Anyone familiar with L.A. geography then and to an extent now knows Figueroa or Sunset are ho (women) strolls. Santa Monica Blvd. has always be the ladyboys stroll. There's no way remotely feasible Eddie Murphy didn't know what he was doing.
When I got my 1st car fresh out of high school, I was going to Universal Studios. Going up Highland, I got to Santa Monica Blvd and saw a group of 6 bytches standing in a group. One of my boys says "You see them bytches, turn that way" I quickly obliged with the

face. As we pulled up on them, we quickly saw a group of broad shouldered, Adams apple having, deep voice individuals saying "Hey".
I must've sped away going 60 on a boulevard

I would later find out that that was their headquarters and had been for years. Eddie wasn't foolin nobody but out of towners with that BS story