Thursday, April 19, 2007
Local spas connected to prostitution and human trafficking ring
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Yesterday afternoon, the district attorney's office along with federal agencies raided eight local spas that they believe were operating as brothels. Additionally, authorities believe that the eight spas could be involved in human trafficking. 27 women were detained during the raids. While 19 of those women have since been released, the other eight who all have ties to South Korea remain in custody for immigration reasons. No one from the spas have yet commented on the case.
Posted by Alan
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Comments
kaja Anonymous
Your facts are wrong. The statement by DPD was that one individual was possibly the victim of human trafficking. That does not necessarily mean that any, let alone all eight, of the spas were implicated. Secondly, although additional warrants have been issued, only four individuals have been charged – none of them with immigration violations.
2 years, 6 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Alan Cohen Staff
Kaja, I would refer you to the following passage from the DMN article that I linked to above:
"At 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dallas police, the district attorney's office and federal agencies raided Nagoya Body Bath and seven other businesses that authorities say were operating as brothels and have possible links to human trafficking."
and
"Several women, all South Korean, were being held for immigration reasons."
2 years, 6 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
kaja Anonymous
The inference by the statement “authorities believe the eight…” is much more prejudicial than the DMN quote “possible links….” resulting from conflicting statements from one woman. The DMN did not directly quote anyone from law enforcement, but chose to generalize that “they were trying to determine…” The term “human trafficking” in this context to most people means forced prostitution and sex slavery. If that was really happening, then I hope the guilty are appropriately punished, but until the facts are known, let’s try to report the story fairly.
I stand corrected on one point; the DMN article does state that an unspecified number, presumably four not eight, are being held for immigration reasons. Four of the eight were charged with criminal code violations.
Speaking of prejudicial, consider the statement “No one from the spas have yet commented on the case.” Did you ask anyone to comment? Once these ladies are represented by counsel, will you be asking for comments then?
2 years, 6 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Alan Cohen Staff
No question that word choice is important. But I think you are trying to force my word choice to imply more than is really there.
That said, your concerns are exactly why we feel so strongly about both linking to deeper information on the subject matters we cover as well as having open comments.
2 years, 6 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
kaja Anonymous
I really do appreciate the opportunity to respond and comment on the reporting.
2 years, 6 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
kaja Anonymous
Just as an afterthought Alan; I think it would be good if you, or any of the media, followed up with the police a week or two later to see if there was any substance to their insinuations.
2 years, 6 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
kaja Anonymous
Just to further make a point; it’s been three weeks now and there hasn’t been any confirmation of human trafficking or sexual slavery. Why doesn’t the news media make law enforcement accountable for their self-serving and provocative statements?
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
Kaja, we'll look into this question this week. And if we don't get something up (we're a little shorthanded right now), please remind us here.
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Sanders Kaufman Verified
The accusations of human trafficking are based on immigration issues - not actual human trafficking.
Many of our undocumented workers cannot find legitimate work - so they are forced to find employment with crime networks.
Whenever those crime networks are found out, and the aliens identified, an unofficial charge of human trafficking is almost always made.
The premise is that the crime networks are forcing the immigrants to work for them.
But that's just PR. In fact, the actual legal charge of human trafficking is almost never made - because there's no legal basis for making it.
In fact, the crime networks in Dallas almost never do anything to force the workers to come to them. They don't have to.
If we were to simply provide a way for undocumented workers to legally work in the US, these types of crime networks would crumble.
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
kaja Anonymous
For the most part Sanders, I agree with your arguments, but, at least in this case, it isn’t all about immigration; however, your use of the terms “PR” and “crime networks” is quite accurate. I happen to know the young lady whom the police were so quick to identify as a “victim” they had rescued. Because most of the information I know was told to me in confidence, I won’t go into any specific details about her, other than to say that her situation had nothing to do with “human trafficking”. If the real story were known, it would be obvious that certain individuals within government and law enforcement are spinning, using vague wording and ambiguous terms to make themselves look like heroes while diverting attention from the real problems that they and their self-serving policies have caused. I’m very disappointed that no one from the media has been willing to dig out the real story and tell it objectively.
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
DC Anonymous
Well, here's your chance to post all your details in a public forum. Morren here is dying for some real content and it's a little hard to be critical of "vague wording and ambiguous terms" when that's all I'm seeing in this post.
Go ahead and hit us with the details. If you wait too long the next post is going to start with something like "as a conservative...."
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
kaja Anonymous
As I said earlier, I can’t speak directly to this young lady’s specific circumstances without betraying confidence. Her situation is her private business and not the public’s; however, my point is that a public institution (i.e. the police department), through their spokesperson, made some unsubstantiated claims that, if untrue, serve no useful purpose, other than to justify their own actions and tactics. I believe all government institutions, including law enforcement, should be held accountable. If they are going to give news conferences to present speculation, the media needs to follow-up after the dust settles to verify that our institutions are acting in the public’s interest.
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Sanders Kaufman Verified
DC - your barrage of anonymous complaints made under your various aliases about my posts have been heard.
I don't know why you do this, following me from site to site and making these complaints - but it sure does work!
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Sanders Kaufman Verified
So I'd really appreciate it if you stop with the anonymous digs, now.
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Mike Orren Staff
DC may go under an anonymous username, but he is a longtime user of the site and we know who he is -- he even was a winner of our restaurant review contest.
So, I don't know about bunches of aliases, but we know there is only one DC.
And Kaja: I haven't forgotten that we need to dig into this one. It's the usual resource limitation excuse, but we're working on that...
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Sanders Kaufman Verified
I just wanna talk about the news, sociology and economics. Do you know of a site (other than Usenet) where folks can post a LOT without being asked to not? I mean - it's not like I'm off-topic very often.
I had a lot more to say about this, but changed my mind. This isn't the time or place.
[tantrum] This kind of stuff has lead me to a certain conclusion - that silence is to publishers, what ethics is to the lawyers.
Both may start out with the best of intentions, but they too often end up taking the low road... for the sake of bidness.[/tantrum]
Still, I like what you're doing with this site elsewise. I have a fantasy where rags like DMN and the Observer go the way of Greensheet and Shopping News - so you go, boi.
Meantime - I guess I should finally make Kaufman.net what I shoulda made it back in 2000 - a forum for discussing issues; openly, honestly and PROLIFICLY.
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Sanders Kaufman Verified
Mike - sorry for not replying via email, but my DSL provider has switched owners so many times that I can't get my SMTP working. I can receive, but I can't send.
Please go ahead and whack all my whiney, off-topic stuff. It was never meant for public consumption.
You said "Stay on-topic and substantive and no one can complain." but I don't see where I was off-topic, except in posts like this one.
I have no intention of toning down the attacks on the religious zealots, bigots and other right-wing militants. After the last 8-years, I don't believe for a minute that anyone has been too vocal in opposing them.
Pegasus seems like a place to bring people together, to build community. So my attacks on this significant percentage of our community appears to have no place to here.
I'll take it elsewhere.
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Billusa99 Anonymous
^ Wow... really?!
Have a nice life!
;-)
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
DC Anonymous
Oh, it's ok. It's hard to grow a sense of humor.
2 years, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
kaja Anonymous
Just to make a point, a DMN story last week (almost 5 months after this story) included one line about last April’s events which read they “didn’t find any links to human trafficking”. It’s disappointing that while the media was so quick the use a sensationalized headline “Local Spas Connected to …. Human Trafficking”, when the truth eventually comes out, it is almost unnoticed.
2 years, 1 month ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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