An ode to De Wallen

An ode to De Wallen, originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

De Wallen, or The Red Light District is under threat from the Labour Party dominated City Council - they have bought a large number of whorehouses and want to sell them onto yuppies who will then complain about the noise in the neighbourhood...

They say that the legalisation of prostitution (since 2000) has not worked and that the Red Light District has become a centre for human smuggling, enforced prostitution, violence, illegal drugs and money laundering. Instead of the police breaking down the criminal gangs, it seems they want to turn the area into a trendy yuppie-hood and destroy a centuries old tradition (and famous tourist attraction) and push the illegal activities back into the underworld, where the police are even less likely to tackle the crimes being committed.