Wyandanch is a hamlet of just under 13,000 residents, located within the town of Babylon, in Suffolk County, New York. As in the neighboring communities of Copiague, and Amityville, prostitution emerged as a formidable problem in the late 1980s. Among the more serious problems associated with the local commercial sex market, was the murder of a prostituted woman in 1995, which remains unsolved.

In response to the apparent ineffectiveness of police sweeps, that arrested just the women engaged in prostitution, the Suffolk County Police Department began the process of addressing consumer-level demand. This launched efforts to arrest and publicly disclose the identities of sex buyers. In 1991, over 60 sex buyers were arrested. A community organization, the Wyandanch Civic Association, then initiated a “Dear John Letter” campaign. Using a list provided by police, they sent letters to the homes of 63 men charged with solicitation. The letters arrived at the men’s homes with the words “Patronizing a Prostitute” written in bold red ink on the envelope, and a copy of the police report (with the accused name highlighted) inside.