Meet Justice

Trafficking Concert with David Batson, All Souls Community Church, Decatur

Trafficking Concert with David Batson, Midtown Community Church

"Trade" is produced by Lions Gate Production about chid sex trafficking into America. The film will be shown at Atlantic Station on September 12th and then move to Landmark Cinema

PNG Aids victims 'buried alive' - Culture challenge on getting education out [Del.icio.us links]

Papua New Guinea is one of the most diverse countries on earth, with over 700 native languages. Approximately 2% of the population is infected with HIV and the number is growing at a rapid pace. The lack of education on HIV has caused the nation to fight this modern disease with an ancient, traditional way; for those caught with the epidemic are often thought to be the victims of witchcraft, some tribes even bury their infected alive.  read more »

“The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing!” decry various articles, activists, organizations, and a few brave politicians.

Yes indeed, this is an issue. Not just one for the impassioned do-gooders either.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution stated that there was a $600,000 million surplus in the budget for this term. Two popular options as to what to do with this money is to knock a few cents of gas prices for a time or pour it into the public education system. While it would be earth-shaking to give our SUV’s more bang for their buck, there are other alternatives.  read more »

Free speech in a time where millions of people go voiceless; black ink statistics on a cold, white sheet of paper.

Free speech in an era where communication and technology have never been more accessible, yet nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

Free speech where countless minutes are spoken away on cell phones, but is anyone listening?

Free speech and women are still persecuted for being a woman.

Free speech and children are being raped every day.

Free speech and people are still being sold as economic commodities.

Free speech and the United States is one of the world's leading dealers in weaponry.

Free speech and Atlanta was number one in the United States for people living in poverty.

Free speech and we still don't know how to love one another.

Free speech yet injustice abounds.

Free speech yet my question remains:

What are we talking about?  read more »

A young girl runs away from home because of verbal or physical abuse from her father. She hops on a Greyhound Bus and winds up at a station in downtown Atlanta, lost and alone.

"Pimps are masters of manipulation," states Alesia Adams, the Salvation Army's coordinator of forces against sex trafficking, "they have perfected it to a science."

With his diabolically innate street smarts, he spots the young runaway as soon as she gets off the bus. She is taken captive by his words, for he tells her what she's wanted to hear for so long, "You're so beautiful. I love you. I accept you. I'll take care of you."

Case studies show that the girls are literally brainwashed into believing the pimp truly loves them. This is accomplished by the use of various drugs (which weakens the brain and causes dependence), receiving gifts and verbal praise, and then a sharp turn involving physical, sexual, and verbal abuse.  read more »

What is sex trafficking?

I have found that many people are unaware of what sex trafficking really is. Here is a basic introduction to the enemy.

The formal explanation, as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000, is:
1) Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under 18, or
2) The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of subjecting that person to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

According to the Atlanta Mayor's Report of 2005, it is estimated that 200,000 to 300,000 children in the United States and an estimated 10 million children worldwide are involved in prostitution.  read more »

I sat on the bed and listened to the faltering words of this young girl as she tried to speak. She was crying. I felt the hot sting of tears begin to pierce my eyes but I struggled to hold them back. Maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe I should have allowed myself to cry, if only so this little girl didn't feel so alone.

She showed us the baby pictures. Her pregnant belly was huge, much too big for her 15-year old frame. Her baby girl was beautiful, weighing in at 7 lbs 11 ounces. She told us about the parents she chose to adopt her girl. They were an older, loving couple living somewhere in the South East.
"Walking out of the hospital without my baby was one of the hardest days of my life," she said, her eyes searching the floor for something to relieve her racing mind. "I've only seen my baby once since she was born, and she cried the whole time because she didn't recognize me."  read more »

One issue I haven't yet come to grips with is how I should relate to the homeless people. Being in a big city, homeless people are everywhere. Walking through downtown Atlanta, you see them camped out, sleeping under bridges or in the middle of the parks while chatting mothers walk by with their babies and angry business men stream profanities through their cell phones. At night, we walked by what I thought were piles of trash, but soon found that they were people buried in rags and papers.

Someone once told me, "Whatever you do, don't give them money." But what do I do, then?

These forlorn faces have names and stories. How did they get to this sad state of life that they're at? What right do I have to pass them by and rob them of their dignity by refusing even to acknowledge their existence?  read more »

We pulled into the small business complex and quickly found the building that housed Victoria's Friends. Victoria was outside on her phone and flashed us a huge smile as she ushered us inside, not even missing a beat with her phone conversation. The floor in the reception area was covered with wrapping paper, bows, and gifts for the upcoming bridal shower that was to take place that night.

I (Kate) had heard Victoria's story and read a few articles published online. However, meeting this woman who had been through so much yet has managed to transform her past into a future for so many other women was truly amazing. Victoria was a dancer and a stripper. She was everything you were warned about in Sunday school as a child. She was the woman fetching water for Jesus at the well.  read more »

One issue I haven't yet come to grips with is how I should relate to the homeless people. Being in a big city, homeless people are everywhere. Walking through downtown Atlanta, you see them camped out, sleeping under bridges or in the middle of the parks while chatting mothers walk by with their babies and angry business men stream profanities through their cell phones. At night, we walked by what I thought were piles of trash, but soon found that they were people buried in rags and papers.

Someone once told me, "Whatever you do, don't give them money." But what do I do, then?

These forlorn faces have names and stories. How did they get to this sad state of life that they're at? What right do I have to pass them by and rob them of their dignity by refusing even to acknowledge their existence?  read more »

A postscript

Tonight I sit on a large hunk of plastic and steel soaring at 500 miles an hour over a dark Indian Ocean. Although I don’t know where I am, or how to get home, or even who I sit next to, I have service and attention just a button- a call- a nod- away. I am recognized as a customer on this plane. As a citizen. As an educated person of value and opinion and potential. If I fail to get off this plane, people will ask questions. People will want to know what happened and why. People will make phone calls and issue complaints- demand answers. People- hundreds of people- will care.

Outside of this cabin, with its’ artificial twinkling stars and 500 channels of interactive television, sit two billion people stretched out beyond the waters and over the horizon. Two billion people who I don’t know. Two billion people who I don’t care to know. Two billion people who I don’t care about.  read more »

DAY 75 – Western Europe

The horn honks out front and Alyssa runs down the stairs a few seconds later. She grabs her book bag and runs into the bathroom for one last glance in the mirror.

Bangs adjusted.
Lip gloss refreshed.

Honk- Honk. “Bye honey- have a good day” mom yells from around the corner in the kitchen. “Bye mom- see you after practice,” yells Alyssa, running out the door into the warm September morning. Piling into the backseat of the Jeep Cherokee, Alyssa joins her two girl friends and fellow freshman squad cheerleaders on the ride to another day at school.

The scene will be repeated tens of thousands of times across America every morning this fall. Those wonderful early teenage years hold fond memories for most of us- and some of the best blissful days of innocent life before reality of the real world sets in.  read more »

DAY 64 – Romania

Rev-o-lu-tion (n) : a dramatic change in ideas and practice.

Revolution. 16 years ago- 1989- was the year it came. Elsewhere in the world, the story was the fall of the Wall. Germany reunited. In Romania, revolution came in the streets- in the square- in the churches. The dictator fell. Tyranny was ended. This was to be the end of the nightmare- and the beginning of the new.

Revolution. This was the melting point; the cold, hardened giant of Communism oppression giving way to the expression of individuality again. The expression of pride in country; the expression of political opinion. The expression of religious practice, the hope for economic prosperity. December 1989- the spring signs of a world of open possibility began to bloom here; a world promising freedom.  read more »

DAY 57 – North Africa

In general, there are two different types of journeyers we’ve met over the past two months we’ve been on the road. One is not necessarily better than the other; it is just two opposite mentalities that we’ve observed in foreigners visiting a new destination. The first: the tourist. Tourists enjoy usually traveling in groups, often stick to the easily accessible sights, and travel in comfortable transportation. Their trips are well planned, and generally relaxing. It is safe, clean, passive fun. The second: the traveler. Travelers enjoy the road less beaten path, and are usually risk-takers. They are hands-on, and like to dive in and have a personal experience with whatever culture they are visiting.  read more »

DAY 47 – Madagascar/South Africa

Saturday afternoon.

The sky is that perfect blue and those white puffy clouds are sprinkled at all the right intervals. The air is so clear today I swear I can see at least a hundred miles from the top of the stairs. The breeze is cool, but the sunshine warm. All the shadows fall in perfect companionship with the rays of the late afternoon sun. In short, this is spring at it’s best.

But there’s no Dogwood trees in sight here. No leftover Easter candy on sale at the front of CVS. No smells of BBQ grills wafting through the backyard. No car washes on the corner for the local high school booster club. No Braves highlights on the 10:00 news.

No, this is the other side of our world. And as I walk up the steps (no jet-ways either by the way) to climb on our 737, I briefly take in one last gaze of this beautiful, primitive nation of Madagascar before we head out to South Africa.  read more »

DAY 46 - Madagascar

You can’t really tell where you are at first. The dirt road takes a quick turn and all of a sudden you are surrounded on both sides by an embankment. It is high- at least 12 feet or more. Since I couldn’t see the horizon at all, my eyes started to adjust to the dirt that was flying by the outside of the Land Rover. That’s when I realized it wasn’t really dirt. It was garbage.

Thousands and thousands of tons of garbage. Plastic. Paper. Smelly rotting things. It is everywhere. This road that we’re 4-wheeling down goes right through the middle of it all. For the next half-mile or so, I stare up at the mounds of trash. Every now and then a head pops over the top. Kids run through the mud puddles by our truck. Men carrying junk on their heads and shoulders appear occasionally- all walking in the same direction we’re traveling.

Finally, the road ends. We’re at a gate. Welcome to Ambaniala- Village of the garbage.  read more »

DAY 40 - Israel

As westerners in a post-911 world, we all familiar, these days, with security. Long lines at the airport, metal detectors in buildings, code orange alerts, Homeland defense, and endless news reports are no longer unusual to us. But thankfully, security in the US is still an option. Most months and even years pass by without incident. Most of our security is precautionary- the preparation for another potential dark day.  read more »

DAY 19 - Nepal

I’m surrounded by seven sets of inquisitive eyes right now. They’re sitting here patiently staring at you. Well, to be fair, they’re staring at me writing to you. I think they like you, but I think they also really like the looks of this fancy silver Powerbook I’m typing on…and the 200 or so pictures I just downloaded on it.

If you were here right now, I’m pretty sure you’d fall in love instantly. Not to sound presumptuous, but these seven sets of eyes next to me belong to the beautiful faces of the kids here in the Ramgha village. We’re sitting on the porch of their pastor’s home, looking down at the sun setting gently over layers and layers of Himalaya foothills. I’m in Nepal I think, and I just pinched myself for the hundredth time to make sure I’m not going to wakeup...  read more »