On August 31, Flora and I participated in Journey Out’s first Human Trafficking Posting Project Outreach Day. The state legislature recently passed Civil Code Section 52.6 to combat human trafficking in California. The law requires certain businesses and establishments to post notices that provide hotline help numbers for victims and members of the public to call to report trafficking. Businesses needed to post the notices near their public entrances. We joined Journey Out in educating hotel/motel staff across Los Angeles City Council District 6 about this law. This helps us ensure that trafficked victims had access to these hotline numbers at each location.
At each location, Flora and I handed out posters with the hotline numbers and a letter from the City Attorney’s Office with information on the new law. We received mixed responses from the 3 motels that we visited. The owners of the first motel already had our poster up on his wall; however, it was not in clear view. We gave him another poster to place in a more conspicuous setting, but he refused to take the poster and abruptly left the reception desk. At the second motel, the employee at the front desk became very cautious when we mentioned the word “human trafficking.” We asked to speak to the owner of the motel, but the employee indifferently told us the owner was “absent” that day, and stopped paying attention completely once the customers came in. As we were about to leave, the owner of the motel came out from a back room. He was much more receptive, and accepted our poster and letter. Our arrival was most welcomed at the third establishment. The owner of the third motel already had our poster up on his wall. He even asked for more posters.
This experience was very rewarding. Although we were not eligible to enforce laws, we still made meaningful impacts by visiting and educating these establishments. Although many were tense when the topic was brought up, we do not have the slightest regret that we decided to reach out to these people.
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