Twenty Years Combating Human Trafficking
This month marks for me, 20 years of combating human trafficking. I will post some of my memories throughout the month.
Here is one that Facebook brought up on my feed today.
The newspaper story below was from a case in Orange County, CA. We were able to free victims and the bad guys pled guilty.
I served a victim/witness who was originally from North Vietnam, in that case. She was telling us she didn't need anything or any help. I knew there was something stopping her from being transparent about her needs. I took her into a quiet room and asked her directly. She said that she was afraid I would get in trouble from my government for helping her. She did not want to cause me any harm.
I smiled and said my beautiful government wants me to help you! They pay my salary AND give me money to buy the things you need.
She cried and said, “I have never known a government like yours!
I so love giving civics lessons on the spot, especially when an understanding of our beautiful constitution saves lives.
My favorite phrase,
'One nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for ALL!'
The Oprah business cards are from when I was working with them, and Ricky Martin when he visited Texas Children's hospital after Hurricane Katrina. A beautiful 4-year-old girl was in the hospital, she saw Ricky and lit up with a huge smile. Her mother told me she knew who he was and loved hearing his music. He had not seen her, and the Oprah producers were, (to be polite), really bossy!
I was not going to let Ricky miss her, it was her fourth birthday that day. I yelled from behind the camera, “Ricky look it's her birthday.” He stopped everything, all the cameras and the crowd of doctors and nurses and other tag alongs like me and sang happy birthday to her.
A year later he was in Houston just days before my birthday. He sang happy birthday to me, too!
The photo of the concert ticket is for his show in Houston in 2006. It says $0.00 on the price because it came from Ricky. Notice it also says, seat 22, my lucky number. I still have it because when you go TO the concert WITH Ricky, you don't have to give them your ticket. It was a special time!