafficking. She said to have their training and eduction checked and fingerprints taken just to obtain a license to practice is insulting to them. Morlock and other massage therapists offered to sit down with the city to help fix the verbiage of the ordinances.
Morlock pointed out all of the areas where certifications from accredited schools must be obtained needs to be redone. She said some of the best massage schools from the past aren’t even open and wondered if those would still count. She also said definitions of massage therapists and physicians also need to be looked at.
Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Officer Sgt. Michelle Hall said the reason she recommended the Billings, Montana, model is because that city has been successful in shutting down the illicit massage parlors and they haven’t been reopening. She said you can’t charge someone with prostitution who is a sex trafficking victim. A prostitute is someone who is providing the service for payment, whereas the sex trafficking victim is being forced to. It’s not the same.
While the definition in ordinance 13 will help, Sgt. Hall said she needs ordinance 14 to shut down the business. She needs a reason to go into the illicit business to shut them down and not following city regulations is a way to do that.
Several more residents and massage therapists spoke at the meeting. Some offered suggestions, while others offered to serve on a committee to rework the ordinances. After the lengthy discussion, the Council decided to table both ordinances after they were read for the first time. The Council will set up a workshop to work on the ordinances taking into account the suggestions made. To watch the entire discussion click here. The discussion starts around 26 minutes.
