The Detroit times., 1917-03-16
S everal Downtown
Cafes Are Haven for
Women of Street
CONDITIONS AS
BAD AS OF YORE
The Toxic, Block from
Headquarters, One
of the Worst

Tho he has organized squad
which has nothing 10 40 put handle
vice and gambling matters in the
city. Police Commissioner Coozens
has not Jared much better In this
work than he has In preventing and
solving killings or regulating traffic.
While the number OF women who
frequent the downtown streets hfi
been reduced. and there may be a
reduction In the number OF eyil re
sorts In the city. the fallen Unes
! who have been forced TO move by
police action have found a haven
In three or four cafes In De,rLit
which are conducted as loosely as
many OF those which were put out
OF business little more than ole
year ago.
Members OF the cleanup squad
know about the conditions. for they
visit these places. The only differ
ence now is that there are only a
few and there has been no recent
agitation against them. Just before
saloon licenses we-e issued last
year goodly number OF saloon
keepers closed the section OF their
races where men and women were
allowed TO congregate. Some OF
these cafes were much better than
others. They were ope rated ON as
high a scale as II f. possible TO
operate a place OF that character.
But the saloon men voluntarily
closed because they wanted anoth-
er license. Some OF those who 1i5n't
cloee did not get 2 new license.
Today, the saloon owners who clos
co women's cafes and those whh
lost their licenses point bitterly to
the fact that the police department
again Is toIerating joints where wo-
men well known 20 the police en-
GERS are allowed To meet prospective
victims over "suds" tables.
IL Police Commissioner Couzens
in his sincere but nisdirectcd de-
sire 10 rid the city OF evil, wants
20 learn for himself where he can
do a little good he doesn't have 10
walk more than one block from HIS
once in police headquarters. lie can
turn around the corner into the
Toxic cafe. adjoining the BuTus ho-
tel. This Is not the cafe which was
connected with the Burrr years ago
II has undergone sad trarsfcrma-
uon. and its transformation was
enc OF the reasons why James ID.
Burns pulled out as a partner In
the ownership ~ the hotel.
Here can be seen some OF the wo-
men who used to sit ~ BoWman's
on Broadway. az Breitmeyer's, and
ether places which closed their wo-
mems cafes and have kept them
closed. They can and do come In
without escorts, and when they got
In they lose no time in finding one,
for their field OF activities II not
limited.
Twice and sometimes three times
n night members Of the police
cleanup" squad make the rounds
without brcoms. They know the
type OF women who frequent the
place. they see them solicit men,
but for some mysterious reason the
standard Ut morality which forced
other places out Of business little
more than a year ago doesn't seem
10 apply 10 this and few other
places in these days when Couzens
Is Trying 10 cleanse The city.
II the commissioner wishes TO
learn OF other spots around tho
downtown districts which arc favor
tie rendezvous for women OF the
underworld probably the heed uf
his cleanup squad. sergt. Hayes.
the man who collabor tied with him
IN promulgating that marvellous or.
der for the "Tnugging" of all men