Ex-pimp bags £118,000 deal with Seattle to be its new "Street Czar"

A convicted pimp has just been signed into payroll as Seattle's new "Street Czar." Andre Taylor, who once appeared in the documentary "American Pimp" and vowed "to go to war" with the city, will be earning his keep from a monthly pay of £9,800. The deal was made with Mayor Jenny Durkan's office on July 27, with his duties mainly aimed at being a community liaison.

According to the contract published by PubliCola last week, the £118,000 annual deal will involve Taylor providing recommendations of city de-escalation, community engagement as well as alternative means of policing. This is part of the city government's goals to improve relations between its community members and law enforcement amidst the surge of cop killings of black individuals across the US. Also part of his perks, Taylor gets to hold his own office in Seattle's Municipal Tower.

The 52-year-old Taylor, also known in the streets as "Gorgeous Dre," once worked the streets of Las Vegas as a pimp. He recruited girls as young as 16 to serve his roster of wealthy clients. He was the typical pimp who was deep into a lavish lifestyle of Versace suits, alligator-skin shoes and a Rolex priced at £70,000. He was sentenced to five years in prison in 2000 and served for only more than a year.

The new Street Czar also led one of the first rallies in Seattle in the wake of George Floyd's death. He was accused of trying to acquire funding worth millions for militants to set up the controversial police-free Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) zone, according to the Seattle Times.

However, some of his militant supporters expressed betrayal after Taylor appeared at a press conference with Seattle Mayor Durkan and telling them to shut down CHOP. Taylor justified his decision to join efforts with the city government saying his contract was payment for his "particular genius in a particular area." He claimed he has the ability to talk to gang members, pimps and prostitutes who are not willing to sit down and discuss matters with anyone else.

Kelsey Nyland, spokesperson for Mayor Durkan said, Taylor was chosen for the reason that he has "lived experience with the criminal legal system as well as his history of successful advocacy and activism on issues of policing and dismantling systemic racism."