I-Team: Bus tours sites of North Texas sex trafficking cases according to advocacy group
NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – Sex trafficking happens on the "other side of town."
It could never happen to "my child."
The young girls and boys selling their bodies "can get out if they want to."
…These are just some of the myths the advocacy group New Friends New Life are trying to debunk.
"It's not the white van. It's not 'The Taken.' It's not the kidnapping," said Matt Osborne.
Osborne spent 12 years with the CIA fighting terrorism and drug trafficking.
Now he and New Friends New Life Chief Development Officer Priya Murphy hold monthly tours to fight sex trafficking.
Murphy grew up in India where she first learned about sex trafficking while on a bus through a red-light district with her Bible college. When her family moved to the United States, she was stunned to learn the industry existed here. And, through the years, she became even more concerned after learning the amount of money it generates.
"It's a $150 billion, billion with a "B" dollar profit industry," Murphy said.
Once a month, the two advocates board a bus that leaves from downtown Dallas. It's a tour open to the public. The goal is to raise awareness about sex trafficking by visiting, what they say, are several locations where law enforcement told them they worked cases over the last several years.
They call it a "myth-busting" mission.
MYTH No. 1- THE CLIENTS ARE NOT ANYONE I KNOW
On the tour, Osborne and Murphy explain that the clients are dads, businessmen, and as recent North Texas prostitution stings have revealed, high school teachers, football coaches, even pastors.
"You just heard who the clients are, who are the people that are having these trysts, they want to be in areas where they feel safe," Osborne those on board.
MYTH No. 2 - IT'S ONLY IN HIGH CRIME AREAS
The first stop on the tour is a well-known mid-range hotel.
"It's not in the dangerous areas," Osborne explains looking at the bus window. "It's in the safer areas."
The I-Team agreed not to name the businesses because Osborne and Murphy say the locations cooperated with authorities and the cases are not on-going.
From the video, you can see the first stop is the east side of US 75, just north of downtown Dallas.
Osborne says the officers were tipped off that a 15-year-old girl was being sold at this hotel repeatedly.
MYTH No. 3 -THE VICTIM COULD NEVER BE MY CHILD
"This girl was brilliant," Osborne explains.
"She had already been identified with Mensa qualified high IQ. She'd been identified for inside tracks to scholarships to some different state schools. Star on the volleyball team…"
MYTH No. 4 - SEX TRAFFICKING HAPPENS AFTER DARK
Looking out the window at the parking lot of the hotel, Osborn points to the second story of hotel rooms.
"At 9 a.m. on a Tuesday he was told to park…"
9 a.m. That's the time the trafficker unknowingly arranged a date with an undercover officer according to Osborne.
"It's not all the time in the wee hours in the morning or the weekend. Often times, it's during the workday because these guys know their wives think they are at work so it's easy for them to do this."
Headed to the second stop, the bus drives further north on US 75. We stop near Interstate 635. This is another well-known hotel. This one is tucked inside several high rises where Osborne says law enforcement tracked a 14-year-old girl after her grandmother called police for help.
MYTH No. 5 - THOSE BEING TRAFFICKED COULD GET OUT IF THEY WANTED TO
Osborne appears choked up briefly as he explains how the officer described what happened when the teenager opened the hotel door wearing only a robe.
"He (the officer) grabs it and holds it around her, and he calls her by her real name. 'Wait! What did you call me?' She says her real name again. Sorry I get a little…" Osborne pauses to take a breath before he continues.
"He says, 'Your grandma sent us. We're here to rescue you.' She immediately buckles her knees, crying, get me out of here, thank you!"
Osborne tells us that young girl had been forced to see two and three men an hour – for 17 straight hours.
The next stop is a North Dallas office park. This discredits another myth.
MYTH No. 6 - PROSTITUTION ONLY HAPPENS IN HOMES AND HOTELS
From the parking lot of this location, those on the bus are looking at rows of small businesses side by side.
Osborne says officers eating at a near-by restaurant became suspicious of this alleged operation.
"One o'clock on weekend day, low and behold, what do you see? Guy after guy after guy going down this alley to your right, not the first door, but the second door. Holy cow this must be a daytime establishment."
They believe this one attracted local businessmen on their lunch hours.
The last stop on this tour takes the riders to an upscale area in Richardson - the location of another hotel franchise.
Here, they say a 17-year-old girl was used by guests who were in town for a major sporting event. Osborne says an observant hotel manager here had been trained to spot sex trafficking.
"So, he knew what to look for," Osborne says explaining the red flags.
"If you see a room with do not disturb day after day or a bunch of guys going in, or someone just pays cash…"
Osborne says the last case ended in another rescue and more arrests; however, heading back Murphy reminds those on board of a very harsh reality. This is a never-ending battle.
"The sad part about an organized criminal industry is when you take it out one place it pops up somewhere else. This is why it's an ongoing fight," Murphy said.
MYTH No. 7 "IT'S SAD, BUT I CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP"
New Friends New Life encourages riders on the tour to say something if you see something.; however, they say you must be discreet.
Do not approach the traffickers or the victims. Law enforcement says this could put you and the victims in danger.
WHO TO CALL FOR HELP OR TO REPORT SEX TRAFFICKING?
You need to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
To report suspected human trafficking, you can also contact Federal law enforcement by calling 1-866-247-2423.
HOW CAN I GO ON THE BUS TOUR?
For more information on the Sex Trafficking Awareness Excursion, click here.
For more information on New Friends, New Life financial and in-kind donations, click here.
SEE OUR OTHER I-TEAM REPORTS ON SEX TRAFFICKING IN NORTH TEXAS
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