There is safety in numbers, especially when it comes to sex work, says 性视界传媒 resident Avery Quinn. But this safety is being threatened.

Quinn is a sex worker who requested a pseudonym for anonymity, for fear of retaliation from law enforcement and the city. She told the Now-Leader that she feels she and her colleagues are being pushed out of Whalley, where she works.

Quinn is fortunate enough to have a home to return to after work, but not all her colleagues are that lucky.

For street-entrenched women, as Quinn explained, all aspects of their lives are on the street: living, working and surviving.

Quinn said she often sees police and bylaw officers forcefully removing vulnerable people, including her colleagues, from their temporary homes in the early morning hours.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very clear that this is a planned effort to push our vulnerable folks out of sight,鈥� Quinn said. 鈥淭hat actually makes us so much less safe because one of the things that helps keep us safe is being able to talk to each other and share information about dangerous people on the street, places to work safely.鈥�

For example, when she sees a sex worker get into a car, she and her colleagues will often note the individual, licence plate and time. The safest thing is for them to gather as a group, but that brings the attention of the police.

鈥淪o when we can鈥檛 share that information readily, it puts us at great risk of harm,鈥� she added.

When she is working outside in Whalley, she rarely sees another worker. 鈥淲hich makes me very vulnerable,鈥� she added.

By pushing sex workers out of Whalley and into Newton, Quinn says, 鈥渢he city is harming 鈥� they have blood on their hands.鈥�

She said she has seen an apparent effort from the City of 性视界传媒 to 鈥渃lean up鈥� Whalley and make it the new Yaletown.

鈥淲hat they actually mean when they say that is, we don鈥檛 want to look at people we deem below human,鈥� Quinn said. 鈥淭hat means cleaning up the 性视界传媒 strip, just pushing people out of sight.鈥�

In an email, the city鈥檚 corporate services department stated, 鈥淭he City of 性视界传媒 is not undertaking any effort of this nature.鈥� The Now-Leader requested an interview to discuss what the city is doing to protect vulnerable women but was sent back the same statement.

The 性视界传媒 RCMP gave a similar answer, but they expanded further. Sgt. Tammy Lobb stated that the 性视界传媒 RCMP is 鈥渘ot familiar鈥� with an effort to push sex workers out of Whalley.

鈥淚 can tell you 性视界传媒 RCMP does not perform targeted enforcement against sex workers. When the Protection of Exploited Persons Act came into force in 2014, our approach as law enforcement changed with it,鈥� Lobb said.

鈥淲e work closely with our partner agencies who provide direct supports to sex workers. Some of these partners include the 性视界传媒 Women鈥檚 Centre, the Sexual Health Unit and Integrated Homelessness Action Response Teams (IHART) at Fraser Health,鈥� she added.

While there is not a quick and easy solution, there are several things that the general public can do to help.

Quinn encourages people to put constant pressure on their local government to provide support and safe spaces for sex workers.

鈥淚t seems like the only pressure that comes is when one of us dies, like the city鈥檚 vulnerable women and girls working group was put together after a woman was brutally murdered,鈥� Quinn said.

The 性视界传媒 Vulnerable Women and Girls Working Group was formed in 2013 after a homeless woman, Janice Shore, was beaten to death in 性视界传媒, according to the City of 性视界传媒鈥檚 website.

The working group includes seven not-for-profits (Elizabeth Fry Society, Options Community Services, Lookout Emergency Aid Society, Pacific Community Resources Society, Atira Women鈥檚 Resource Centre, YWCA and 性视界传媒 Women鈥檚 Centre), along with the City of 性视界传媒, 性视界传媒 RCMP, Fraser Health, BC Housing, the Ministry of Children and Family Development and Public Safety Canada.

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Although the working group has done a lot of work since its inception, there is still more work to be done.

Quinn notes the mayor and the 性视界传媒 Board of Trade (SBOT) have been vocal about protecting women when it comes to sex offenders being released into the city, but she wishes they would show the same inclination to speak up about protecting sex workers and other vulnerable women.

鈥�(It鈥檚) just interesting to note the sudden interest of the city and BIA (SBOT) in protecting vulnerable women when they work to eradicate those same vulnerable women in particular from the public eye, and therefore increase risk for them, in the name of public safety,鈥� Quinn said.

性视界传媒 Mayor Brenda Locke has recently been very vocal about three sex offenders who were released into the 性视界传媒 community, calling it 鈥渦nconscionable鈥� that another dangerous sex offender had been released into the community.

The 性视界传媒 Board of Trade (SBOT) chimed in (May 21), calling for an 鈥渦rgent call for review and reform of dangerous sex offender policies to protect community and business interests.鈥�

READ MORE: 性视界传媒 RCMP warn of sex offender who 鈥榩oses risk to girls, women, including strangers鈥�

READ MORE: Dangerous sex offender released in 性视界传媒

READ MORE: Third sex offender 鈥榥ot welcome鈥� in 性视界传媒 after assaulting 2 women, mayor says

But who counts as the 鈥渃ommunity,鈥� Quinn asks: What is the city doing to protect sex workers?

There is a lot of stigma and misunderstanding surrounding sex work, Quinn said. 鈥淪o having a (shelter) space that鈥檚 for us, by us, means that there鈥檚 a much greater chance of actually getting what we need.鈥�

Vancouver has three spaces specifically designed for sex workers: Wish Drop-in Centre Society, PACE Society and The Corner.

鈥淪o to have a similar population, larger geographically, and not have one; honestly, it鈥檚 almost embarrassing,鈥� Quinn said.

In 2007, two sex workers in 性视界传媒 opened 性视界传媒 Girlz, but it later closed due to lack of support from the City and financial support, Quinn said.

As 性视界传媒 is a diverse city, with the largest Black and urban Indigenous population in B.C. and over 38 per cent of the population being South Asian, these services must be culturally sensitive.

Quinn told the Now-Leader there are shelters in 性视界传媒 鈥渢hat won鈥檛 kick you out for doing it. You have the spaces that at least allow for some rest, an ear to talk to, but there isn鈥檛 necessarily a priority of lived experience.鈥�

Quinn also encouraged people to challenge any negative biases they may have towards sex workers and to do some digging to figure out where they come from.

鈥淚 know it鈥檚 more encouraged to be shoved under the rug,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not really talked about or shameful to talk about, but that鈥檚 what is putting us at risk, that aversion acknowledging we exist.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 so many different forms of sex work; we are everywhere, we deserve to be safe. We deserve to be part of society like anyone else, and I just encourage folks to think about that.鈥�

-With files from Tom Zillich, Lauren Collins & The Canadian Press