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Helping Frenchtown's Forsaken
Counselor hopes to rescue, aid local prostitutes
By TaMaryn Waters
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Originally published September 7, 2006
Inside the Frenchtown Outreach Center, Cassie Hammock has heard drug abusers confess their
struggles with addiction.
Her nightly support groups, facilitated by recovering drug abusers, are often an outlet for
those seeking a better life. Hammock, founder of the center and a recovering drug abuser, said
she has been called to drug counseling since the late 1980s.
Now she's working toward a new layer of devotion she uncovered while helping drug abusers in the
Frenchtown neighborhoods. She believes prostitution is crippling the area, and she wants to help
women who are caught up in the risky business.
"Prostitution is not 'Pretty Woman,' " said Hammock, who also leads a support group at the Leon
County Jail for female drug abusers. "I see this happening every day. I see the 'johns' circling
the block like buzzards."
Hammock, 60, wants to help these women by adding a prostitution outreach to the current offerings.
A current conference room will be converted into a safe haven at the center, located on Brevard
Street. She said it's perfect because it already has a side entrance and a bathroom, which includes
a shower.
Hammock said, "there's no judgment here" and the women can get support and intervention if they want it.
This new effort has taken two years to plan, and she'll get some help from the Refuge House,
which will offer shelter and support for sexually abused women.
Deborah Lloyd, sexual-violence advocate for the Refuge House, partnered with Hammock because
she's witnessed the devastation that prostitution has had on women. Lloyd, 47, also leads a
support group at the jail for women who have been sexually assaulted and encountered women who
felt prostitution was their only option for survival.
While Hammock provides intervention for the women who come in, Lloyd said she'll conduct
workshops on how they can overcome their current situations.
"Part of my hope is to allow women to talk and to get support," Lloyd said.
Prostitution has been a problem for years, said Tallahassee Police Capt. Lewis Johnson.
"When you look at repeated arrests, a lot of times it's the same individual being arrested,"
said Johnson, who has 19 years with the department.
Last week, the Tallahassee Police Department arrested five women on prostitution charges,
according to TPD spokesman John Newland. They were arrested in several areas including Alabama,
Dewey, and Preston streets.
There have been 32 arrests related to prostitution in Tallahassee since last August, most of
which have been in Frenchtown. The "johns," or men seeking the services of the women, range
in age, economic status and marital status. Some are college students, while others are
businessmen.
"The fear of getting caught is secondary," Johnson said. He also said there are "known"
prostitutes who are infected with sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
"It's actually very sad to listen to some of their stories," Johnson said. One woman in
particular sticks out in his mind. She once was an anchor for a local television station,
and drug use took its toll on her life.
"They all tell you the same story. They don't want to do this," he said.
That's the main reason why Hammock and Lloyd wanted to bring this outreach directly
to the neighborhoods. Starting this month, they plan to conduct street teams and
introduce the initiative to women who need it.
Although she believes the program will be successful, Hammock said the biggest obstacle
in this effort will be earning trust from the women.
"No one says, 'I want to wake up and I want to sleep with 15 men today," Lloyd said.
"They've been a victim before they were a prostitute. All these women started off as victims."
Johnson said the police department has orchestrated efforts like the Weed and Seed program
to help alleviate the problem in high-risk areas, but he said there need to be programs
that "rebuild the individual."
"What helps break that cycle are people like Cassie, the Refuge House and Mothers in
Crisis who are partnering with us and providing counseling," he said.
Hammock isn't sure how long it will take to make an impact, but she said she couldn't
sit back and turn a blind eye to these women.
For more information on Cassie Hammock's outreach efforts, call the center at 222-5151.
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