Brian Bates of JohnTV.com: Doing His Part to End Prostitution in Oklahoma

Brian Bates has always been an activist. He was raised to give back and he has. Mr. Bates was the youngest certified HIV/AIDS counselor in the state of Oklahoma in the 1980's while still in high school but he never envisioned his activism would lead to where it has.

From a marketing major at the University of Oklahoma to the Video Vigilante, Brian Bates has become a celebrity of sorts. Mr. Bates has appeared on numerous television and radio shows such as the Maury Povich show, CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports, 48 hours, and Court T.V.

In 1996, Brian Bates found himself in a prostitution ridden neighborhood in North West Oklahoma City. Faced with police and city officials who showed a lack of willingness to do anything about the prostitution problems plaguing his neighborhood, Brian Bates took matters into his own hands and picked up his video camera. Mr. Bates began not only catching prostitutes and their "johns" on tape in the "act" but submitting those videos to the media.

In 2006 Brian Bates launched JohnTV.com. The site says "JohnTV.com is one Oklahoma man's effort to target, expose and impact street and organized prostitution and the sexual trafficking of individuals." And it profiles prostitutes and Johns that Mr. Bates has caught on tape.

Occasionally, when the police respond to a call from Mr. Bates, regardless of the video evidence provided to them, Mr. Bates finds himself in a position where he himself must sign a citation, basically amounting to a citizen's arrest. That was the case in June Of 2007 when Mr. Bates caught a Lowes delivery driver having sex with a hooker in his delivery truck while on the clock.

Brian Bates the Video Vigilante

Credit: Photo by Andrew Laker

Copyright: Oklahoma Gazette