Connect with us

Bay Area

Black, Vulnerable and Trafficked – Who’s Buying Black Girls?

Although California Senate Bill 357 was intended to alleviate arrests of willing sex workers under anti-loitering laws, it opened a Pandora’s box loophole that hinders the ability of law enforcement to halt human trafficking, especially of young Black and Brown girls. This segment explores who is ‘buying’ people for sex exploitation.

Published

on

With the passing of SB 357, cars line up as buyers become emboldened now that the threat of prosecution has all but disappeared. A police officer can no longer intervene in what appears to be a transaction, he must now hear the transaction before taking action.
With the passing of SB 357, cars line up as buyers become emboldened now that the threat of prosecution has all but disappeared. A police officer can no longer intervene in what appears to be a transaction, he must now hear the transaction before taking action.

By Tanya Dennis and Vanessa Russell

Although California Senate Bill 357 was intended to alleviate arrests of willing sex workers under anti-loitering laws, it opened a Pandora’s box loophole that hinders the ability of law enforcement to halt human trafficking, especially of young Black and Brown girls. This segment explores who is ‘buying’ people for sex exploitation.

The overlying unintended effect of SB 357 is that it gives priority to the needs of the person ‘buying’ sex over the predicament of those forced into the sex trade through human trafficking.

In Part 1, the Post shared that 40% of the victims of human trafficking in our nation are Black women and girls.

This statistic is alarming especially when we look at who is ‘buying’ them.  A 2006 online research project by Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) revealed the following ‘buyer’ demographics: 99% of the buyers are men; 86% are 26 and older; 42% earned more than $50,000 a year; 29% graduated from college; 69% are employed and 49% are married.

The public wonders if ‘buyers’ are consciously purchasing Black girls and women or if they are merely purchasing whoever is available.  Top search results on sites like Pornhub, reveal that demand for Black bodies is intentional.  Black girls are in the top three search results for Pornhub and other exploitative sites.

In 2020, Pornhub was investigated for showing 118 videos of confirmed cases of child abuse and human trafficking and hosting videos titled “Black Slave” and “Black Slave Pleasures White Master.”  In one case, a set of videos with this theme was watched 527,000 times and received 70% ‘thumbs up’ from the viewers.  These racist themes confirm that the purchase of Black girls for the purpose enslavement is part of the ‘buyer’s’ fantasy.

Several different approaches have been attempted to deter sex buying.  In the mid-1970s, the Oakland Police Department engaged in reverse stings, placing an undercover female officer on a street corner to catch buyers in the act.

Convicts had their vehicles seized and paid fees of up to 20% of the cost of the vehicle as well as towing and storage fees.  “Between 1997 and 1999 the Oakland City Attorney seized and impounded over 350 vehicles.”

A federal court later ruled that seizure ordinances violated state laws.  One interesting point from this program that holds true today is that 60% of those who were caught buying sex were not from Oakland.

Other Oakland approaches to deterring sex buying included getting buyers fired from their jobs and placing buyers on neighborhood ‘stay-away’ lists.  The EPIK Project, which is devoted to disrupting the demand for sex trafficking and increase the capacity of law enforcement, attempted to solve sex buying by creating a decoy trafficking site which was accessed up to 40,000 times a month and using it to engage with buyers and have men speak with them about their behaviors.

In 2014, Oakland attempted to address demand by launching a Buyer Shaming website. Then in 2016, the Alameda County CEASE (Cities Empowered Against Sexual Exploitation) Network and the City of Oakland launched a coalition and a tool titled ReportJohn.org, which was based on the “Dear John” initiative by Oakland non-profit East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC) that sent a letters to the registered owner of every car that neighbors reported as trolling for sex.

Melissa Farley, a Bay Area trafficking expert and researcher, studied a group of sex buyers in Boston. She found that individuals who purchased sex feared female rejection and endorsed rape myths, such as the belief that “prostitution reduces the likelihood of rape.”

These men revealed their violent tendencies toward women, sharing that they would “force a woman to have sex or rape them if they could get away with it, and engaged in sexually aggressive behavior with very little empathy for the exploited, believing that “prostituted women are intrinsically different from other women.”

One buyer comment perfectly and horrifically summarizes buyer sentiment toward the women and girls he purchased.  He said the transaction is like disposing of a coffee cup after you’ve finished drinking it, “When you’re done, you throw it out.”

Buyer diversion programs — like those provided to domestic violence perpetrators bring survivors in to tell their story in hopes of creating a more human narrative in the minds of buyers — have been successfully rolled out in Fresno and Orange County resulting in very low recidivism rates.

When the group of buyers from the Boston study were asked what would change their behavior, a few said a fee and a few days in jail would be enough of a deterrent. One hundred percent said that a 30-day jail stay would deter their buying behavior completely.

Tanya Dennis, is CEO Adamika Village and serves on the Board of Oakland Frontline Healers (OFH). Vanessa Russell, the author of “Love Never Fails Us,” is the COO of the Violence Prevention Coalition and a member of OFH

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Activism

An Inside Look into How San Francisco Analyzes Homeless Encampments

Dozens of unhoused people are camped at Sixth and Jesse streets in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. Tents made of tarps and blankets, piles of debris, and people lounging alongside the allies and walls of businesses are seen from all angles. These are some of the city’s hotspots. City crews have cleared encampments there over 30 times in the past year, but unhoused people always return.

Published

on

Since the ruling of Grants Pass by the US Supreme Court earlier this summer, which allows cities the authority to ban people from camping or sleeping on the streets, San Francisco has been at the head of the conversation to crack down on encampments.
Since the ruling of Grants Pass by the US Supreme Court earlier this summer, which allows cities the authority to ban people from camping or sleeping on the streets, San Francisco has been at the head of the conversation to crack down on encampments.

By Magaly Muñoz

Dozens of unhoused people are camped at Sixth and Jesse streets in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. Tents made of tarps and blankets, piles of debris, and people lounging alongside the allies and walls of businesses are seen from all angles.

These are some of the city’s hotspots. City crews have cleared encampments there over 30 times in the past year, but unhoused people always return.

But it’s normal to have tents set up again within less than 24 hours after an encampment sweep, David Nakanishi, Healthy Streets Operation Center Manager at the Department of Emergency Management, says. Sometimes there’s less people than before but often there is also no change.

“Most of the people that were in the encampments that want to go inside, we’ve gotten the majority of those [into shelter],” Nakanishi says. “Many of the people we encounter now, are those who have various reasons to not accept shelter, and some are already in shelter/housing”.

Since the ruling of Grants Pass by the US Supreme Court earlier this summer, which allows cities the authority to ban people from camping or sleeping on the streets, San Francisco has been at the head of the conversation to crack down on encampments.

Where neighboring cities in the Bay Area are clearing encampments a few days a week, San Francisco is sweeping 10 times a week, two per weekday.

David Nakanishi, Healthy Streets Operation Center Manager at the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, makes a 311 report on an encampment in the Mission District. These reports allow smaller city teams to tackle individual spots where unhoused people frequent. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

David Nakanishi, Healthy Streets Operation Center Manager at the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, makes a 311 report on an encampment in the Mission District. These reports allow smaller city teams to tackle individual spots where unhoused people frequent. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

Considering the controversy that plagues the city around its harsh policies, the Post decided to tag along on a ride with Nakanishi to show us how he decides what encampments make it on the city’s sweep list.

Nakanishi, having over 20 years of experience in homelessness management, drives around the busiest parts of the city almost daily. He’s tasked with arranging a weekly sweeping operation schedule for city teams to engage with unhoused folks to help get them off the streets.

So what exactly is he looking out for when deciding what encampments get swept?

It depends, he says.

Locations like schools, recreational centers, senior centers, or businesses are places he tends to want to address quickly, especially schools. These are the places where the complaints are highest and access to facilities is important for residents.

He says he also takes into account 311 calls and reports made to him by city staff. On the date of publication, over 100 calls and reports were made about encampments around the city, according to San Francisco data.

Makeshift structures built from plywood and tarps are starting to pop up more throughout the city. Certain areas under freeways are not under direct authority from San Francisco, making it harder to sweep these encampments. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

Makeshift structures built from plywood and tarps are starting to pop up more throughout the city. Certain areas under freeways are not under direct authority from San Francisco, making it harder to sweep these encampments. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

Nakanishi made a few 311 reports himself on the ride along, pulling over to take photos and describe the encampments into his 311 app. He says it helps him remember where to possibly sweep next or allows smaller teams in the city to engage quicker with individuals on the streets.

Nakanishi also looks at the state of the encampments. Are there a lot of bulky items, such as furniture, or makeshift structures built out of tarps and plywood, blocking areas of traffic? Is trash beginning to pile up and spill into the streets or sidewalks? Sites that meet this criteria tend to be contenders for encampment sweeps, Nakanishi says.

Street by street, he points out individuals he’s interacted with, describing their conditions, habits, and reasons for denying assistance from the city.

One man on 2nd St and Mission, who rolls around a blue recycling bin and often yells at passing pedestrians, has refused shelter several times, Nakanishi says.

People deny shelter for all kinds of reasons, he says. There’s too many rules to follow, people feel unsafe in congregate or shared shelters, or their behavioral and mental health problems make it hard to get them into proper services.

Inside a tent left by an unhoused man on Stevenson and 14th Street in San Francisco. The area smelled of human waste and leftover alcohol. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

Inside a tent left by an unhoused man on Stevenson and 14th Street in San Francisco. The area smelled of human waste and leftover alcohol. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

Nakanishi references another man on South Van Ness under the freeway, who city outreach have attempted to get into shelter, but his screaming outbursts make it difficult to place him without disturbing other people in the same space. Nakanishi says it might be an issue of the man needing resources like medication to alleviate his distress that causes the screaming, but the city behavioral team is in the process of outreaching him to figure that out.

In October, city outreach teams engaged with 495 unhoused people. 377 of those engaged refused shelter and only 118 accepted placements, according to city data. That number of monthly referrals is consistent throughout the entirety of 2024 so far.

Nakanishi has long advocated for the well-being of unhoused people, he explains. In 2004, he was working with the Department of Public Health and told then-Mayor Gavin Newsom that there needed to be more housing for families. Nakinishi was told it was easier to deal with individuals first and the city “will get there eventually.” 20 years later, family housing is still not as extensive as it could be, and the waiting list to get placements for families is a mile long with over 500 names.

In 2020, he was a Senior Behavioral Health Clinician at a hotel in the city during the pandemic. He says in 2021 he collaborated with DPH to provide vaccines to those staying in the makeshift hotel shelters once those became available.

Nakanishi strips apart a solo tent on Stevenson and 14th Street in San Francisco. He discards items, like tarps and cardboard, so that people cannot reuse them to make another sleeping structure. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

Nakanishi strips apart a solo tent on Stevenson and 14th Street in San Francisco. He discards items, like tarps and cardboard, so that people cannot reuse them to make another sleeping structure. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

Despite the constant media attention that city outreach is inhumanely treating homeless people, so much so that it has led to lawsuits against San Francisco from advocates, Nakanishi says not a lot of people are seeing the true conditions of some encampments.

He describes soiled clothing and tents, drenched in urine, and oftentimes rodents or bug infestations in places where people are sleeping. He’s asked homeless advocates- often those who are the most critical about the city’s work- who have shown up to observe the sweeps if those are conditions the city should allow people to be subjected to, but not many have answers for him, Nakanishi says.

The city’s “bag and tag” policy allows city workers to throw away items that are “soiled by infectious materials” such as bodily fluids and waste.

Sweep operations are conducted at 8am and 1pm Monday through Friday. People at the encampments are given 72 hour notice to vacate, but some don’t leave the area until the day of the sweep.

City outreach workers come out the day before and day of to offer resources and shelter to those interested. The Department of Public Works discards any trash that is left over from the sweep and washes down the area.

Nakanishi told the Post that the only time the city takes tents or personal possessions from residents is when folks become physically violent towards workers and police take the items as evidence. Other items taken are bagged and tagged in accordance with city policy.

Stories from local newspapers such as the San Francisco Standard and the Chronicle show instances of SFPD handcuffing residents while their items are thrown in the trash or disposing of personal possessions without reason.

Advocates have long been pushing for a more competent and compassionate process if the city is going to choose to continue sweeping unhouse people.

No matter the lawsuits and constant criticisms from allies, the encampment sweeps are not slowing down, even with the cold weather quickly approaching the coastal city.

Nakanishi says there aren’t a lot of large encampments left in San Francisco so now they do runs of streets in order to stretch out the sweeps as much as possible.

It’s calculated strategies and years of first hand knowledge that make this job work, “It takes dedication to the work, caring for the people and the community, and persistence, patience and sometimes good luck to make the positive changes for the people on the street,” Nakanishi says.

Continue Reading

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of November 13 – 19, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 13 – 19, 2024

Published

on

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Continue Reading

Activism

LIVE! — TOWN HALL ON RACISM AND ITS IMPACT — THURS. 11.14.24 5PM PST

Join us for a LIVE Virtual Town Hall on the Impact of Racism hosted by Post News Group Journalist Carla Thomas and featuring Oakland, CA NAACP President Cynthia Adams & other Special Guests.
Thursday, November 14, 2024, 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PST

Published

on

Join us for a LIVE Virtual Town Hall on the Impact of Racism hosted by Post News Group Journalist Carla Thomas and featuring Oakland, CA NAACP President Cynthia Adams & other Special Guests.
Thursday, November 14, 2024
5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PST

Discussion Topics:
• Since the pandemic, what battles have the NAACP fought nationally, and how have they impacted us locally?
• What trends are you seeing concerning Racism? Is it more covert or overt?
• What are the top 5 issues resulting from racism in our communities?
• How do racial and other types of discrimination impact local communities?
• What are the most effective ways our community can combat racism and hate?

Your questions and comments will be shared LIVE with the moderators and viewers during the broadcast.

STREAMED LIVE!
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/PostNewsGroup
YOUTUBE: youtube.com/blackpressusatv
X: twitter.com/blackpressusa

Continue Reading

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the Oakland Post

* indicates required

CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE OAKLAND POST

ADVERTISEMENT

WORK FROM HOME

Home-based business with potential monthly income of $10K+ per month. A proven training system and website provided to maximize business effectiveness. Perfect job to earn side and primary income. Contact Lynne for more details: Lynne4npusa@gmail.com 800-334-0540

Facebook

Trending

Copyright ©2021 Post News Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.