OAKLAND, CA – The City of Oakland will continue its case Friday against the Economy Inn – a hotel at 122 E. 12th Street that for years has been a hub of prostitution and child sex trafficking in Oakland (Superior Court case #RG10552485).
Trial proceedings against the Economy Inn started Friday April 13. The second day of the proceedings will
be April 20 at the Hayward Hall of Justice – 24405 Amador Street in Hayward.
In December 2010, the City Attorney’s Neighborhood Law Corps sued two Oakland hotels – the Economy
Inn and the National Lodge – under California’s Red Light Abatement Act (Penal Code § 11225). The law
requires hotel owners to prevent prostitution at their properties, and allows the City to seek a one year
closure, and other remedies, if the hotels fail to meet that responsibility. The City’s lawsuits cite multiple
incidents of crime and prostitution, including child prostitution.
“Closing these businesses for a year is a significant step, but a necessary one,” Parker said. “No community in Oakland should have to live with the sex trade as a routine part of their lives. We hope the owners will use that time to come up with a business plan that doesn’t rely on prostitution as a major source of revenue.”
In October 2011, the court ordered preliminary injunctions against both hotels. The injunctions require the owners to make some improvements to security, including the installation of video cameras that allow
police to monitor the properties.
Based on decades of appalling violations at the Economy Inn, the City is now seeking stricter remedies,
including closure of the business for up to one year as allowed by law.
The City of Oakland declared the Economy Inn a public nuisance in 2005 based on years of complaints
about drug and prostitution activity. However, prostitution and related crimes continued unabated. In
recent years, there have been numerous incidents of rape, kidnapping and violence – many involving
victims as young as 14 who were forced to work as prostitutes at the Economy Inn.
Trial proceedings for the National Lodge at 1711 International Boulevard have concluded. No decision has
been issued by the court as of this date.
