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This month, Collective Liberty was invited to Tampa, Florida to provide direct analytical support to the Tampa Bay Human Trafficking Task Force for Super Bowl LV. As a result, our organization provided direct support services to local, state, and federal law enforcement in support of our mission to stop human trafficking. Working alongside law enforcement in Tampa ensured that our intelligence was used only to hold traffickers accountable, and provide support for survivors in real time, often while interviews were occurring. The advantage of being asked to provide this level of direct support is that we don’t send intelligence in mass quantities to law enforcement agencies, which often times leads to the arrest of victims or those in consensual sex work. Collective Liberty is proud to say that 100% of our intelligence was used to target ONLY traffickers.
In October of 2020, Collective Liberty provided training at the Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Headquarters, which was attended by many of these departments, including these District Attorney’s Offices. Our trainings with Houston area law enforcement and prosecutors date back several years, and will continue into the future. We are excited to see news articles highlighting the work of many of these agencies. It’s wonderful to see that not only were traffickers held accountable, but victims of trafficking weren’t arrested. Congratulations to one of our favorite partners, Texas DPS CID for spearheading this case.
3 people arrested at the airport in Utah County massage parlor raids “I want to make it clear, we are not interested in pursuing charges on her. She is a true victim who has been forced and coerced into doing these criminal acts,” said American Fork Police Lt. Josh Christensen.8 women arrested in Central Ohio Human Trafficking single-day sting “Arresting the people who are the victims of human trafficking sounds harsh, but the complicated reality is that this often is the best way that law enforcement can help,” said Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
We cannot arrest potential victims and then expect their cooperation in criminal cases. These arrests also create an environment in which their options are limited, often leaving them stuck with their traffickers; these victims often cannot obtain housing, livable wages, and other basic needs with arrests and convictions on their records.
Our partner agencies are not only shifting away from arresting victims and potential victims, but prosecutors are dismissing cases and vacating convictions for past arrests.
- Houston Harris County official removes 36 suspects from proposed Bissonnet prostitution injunction
- Brooklyn DA Gonzalez dismisses all prostitution-related warrants
At Collective Liberty, we use a multi-pronged approach to the complex issue of human trafficking. To help alleviate some of those vulnerabilities, with every donation of $100 or more, we are gifting face masks from the Mazahua indigenous community in Mexico. This community, which has relied heavily on the country’s tourism as their source of income, is more vulnerable than ever during the current pandemic. Support us as we support others.
Subscribe to our bi-weekly human trafficking newsletter with updates about proven instances of human trafficking across the United States.
