San Francisco Tries to Outpimp Prostitution

Flashy gimicks are not just for pimps anymore

San Francisco is getting creative about cracking down on prostitution. And the City it is taking a page from the pimp playbook to get citizens to help out.

This week San Francisco doorsteps were flooded with neatly designed flyers asking residents to "report prostitutes, pimps and Johns every time you see them" to the San Francisco Police Department, according to our friends at Mission Mission. In case you are not hip to the lingo, a "John" is a prostitute's paying customer.

It was not the street wise vernacular used on the flyer or the fact there was a leaflet at all but instead it was the hip design that grabbed the eyes of residents.

The catchy flyer didn't need a purple suit of a fedora hat to make its point. Instead the black and white leaflet featured bold typography that looks more like a piece stolen from David Carson's portfolio than a public service announcement.

The timing of the flyer is prudent as well. Every summer when tourists flock into San Francisco, the number of prostitutes walking the streets goes up, according to the police department.

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