Advertise on podcast: SWOPcast

Lawmakers are trying to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a dangerous censorship bill that would give the government unprecedented control over the internet and force platforms to spy on youth. KOSA uses two methods to “protect” kids, and both of them are awful. First, KOSA would pressure platforms to install filters that would wipe the net of anything deemed “inappropriate” for minors. This = instructing platforms to censor, plain and simple. Places that already use content filters have restricted important information about suicide prevention and LGBTQ+ support groups, and KOSA would spread this kind of censorship to every corner of the internet. It’s no surprise that anti-rights zealots are excited about KOSA: it would let them shut down websites that cover topics like race, gender, and sexuality.

Phoenix Calida sits down briefly to talk about Police and how they harm Sex Workers. ABOUT SWOP-USA: Our purpose is to champion sex worker rights, through intersectional activism and public engagement. This is done through involvement in intersectional activism and public engagement about the stigma of sex work from the many sides of discrimination and marginalization. This approach respects the interaction of social categorizations, among them race, class, and gender, which strengthens the idea of fighting for all members within the sex worker community.

Phoenix Calida reacts to claims presented by voice actors in videos uploaded by "Nordic Model Now".

The Sentencing for the officer that very obviously murdered Ruby Doss has been pushed back another month after this murderer got away for over 3 decades. swopusa.org/donate

Nordic Model Now is a ridiculous organization and Phoenix Calida treats them with the ridicule they've earned. SwopUSA.org/Donate

Are you ready for folks to conflate sex work with trafficking? Are you ready for fuzzy, decontextualized numbers? It seems to me that you might be ready for KTLA's dubious coverage of a police operation targeting sex workers.

Sasha Rakoff claims to be an ally to Sex Workers. Phoenix Calida is Not Buying It. swopusa.org/donate

Phoenix Calida Breaks Down New Anti Porn Legislation

"Every year at this time, football fans across the country and around the globe ready themselves for the most-watched event in the professional sports calendar. The traditions surrounding the Super Bowl are time honored. The host city rolls out the red carpet to welcome 100,000 visitors and millions of viewers anticipate a great game, entertaining halftime show and catchy commercials. Just as entrenched as those traditions is the annual reminder that the Super Bowl causes human trafficking to spike in its host city. Sounds like a valuable PSA, right? There’s only one problem – it isn’t true." - Kristen Abrams and Nate King swopusa.org/donate

swopusa.org/donate A former Columbus vice detective pleaded guilty to federal accusations Thursday that he kidnapped sex worker victims under the guise of an arrest, according to federal prosecutors. Andrew Mitchell, 59, of Sunbury, pleaded guilty to two counts of depriving individuals of their civil rights while acting under color of law and one count of obstructing justice, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Mitchell spent more than 30 years with the Columbus Division of Police and was assigned to the vice union for the final two years of his employment, which ended in 2019, prosecutors said. While working as a detective in July 2017, Mitchell wore plain clothes and drove an unmarked car when he handcuffed a sex worker to his vehicle, then drove to a parking lot and detained the woman against her will after identifying himself as an officer, prosecutors said. Two months later, while again working as a plainclothes detective, he questioned a sex worker about rates before he said he was an officer and then kidnapped her, prosecutors said. Mitchell was acquitted earlier this year of murder and manslaughter charges stemming from the death of a woman he shot while he was working undercover. He was indicted after shooting and killing Donna Castleberry, 23, as she sat in his unmarked police vehicle in August 2018. He said he acted in self-defense after she stabbed him in the hand during an undercover prostitution investigation. The jury in that trial reached its verdict after deliberating for about five hours. Mitchell faces up to 11 years on the three charges. Credit for time served could knock five years of the sentence. Under the terms of the plea deal, Mitchell will not have to register with the state as a sex offender.

Howdy. We have an unexpected update in the trial for Ruby Doss. The story doesn't end because this chapter does though. We'll keep our ear to the street on this one and see where the lawyer for the killer cop takes this.

SPOKANE, Wash. — After four weeks, the trial of Richard Aguirre, the man accused of killing Ruby Doss, is over. On Tuesday, both the prosecution and Aguirre's defense team made their closing arguments. Much of the argument Tuesday and throughout trial revolved around DNA evidence. Prosecutors say Aguirre's DNA was found on a condom decades after Doss's death, linking him to the crime. Aguirre's defense, including through their one witness, argued the DNA evidence in this case is unreliable. Defense attorney Karen Lindholt argued investigators back in 1986 contaminated evidence, like the condom, by handling items without gloves. “Contamination was so great that the DNA contributions on the red blouse were 35% from Ms. Doss and 61% from William Morig. So there was almost double the DNA contributed to Ruby Doss’ blouse by Will Morig because he didn't properly handle the evidence, or should I say back in the 80s they didn't understand touch DNA and understand cross-contamination,” Lindholt said.