Officer Stanley Kaluza talked about how helpful and important the partnership with Juvenile Court Judge Dumas has been to his investigations during the interview we filmed with him: “Judge Lori Dumas has helped me numerous times where I recover a juvenile 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. in the morning. Who’s awake? I am, my squad is…. But who else is awake to help me? I call her [and she] doesn’t even complain. She’s like, ‘What can I do for you, Officer Kaluza?’ ‘I [Kaluza] have a juvenile. I need to put her in some kind of protective custody because she’s been trained so well that if I put her anywhere else…she’s gonna walk out [of] there and I’m gonna lose her. I might not find her again. That guy might kill her because he might be afraid that she gave up information or is going to.’ Not batting an eye, she’s like, ‘I’ll make a phone call. I’ll have her put into protective custody, and I will see her in my court.’ And at least she is now safe. We saved one were female. And that is the world to me.”

Another stop that we made on our whirlwind series of film shoots in Philadelphia was at Philadelphia Police Headquarters, where we first interviewed Officer Stanley Kaluza. Working in another job in a completely unrelated field, Stan surprisingly felt the call to become an Officer, took a pay cut, and stepped into a journey he never imagined he would have.

Five years after becoming an officer, Stan was moved into the Vice Unit, which investigates prostitution-related crimes, illegal lottery, speakeasies, narcotics, human trafficking, horse betting, illegal poker machines, and pool selling. Along the way, he also became a Special Deputy US Marshal and was appointed to an FBI Task Force that has made national headlines for their efforts to recover child and adult victims of sex trafficking and to arrest traffickers and buyers, often referred to as “johns.”

Stan shared with us how sex trafficking and prostitution investigations have hit home to him as a father and the concerns he has for his daughter. He also shared with us the stories of prostituted women that have stayed with him – like the nurse who was in an automobile accident and was prescribed pain pills that led to addiction and then being sold on the streets of Kensington, or the woman whose husband had no idea that she was on the streets while he was at work, or the young women with college degrees and even an athletic scholarship who ended up as well on the notorious streets of Kensington. We could have talked with Stan for hours about his experience, the stories that he carries with him day after day and the lessons he has learned about how unexpected tragedies, romantic relationships with a “boyfriend” who sees a vulnerable woman as a way to make money, or other circumstances can drag a person from what one might consider a normal life into the dark world of addiction, violence and being prostituted.

It was an honor to interview Officer Kaluza and to see him in action during the undercover sting we filmed a few weeks later.

It was exciting to film an interview with Philadelphia Police Commissioner Ross not long after he was sworn in, which happened to be the day after Jim Keeney officially took over as Philadelphia’s Mayor. Commissioner Ross served 26 years on the police force prior to his promotion, including stints in Internal Affairs, the Major Crimes Unit and Olney’s 35th District.

His emphasis on the community’s involvement in making improvements and partnering with community leaders and others was clearly a focus during our interview with the Commissioner as he spoke about the priority he is placing on addressing human trafficking crimes in the city. He shared with us that one of the first things he did was meet with juvenile court Judge Dumas (who has a special program to identify and help trafficking victims who end up in her court), Dr. Ellyn Waller of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church (who has been working with the Salvation Army on opening up an aftercare home in Montgomery County and whose ministry provides counseling and services to victim survivors) and others. He also met with Mayor Keeney to discuss his ideas and told us that the Mayor is passionate about this issue and supportive of his efforts to make this a priority. Commissioner Ross and the Philadelphia Police have also formed a partnership with the Salvation Army (through a grant awarded to the Salvation Army) to provide training and other services that will strengthen the Police Force’s approach to dealing with this crime and issue.

The Commissioner also established a new task force that is working to develop and implement innovative anti-trafficking strategies, which has already received media attention. According to a special news report by Walt Hunter, formerly with CBS Philadelphia: “Philadelphia Police are launching a special task force to battle the growing problem of Human Traffickers preying on children in Philadelphia….‘So many people are victimized by this, it’s scary,’ [stated] Police Commissioner Richard Ross….The Commissioner and community leaders told Hunter the average age for victims first being lured into the sex trade in the city is between 12 and 15. ‘You’re hearing 12 years old, my God, it’s absolutely astounding but most people, they’re just oblivious to it,’ the Commissioner explained. But even before they find the 1^st victim, arrest the 1^st predator, this landmark Task Force has an urgent warning: Human Traffickers are destroying an ever-growing number of young lives her, lives these dedicated police and community members vow they will protect.”

It was a privilege to interview the Commissioner and interesting to learn more about his plans to address human trafficking in Philadelphia. It will be fascinating to see how the Commissioner and community leaders (many with whom we have also filmed interviews) come together to implement these strategies in a city that has borne the scars of and victories in the fight for freedom dating back to the American Revolutionary War and the abolitionism movement of the 1800s.

Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller, First Lady of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia (http://enontab.org/), spoke eloquently about how her large, Mount Airy-based church fights trafficking through its “She’s My Sister” ministry, a yearly anti-trafficking conference, street outreaches, victim advocacy, and regular service at the Salvation Army’s New Day Drop-In Center in Kensington.  Dr. Waller, through her ministry, has not only been involved with the Drop-In Center in Kensington and the creation of the Salvation Army aftercare home for survivors, but for years she has traveled the world with former Congresswoman, Linda Smith, of Shared Hope International to research trafficking and help rescue and restore victims, especially in Italy and South Africa. (You can see an interview on Comcast with her: http://comcastnewsmakers.com/2013/01/28/human-trafficking-3/.)  Men from Enon Tabernacle also routinely serve at the Drop-In Center as bodyguards to ensure the safety of the staff and prostituted women. Dr. Waller also discussed the parallels between abolitionist efforts centuries ago and the current fight against trafficking.

It was an honor to capture her insights, stories and passion on film!

The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia under the direction of Jamie Manirakiza has played an integral role in the fight against sex trafficking and in the effort to help victim survivors in Philadelphia, the fifth most populous city in the US. Jamie’s belief in the power of partnerships in effectively combatting this crime and issue is reflected in her work as co-chair of the Social Services Sub-Committee for the Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition, as an adjunct professor in the Social Work Department at Eastern University where she teaches an introductory Women’s Studies course with a sex trafficking concentration, and on the Board of Advisors for the Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation. Jamie earned her Master’s Degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and eventually became the Director of Anti Trafficking and Social Services, The Salvation Army New Day to Stop Trafficking Program. Through her work for the Salvation Army, Jamie has developed programs to educate and engage the community in the Philadelphia area around this issue and to provide services for victims of labor and sex trafficking.

Jamie shared with us during her interview how the Salvation Army’s work has evolved over time and the history of how the idea for the Drop-In Center (http://pa.salvationarmy.org/greater-philadelphia/NewDay) came about. She explained to us that when the “Kensington Strangler” was loose, and the community (especially prostituted women) were in great fear for their safety, the Drop-In Center was opened as a safe place where the women could come late at night. The original plan was that this would be a temporary Center, but it became apparent that the need for the services provided was great, so the Center eventually moved to its permanent location on Kensington Avenue. In an effort to expand their services even more, Jamie and the Salvation Army partnered with Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller, Carol Metzker and others to open up long-tern aftercare home in Montgomery County.

It was fascinating to learn more about the work that the Salvation Army has been doing in Philadelphia in the last several years and an honor to interview Jamie.  It was also an honor to film with Arielle Curr, ‎Salvation Army Anti-Trafficking Program Coordinator, on the streets of Kensington after we captured footage of volunteers working with women on beautiful paintings at the Drop-In Center.

.

How many teenagers do you know who would spend 1 1/2 years of their lives working on producing a film about a controversial social issue and crime?

Let us introduce you to Patricia (Tricia) Ritter who did just that. At the age of 13, Tricia learned about human trafficking and felt compelled to do something about it. What she did was focus her high school project on the creation of a 30-minute film about a fictional story of two young sisters who are trafficked over a period of years in rural Pennsylvania. Tricia and her production partner rallied their community behind them in this project, with people volunteering to act in and provide locations to shoot, including a local hotel and hospital.

In fact, one of Tricia’s mentors, Gabe, allowed some of the most heart-wrenching scenes to be shot in his cabin. He also acted as one of the “johns” in the film, a role that has impacted him to this day.

The end result was “Remember To Forget Me” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZQ5Xuz3E2E), which premiered at the Billtown Festival in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The film was also shown at the Victoria Theater in Blossburg, Pennsylvania, and funds raised during that showing were donated to an aftercare home for minors, Oasis of Hope.

It was fascinating to listen to Tricia and Gabe talk during their interview about being a part of the film that has touched many people’s lives, including their own.

Tricia is a remarkable example of what one person can do in the fight against human trafficking, and she is also a reminder that people of any age can change the world! America’s youth are a force to be reckoned with when a fire is lit in their hearts!

Thank you Gabe for letting us step into the world that was so powerfully created in the film by allowing us to shoot the interview with you and Tricia in your cabin.

Also, thank you to the beautiful Victoria Theater (http://www.victoriablossburg.com/) for letting us shoot there as well, and we hope to have a double-feature showing of “From Liberty to Captivity” and “Remember to Forget Me” there soon.

In spite of the crippling blizzard that hit Lancaster, PA, we were able to shoot Bethany Smith Woodcock from Not In My Backyard (NIMBY), which is a “grassroots organization dedicated to ending human trafficking in our own back yards and beyond.”   NIMBY “partners with law enforcement, legislators, and abolitionists to alleviate the suffering of those victimized by human trafficking.”  (http://www.nimby.me/)

Bethany was joined by Ann Haugen Michael to discuss the work that they do as volunteers for the Pennsylvania IJM Advocacy Group, the work that International Justice Mission (https://www.ijm.org/) does globally and their work to end modern-day slavery through legislative advocacy efforts.

After the interviews with Bethany and Ann, we were able to film the experiential activity, In Her Shoes, which took a group of volunteers through the often heartbreaking journey that victim survivors might experience as they try to get help.

It was an honor to interview these two women who are doing such great work fighting human trafficking and to capture on film this powerful activity!

We also appreciated everyone who came out in the bad weather conditions to be a part of this exciting shoot.

Thank you as well to Hunter’s Tryst (http://hunterstryst.com/) for allowing us to film there – what a great place for us to film.

Filming Jen Sensenig of North Star Initiative (NSI) tell her own story of how she got involved with this issue was a very special experience for us, as she was the one who suggested that a documentary be produced about sex trafficking in Pennsylvania.

During the film shoot, Jen spoke about “The Girl at the Window” story that she wrote about the Route 30 accupuncture business in Lancaster that was actually a front for prostitution criminal activity.  Jen’s undercover work helped launch an investigation into this business that resulted in the discovery of its ties to organized crime and its link to other prostitution criminal businesses in other states.  The investigation ultimately led to the conviction of members of the prostitution ring.

Jen’s work to fight sex trafficking locally led her to the foundation of NSI (https://northstarinitiative.org/the-harbor/) and The Harbor aftercare home she and her team are working to open in the Lancaster area.

The crew also filmed Jen down the Route 30 corridor near various truck stops within that area where human trafficking is a reality in Lancaster County.