The violence and robberies associated with prostitution in the Combat Zone are the obvious examples. Weeks says she worked in the zone for years but now fears going there. She describes her experiences as a prostitute with an air of professionalism. "We used to take the trick home and bring him back to the bar," instead of operating in dingy strip joints and rooming houses, Weeks says. She also says she and other women were careful about whom they accepted as customers--"I like to look a man over. If he takes care of his shoes, he takes care of his body."

Changing society's image of the prostitute seems to be as important a goal to Weeks as gaining acceptance of the profession. She quickly points out the other skills and second jobs many prostitutes have--"We are church goers, PTA-goers and mothers," Lewis says of the women he worked with, "Some had dropped out of the seventh or eighth grade; others had master's degrees."

Convincing authorities of the worth of prostitutes' profession may be somewhat difficult. Lewis says Boston Police Superintendent Robert Jordan and several of his staff members refused to discuss with Lewis any matter related to prostitution. John Doyle, chief of Boston's bureau of investigative services, including the vice squad, says he disapproves of the union, even though he admits to knowing little about it, because the organization seems to encourage prostitution. "I don't agree prostitution is a victimless crime," Doyle adds. He asserts broadly that decriminalization would threten the very nature of society, but then doyle once attended a legislative hearing on prostitution with a bullwhip he claimed police had confiscated in a raid on a house of prostitution.

Police insensitivity to prostitutes' problems and PUMA's ambitions is to be expected. A report released by the Boston Police Department last year documented widespread corruption and dereliction of duty among the police patrolling the Combat Zone. Prostitutes live in a very delicate coexistence with the law: no prostitute has formally charged any policeman with rape or blackmail even though, according to the report, such arts occur. Weeks says, "The police down the Zone get away clear. They take you in the paddy wagon and say, "If you blow me, I'll let you go," Doyle replies to these accusations by saying he will gladly check into any charges against the force.

The public's acceptance of prostitution is growing, although this may not necessarily lead to decriminalization. PUMA's activities have won some increased support for the prostitutes, but it is unlikely that its efforts to educate the public will significantly speed up the general process of loosening society's restrictions. The bar owner from Baltimore at the party went as far as saying prostitution will never be legal because "the excitement of doing something illegal is what turns most people on." But one PUMA members scoffed at this reasoning, saying, "I've known enough tricks to know it's not true."

Whatever the union's success in changing public attitudes, PUMA's efforts to fill the vacuum of services for women "in the life" magnify the group's importance for beyond the small number of active members, and raise possible solutions to long-ignored problems. One soft-spoken, gray-haired guest at the Halloween party said, "I'am a customer and I'm here because they provide a service, and I support them."