Is Sniffies Being Used To Trap Gay Cruisers in NYC?

Is Sniffies Being Used To Trap Gay Cruisers in NYC?

Gurrlll...if you are hooking up at the bathroom at NYC Penn Station, you need to change your routine. Lewdness arrests are way up, even as much as 20 in one day, at the location, and hookup apps like Sniffies are reportedly being used by the police to target gay men.

Starting in June, yay Pride Month, arrests have sharply increased at the train station bathroom. Amtrak police have reportedly arrested dozens of men in sting operations, sending at least one to an ICE facility. The City, a New York City-based media outlet, ran the numbers. In June, 23 men were arrested in that one month as compared to 8 for the entire five months previous. The Legal Aid Society, also NYC-based, reported that 20 men were taken in just one day this month.

One of the men arrested has gone on record about his experience, saying he was wearing a rainbow bracelet and was using the urinal. He was taken into custody and heard officers use words like "f*g" and "pervs" to describe other men being taken into custody. Charges against him were dropped, but the emotional damage was already done.

The gentleman being held by ICE was in custody for a month before being released. He was in the US seeking asylum from Mexico. No charges were listed in his arrest records. So what was the point?

Sniffies has been getting some mainstream attention from NY outlets like The New Yorker and New York Magazine. We shared thoughts on The New Yorker piece, as it was written by a woman. The recent attention to the platform is being blamed for the police's alleged use of the app to lure men to the bathroom. A law professor at City University of New York posted a TikTok video that has gone viral, calling out the police for using Sniffies and other apps for entrapment.

@profjaredtrujillo Be safe!! Amtrak officers are using Sniffies and otherwise approaching people in the men's Amtrak bathroom at Penn Statuon and charging them with lewdness #sniffies #NYC #civilrightawyer #amtrak #pennstation ♬ original sound - Prof. Jared Trujillo

His best advice when being arrested by a police officer is to remain silent, ask for an attorney, and not consent to a phone search. Many of those arrested are claiming that they were doing nothing but using the urinal when an undercover cop started the exchange by exposing or touching themselves. Entrapment, plain and clear.

We have often talked about the thrill of cruising. But public sex is illegal, and we also talk about knowing your surroundings and being careful. Unfortunately, our community is under attack in many different ways. This is just something else that we have to be mindful of. No one is going to protect us when it comes to public sex.

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