Hat tip to ⁦ @JessPish⁩ for sharing this. Where shall we begin? Home about some breathing exercises to control that anger before it grows into full blown rage? Polk County Human Trafficking, Prostitution Sting Nabs 124 | WUSF Public Media https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/law-order/2019-12-12/polk-county-human-trafficking-prostitution-sting-nabs-124

Ok. Let’s begin. 1. This was not a human trafficking sting. Calling it such doesn’t change that. I’d elaborate but it really is that simple.

2. Arresting people suspected of being a victim of a crime for their own good IS. NOT. A. THING. (Side note: arresting any person for their own good IS. ALSO. NOT. A. THING)

3. In the anti-trafficking field we call that a “coercive intervention”. And you know where else we find coercion like that? In the definition of human trafficking. Oops.

4. The comment about the victim that said thank you? Let’s dig into that. It may have happened, in which case I’m glad that person found the help they need. AND - that is NOT the norm. AND - any service provider qualified to help victims knows better than to share that shit -

Because it creates wrong impressions and perpetuates narratives about victims desperately waiting to be rescued.

ALSO - let’s not forget that there is a substantial power differential here. Last time was pulled over for speeding I said thank you to the cop, and I wasn’t even in custody.

5. Let’s talk about outcomes. NOT OUTPUTS. (Hat tip @ChiefFletcher re: outputs vs outcomes) The 124 arrested is an output. If the goal was to identify trafficking victims, 7 is a pretty terrible outcome.

If the goal was to ID and help victims, well - we haven’t gotten to the outcome yet, but let’s just say starting with an arrest is not promising for a positive outcome.

That’s all for now bc I’m tired (as in physically. I could go on & on about this for days) There are actual ways to identify and investigate trafficking that aren’t predicated on a rebranded vice sting. Most of what we see though is just new language to describe old tactics.

PS: the deep breathing helped. Notice that at no point did I use the word “fuck” in any of its many forms.