(WSVN) - A church should be a sacred place, but one local pastor says the area around his church is being used by prostitutes. The Nightteam’s Brian Entin has more on these “Unholy Acts.”
For 30 years, the Rev. James Pasley has led the Grace Church of the Nazarene.
The reverend usually welcomes visitors, but not these.
The Rev. James Pasley, Pastor: “They come every night. It’s a regular thing.”
Prostitutes working the neighborhood are using the back of his church to conduct their own kind of services.
James Pasley: “If you don’t respect yourself, how are you going to respect the house of God? I mean, to come into the back of a church to engage in sexual activity is ridiculous.”
What they leave behind is not the kind of offering he wants.
All over the yard: pornographic DVDs, used condoms, lubrication, clothes, even a man’s wallet.
James Pasley: “Andrew (Beep).”
The pastor isn’t the only one upset.
LaKisha McSwain, homeowner: “This is where we live. Why do we have to live like this? Our kids come play over here.”
These two neighbors took to Facebook Live to expose the disgusting litter.
LaKisha McSwain: “When we came outside and actually saw the condoms and the condom wrappers directly in my yard, I was furious. It was, like, I couldn’t take it anymore.”
And they couldn’t take being ignored by Miami-Dade County officials and police.
Panitra Jackson, homeowner: “Nothing ever happened from me continuously calling the police, so I got discouraged, and I stopped calling.”
The church is located here in Miami-Dade County off of 79th Street and Northwest 15th Avenue. It’s an area that has a reputation for being a hot spot for prostitution.
Our cameras were rolling as undercover officers were approached by men and women offering sex for cash.
Their arrests were swift.
Alvaro Zabaleta, Miami-Dade Police: “In just a matter of a couple of hours, we were able to arrest 13. If we would stay here even longer, of course, throughout the night, the numbers would go even higher.”
In all, 11 men and two women were arrested. The youngest was just 18 years old.
Alvaro Zabaleta: “Together, between the community, the police department and the media coming all together, we have an operation that was a success.”
And the residents say, since the arrests were made, they haven’t seen a single prostitute, and their yards have been clean.
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