Holy smoke!!

liking to find again later...... that's the sheriff of the county where the anti-trafficking work I'm doing is based.....

It's just surprising to hear about those arrests being made in my hometown. Just. Wow.

no kidding. that's a gigantic sting.

I'm glad they got the guys, but that is a lot of people. Especially for a city that, on the whole, doesn't really have a lot of serious crime for our size.

Why are they arresting the women (who are just as likely to have been coerced/grew up in it) for prostitution?

Technically, it's still illegal.

But I know there have been cases where the women arrested were basically pimping out their daughters.

Is it magically prostitution if you're over 18 (as opposed to trafficking) even if you're stuck doing it because you might be killed?

Oh no, I'm aware of that kind of thing. I just wonder how they came to the conclusion it was "voluntary" (and if it was)

(I have a friend who was once a subject of sex trafficking)

it's really complicated and varies a lot by state.

what services they're offered will vary hugely by where they are and what's available.

like, I'm not saying it's right, but the law involved is a total fuckin contradictory mess and what standards apply to whom just... sort of depend.

I'm really sorry to hear about your friend.

yeah, agreed

Thanks for the sympathy. She's ok these days and not limited by it (which isn't to say it doesn't bother her) and…doing well.

But in some cases, it's been difficult to prove coercion on an adult. I hope they're going about this the "right" way and not just victim blaming.

seriously

it is a gigantic problem

(I work with an org right now that's trying to push for exactly that, it's so sad there's so far to go)

yeah cracking down on prostitution is... thorny... because it's so easy to sweep victims into the net =/

Oh my gods. Two of the guys arrested were teachers. One a University of Nebraska-Kearney staff member, the other a high school teacher.

Arrested for solicitation of a prostitute but still.

I find it more than a little creepy they were teachers as well.

Obviously now former, but IDK if they were both teachers at the time. The UNK professor got fired from there, but IDK if the high school teacher was one at the time.

And this sting comes only days after a state legislator was busted for using a state computer for online sex--including sending pictures/videos of himself.

woooow

There was a huge sex scandal in northern CA as well wit police officers and solicitation

*with

I think it was one woman only who slicited the police, but she was doing it as early as 16 I think?

*solicited

The thing where the POLICE are getting more than a slap on the wrists is she kept a ledger of all her customers with names and dates.

Yikes

so yeah I am just... in a state of awe over all this going on under peoples noses... sex rings, police involvement, underage trafficking what not.

Holy fuck.

Yeah. This is bonkers.

It is.

It's really horrifying that this happens, and so wide-spread.

Under our noses, without our noticing.=(

And you just wonder.. How did this go unnoticed for so long??