Asur

With whipping winds and a windchill of 17 degrees in the War Zone this afternoon, we did outreach to women in makeshift tarp shelters along with those lying on bare sidewalks, covered in blankets or sleeping bags.
We didn’t ask women to come out in the wind. Instead, we called to them where they huddled to learn sizes for leggings and hoodies.
We heard over and over as we passed food, pads, tampons, socks, gloves and hats through slits in the shelters and blankets, “We’re freezing.”
We also learned the city had given encampments up and down the street notice that they would be swept tomorrow morning, when temperatures are predicted to be 23 degrees and wind gusts 28 mph.

There is a debate among all of us at AsUR about whether to thank the APD High Risk Victims Unit for arresting several traffickers yesterday.

While we are glad the traffickers are in jail and the victims are safe, we can’t forget that six months ago APD knowingly arrested dozens of trafficking victims for prostitution. These victims, once they were released from jail, faced beatings and other brutal punishments from their traffickers.

How can we thank APD for helping victims in this one case when they willingly harmed dozens more?

APD deserves no praise until they vow to stop arresting trafficking victims once and for all.

This should not be too hard for them. Every other single law-enforcement agency stopped arresting for prostitution more than a decade ago, including the New Mexico Department of Justice, the FBI, and Homeland Security.

ABQRaw, do not think for one second that you are heroes.
Two traffickers might have been arrested after you publicly humiliated and objectified their victims by posting a photo of them online, but that doesn’t make you the good guys.
If you want to really help, stop f**king running the photo of the victims, at least one of whom is a child.