Occupation of Holy Cross Church 1982:
Images on this page Courtesy of the English Collective of Prostitutes
Prostitution in the Kings Cross area in 1979 was a thriving industry. The location was known for its red-light district, with strip clubs, sex shops, and brothels openly operating. Streetwalkers were also common, plying their trade in the alleyways and side streets.
Prostitutes in Kings Cross came from all walks of life. Some were locals who had fallen on hard times, while others were young women trafficked from other countries. Many of the women were drug addicts, and they turned to prostitution to support their habit.
The police in Kings Cross were aware of the prostitution problem but did little to crack down on it. The area was a major source of revenue for the police, and they were reluctant to do anything that might jeopardize that income
In 1975, the National Council for Civil Liberties published a report on prostitution in London, which included a section on Kings Cross. The report found that there were around 2,000 prostitutes working in Kings Cross at the time, and that the area was a major center for prostitution in London. The report also found that many of the prostitutes in Kings Cross were young women who had been trafficked from other countries.
The report’s findings were supported by a number of other sources, including police reports and newspaper articles. In 1977, the Metropolitan Police raided a number of brothels in Kings Cross, and arrested over 100 prostitutes. The police also found evidence that some of the prostitutes had been trafficked from other countries.
The situation in Kings Cross came to a head in 1979 when a young woman named Margaret Muller was murdered by a serial killer. The murder shocked the city, leading to a public outcry against prostitution in Kings Cross.
In response to the public outcry, the police finally took action against prostitution in Kings Cross. They raided brothels and arrested prostitutes. They also cracked down on streetwalking. As a result of these measures, prostitution in Kings Cross declined significantly in the following years.
However, prostitution has never been completely eradicated from Kings Cross. It continues to be a problem in the area, albeit to a lesser extent than in the 1970s.