Many of you know that Cambodia is one of the most notorious countries for sex trafficking. But do you know that there are more children sold for sex in our country than in Cambodia?  We should be appalled that we have not lived up to our own standard of protecting the innocence of our children.  And California’s state laws are woefully inadequate to deter this horrible crime.

RESULTS FROM ROUND 1

This February, California Against Slavery started collecting signatures for a ballot initiative.  We saw an urgent need to undo the injustice of our current law.  So we set an audacious goal of qualifying it for the November 2010 election.  Hundreds of you stepped up and took the challenge.  We did not reach our goal this time around.  On July 1st, the initiative along with the more than 20,000 signatures collected expired.

WHY WE NEED THE INITIATIVE ON THE BALLOT

Our determination is more powerful than the combined evil of human trafficking.  When we give up, evil wins. Human trafficking is still the fastest growing criminal industry worldwide and here in the Golden State.  We need bold action to stop it.  The CAS initiative on the ballot will be the turning point.  It will:

• Enact laws with teeth to deter traffickers with stiffer penalties and protect victims.
• Bring active awareness.  Having it on the California ballot says to over 17 million voters: “Human trafficking is happening here, now you need to make a decision to stop it.”
• Set human trafficking as a priority in Sacramento. Once lawmakers know that voters care and want action, they will rally around it.
• Raise the bar on human trafficking laws. Other states look to California before they enact new laws. We can set a high standard for the rest of the country.

In May 2010, a child sex trafficking bill was defeated on concerns that it would increase costs by $250,000 in a four year period.   Assembly Bill 2319, would have removed the need to show force in child sex trafficking cases. The message from lawmakers is this: Protecting the innocence of minors from pimps is not a priority and not worth the small additional costs.  There is a desperate need for citizens like us to get involved.

WHAT NEXT?  PREPARING FOR SUCCESS IN ROUND 2

We must do what it takes and as long as it takes to get this initiative on the ballot. To guarantee our success in the next signature campaign, we must:

1. Build a strong local CAS infrastructure.  We need strong local chapters with committed leaders and members.  We will take the time to build about 16 local chapters of CAS across the state.
2. Raise $1 million. We need professionals to help.  California only allows 5 months to get all the signatures.  Volunteers can only do this on the weekends, and there are limited numbers of weekends in five months.  We need to supplement our volunteer effort with professional signature gatherers who are out there on a daily basis.  And we will need at least 2-4 full time staff during the circulation to manage the campaign.

These two things are essential for success.  We cannot do this without you.  Please go to CaliforniaAgainstSlavery.org and click “Get E-mail Updates.” In the coming weeks, we will be sending out more information about Round 2.

THE NEED TO FUNDRAISE

Considering the impact of stronger laws, the number of people this initiative will touch and the road it will pave for the future, $1 million is cheap.  Once the CAS initiative is on the ballot, the awareness that would be generated would be priceless.  Imagine 17 million California voters joining us on Election Day to make a decision on human trafficking.

CONCLUSION

Thank you for your work during Round 1.  Though we did not meet our goal, your hard work and commitment in the last five months have yielded other fruits.  We have:

• Shined the media spotlight on California’s human trafficking epidemic.
• Empowered volunteers to use the ballot initiative as a platform to generate awareness of human trafficking in churches, community organizations, and on the streets.
• Built a foundation of volunteers to ensure success in the next round

Changing the law has widespread and lasting impact.  We need as many people as possible to join us.  We need people who value our liberty, recognize the value of human dignity, and who are moved by injustice.  We need you!

Please make a commitment to be part of CAS.  Please go to CaliforniaAgainstSlavery.org and click “Get E-mail Updates.” We will be sending out more information about Round 2.  Please be patient because we want to do this right.

In the meantime, tell your friends about CAS and think about how you can help fundraise the $1 million.

ORDER your shirt today for $15 each by entering the 25% off discount code “CAS” at check out. Discount expires June 30, 2010.

Order online today at Faveur Clothing.

GREAT STYLE, GREAT CAUSE, GREAT PRICE.

More photos will be forthcoming…

Originally aired: KTLA 5 Los Angeles 10pm News May 10, 2010

Vicki Zito’s daughter became a victim of human trafficking in Northern California when a trafficker abducted her from the Sacramento-area to the Bay Area and sold her on the Craigslist “erotic services” Web site. The 17-year-old girl was repeatedly violated in the eight days she was missing in March 2008. FBI agents and police found the girl being held by her trafficker in a Motel 6 in Fremont, Calif.

“No child is safe from domestic human trafficking,” said Zito, a nurse and mother of four in El Dorado Hills, Calif.

Zito is working with volunteers across California to collect the necessary signatures to place an initiative on the statewide ballot that would deter traffickers with stiffer criminal penalties and aid district attorneys in prosecuting human trafficking offenses.

• Sunday, May 9, 2010: Crescent City, CA
• Monday, May 10, 2010: Lakeport, CA
• Thursday, May 13, 2010: Whittier, CA
• Friday, May 14, 2010: San Diego, CA

Please visit  The Love Revolution Tour  for details and to purchase tickets.

Please e-mail us if you can volunteer: info@californiaagainstslavery.org

We encourage everyone to support this tour, because the music is awesome and it is a fundraiser for The Home Foundation, a non-profit charitable foundation dedicated to the eradication of human trafficking both domestically and abroad. Through advocacy, education and relief efforts, the Home Foundation is committed to end the suffering of women and children sold into sexual slavery. Natalie Grant started  The Home Foundation in 2005.

We thank The Home Foundation for their support of the California Against Slavery ballot initiative!

Lincoln Brewster’s management has approved our signature gathering efforts before and after the concerts. The concert promoter will mention California Against Slavery on stage before Lincoln Brewster performs. The other organization to be highlighted is Kiva.org.

Unfortunately tickets for this concert are sold out so we cannot provide tickets for the concert, but we still need help to collect signatures from the hundreds of people waiting in line to enter the venue. This is a captive audience that is likely to embrace our cause. I believe more than 800 people will attend this concert and we hope this will lead to exponential growth of signatures as we encourage each person to reach out to their personal network.

Location:

Central Peninsula Church
1005 Shell Blvd.
Foster City, CA 94404

Schedule:

Friday, April 16th

Lines are expected to start forming around 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM. (There’s no assigned seating, so this is competition for the best seat. This is a great opportunity to collect signatures from a captive audience.)
VIP Admissions Doors open 5:30 PM
General Admissions Doors open at 6:00 PM
Opening Act: 6:30 PM
Concert promoter to talk about CAS on stage: around 6:55 PM
Lincoln Brewster performs afterwards.
Concert length: unknown

What to bring:

Blank petitions
Clipboards
Pens
Handouts
Wear your CAS t-shirts (optional)
Banners (optional)

Concert website:

http://www.cpclive.org/

Please e-mail us info@californiaagainstslavery.org if you have questions.

We’re excited to announce that CAS will be partnering with and participating in The Freeze Project to bring awareness to human trafficking!  It’s also a great way to collect more signatures.

The concept is simple:

• A group of us will freeze on cue in or near a busy landmark/environment for 5 minutes to draw the attention of the bystanders.
• After the 5 minutes are done, people un-freeze and pass out 1 flyer with links to organizations working to end slavery.
• That’s it!

Check out the videos of past Freeze Project events on their YouTube channel.  Freeze Project website: http://thefreezeproject.com

Here’s what to do:

1) Find a location near you in the list below. E-mail contact listed.

2) *Bonus – leave a message on the Facebook Event Wall to tell people that you’ll be there to collect signatures for CAS and to ask people to help you by pointing them to the CAS website or Facebook page.

1) Bring copies of the petitions and voter registration forms, which you can download from the www.californiaagainstslavery.org website or get from your local CAS coordinator. Email us at info@californiaagainstslavery.org if you have questions about getting a petition.

2) Bring extra pens, clipboards, CAS banner, fliers or business cards if you have any.

3) Wear your CAS shirt if you have one!

4) Head to the event on Saturday April 17 at the designated time for preparation.

5) Collect signatures at the end of the event.

6) *Bonus #2 – Share your experiences, photos, etc. with us on our CAS Facebook page!

Locations and Time

Date: Saturday, April 17^th, 2010

Locations with CAS Lead:

• Anaheim, CA | Downtown Disney

CAS volunteers meet @3:15pm. E-mail Jennifer. Facebook Event Page

• Berkeley, CA | Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley

CAS volunteers meet @11:00am. E-mail Lita. Facebook Event Page

• San Diego, CA | Fashion Valley Mall, Bloomingdales Entrance

CAS volunteers meet @12:15am. E-mail Samantha.Facebook Event Page

• San Francisco, CA | Union Square, big statue

CAS volunteers meet @11:15am. E-mail Daphne.
Facebook Event Page

For the locations below, please contact the Freeze Project Coordinator and let them know you’ll be there for CAS.

· Burbank, CA | 227 E Palm Ave. @12:30pm

Freeze Project Coordinator: Arlene Haghverdian. Facebook Event Page

· Laguna Hills, CA | ?? Contact Coordinator
Freeze Project Coordinator: Russell Henry

· Los Angeles, CA | Regal Cinemas, 1000 West Olympic Boulevard@2:00pm

Freeze Project Coordinators: Caprice Perry and Kathleen Espino. Facebook Event Page

· Riverside, CA | El Torito at Riverside Plaza@12:30pm

Contact Freeze Project Coordinator: Dawn Carter. Facebook Event Page

The Freeze Project is partnering up with several other organizations such as One Voice to End Slavery, Stop the Traffik, The Sold Project, JustOne, and Doma, so there will be plenty of people at this event.  We’re excited about this opportunity to tell people about human trafficking in California and giving them a way to fight it!

Because of you, 12,000 California voters (and counting) signed the petition as modern day abolitionists. And thousands more are aware of slavery in California through the media coverage generated by CAS in recent weeks. Our momentum has increased significantly in the last two weeks of March because of your efforts.

Unfortunately, CAS does not have the required signatures to submit for the November 2010 ballot. The existing signatures are still valid. We will continue to collect a total of 600,000 signatures until June 15, 2010, to qualify for the February 2012 ballot. If we do not have the signatures by June 15, 2010, the initiative dies.

No battle is won overnight, and without hard work and perseverance. We have momentum now. Let’s continue working on behalf of current trafficking victims and those at risk of being trafficked to qualify for the February 2012 ballot.

Ask your friends and family to sign the petition, and ask them circulate it too. Talk about the ballot initiative in your organizations, churches, workplace, and anywhere you can find an audience.

It’s time for justice!

California Against Slavery