Although no formal study has been conducted, Edgewood's campaign appears to
have worked. Daytime prostitution apparently disappeared after the campaign was initiated,
and three years after the campaign began, prostitution was "basically gone from the
area" (Winokur, 1995). However successful, some have questioned the legitimacy of the
approach. Lawsuits were filed by some johns against the members of the neighborhood
association for harassment. In one case, the alleged john claimed his wife received the
letter and left him. The plaintiff's attorney argued, "The harassment statute is certainly
violated. They are inflicting wanton pain on people they know to be innocent in order
to achieve what they consider a larger goal. I think that's a pretty fair definition of terrorism."
Of course, the campaign leader disagreed: "The guy is patronizing a prostitute
in my neighborhood. It's affecting my property value. What's the cause of his current
problem? Visiting a prostitute in the first place, or having his wife find out about it?"
(Bass, 1992). Though several cases were filed, all were dismissed.