Phoenix attack on sexwork meeting
11/9/2015 KPHO TV highlights
There is a 28 minute video with FBI, local agencies, govt folks all to eliminate consenting adult pleasure under the fake excuse of "human trafficking - this horrible crime" at http://www.kpho.com/story/30472414/l...ex-trafficking.
Phoenix Mayor Stanton: You buy sex you will be caught, you will lose your job, spend time in prison, this is not a crime without victims... etc....
All prostitution is harmful. The money doesn't go to the prostitute but to the pimps, the gangs etc. It is never OK to pay for sex. It contributes to gun violence and murder. Help us put an end to this horrible industry with the message if you buy sex you will lose everything.
Above just brief highlights of video.
KPHO artcile highlights:
City leaders are stepping up their attack on sex buyers in Phoenix in the wake of a prominent billboard campaign that began in July.
“This effort is going to be a consistent effort for years and years until we stamp our human trafficking and sex trafficking,” Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said at a news briefing to update the initiative Monday morning. (Dave notes this includes consenting adults and an escort can traffic herself).
Cindy McCain had been collaborating with the Polaris Project, an anti-human trafficking nonprofit in an initiative called “Not Worth It” aimed at sex buyers. “It’s a never-ending problem and we’re hoping to stop it” she told reporters. Cindy McCain chairs the Arizona Governor's Task Force on Human Trafficking, which was established last April. She has called for Arizona lawmakers to enact tougher penalties for human traffickers.
Angie Bayless is local coordinate for CEASE, Cities Empowered Against Sexual Exploitation. She said the campaign has spurred thousands of people to visit National Human Trafficking Resource Center, which leads to a 24-hour confidential hotline for people to leave anonymous tips.
“We are changing hearts and minds about prostitution,” Bayless said.” ASU estimates 1 n 20 adult men pay for sex in Phoenix. We know men are calling from work from work-issued cell phones and work computers.“We have accomplished a lot in the past few years.”
This CEASE network is dedicated to innovating, testing, and sharing strategies with a proven impact on deterring people from buying sex. The Phoenix Metro area joined the network in November 2014.
Clear Channel Outdoor, which donated billboard space, said 52 digital billboards in metropolitan Phoenix feature the hotline. The messages educate sex buyers about the consequences of an arrest for the crime.
Online: http://www.TraffickingResourceCenter.org
Councilman Jim Waring, co-chair of the Phoenix Task Force on Human Trafficking, reassured the public Monday that task force members “are doing everything we can to eradicate it. We are fighting every step of the way.”
Read more: http://www.kpho.com/story/30472414/l...#ixzz3r5DIhdht
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CN Cronkite News 11/9/2015 adds
Phoenix leads a major decline in human sex trafficking
If you are going to be a buyer of sex, you’re going to get caught and you’re going to lose everything, so that’s the basic bottom line message of all this,” said Cindy McCain, Co-Chair of Arizona Human Trafficking Council.
This campaign is literally a lit-up beacon of hope to people in our city who are trapped by prostitution,” said Angelyn Bayless, CEASE Network City Manager. The CEASE initiative is a program involving 11 cities nationwide, including Seattle, Portland, Denver, Oakland, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston and Chicago.
“Demand is sort of the new frontier in the fight against sex trafficking,” Bayless said. “If there were no buyers, there would be no business.”
Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale and Glendale Police are all arresting people who buy sex.
We actually just won an award from the CEASE initiative of the 11 cities,” Bayless said. “We won the top tactics testing and the law enforcement leader award, so we are first and we’re out there in front of it.”
AZ Central 11/9/2015 adds:
McCain, Stanton, Brnovich: Anti-sex-trafficking push showing results.
The campaign has emphasized targeting prostitutes' customers, or "johns," instead of punishing sex workers.
The campaign stresses a message about the consequences of soliciting sex -- jail, fines, divorce, sexually transmitted diseases and crime -- saying they are simply not worth it.
In the Valley, more than 52 billboards donated by Clear Channel Outdoor Americas have stated CEASE's message: "Buy sex, Lose everything." The message was paired with the image of a disgraced man holding his face in his hands, wedding ring visible.
As long as the demand remains, there will continue to be exploited women, children and men, she said.
McCain, wife of U.S. Sen. John McCain, emphasized that education and victim services are also key in fighting sex trafficking.
"They (sex workers) are not criminals," she said. "They are victims." (Dave notes however the victims are being arrested)