County Supervisor Don Knabe at the event this morning. Photo by Anna Chen/Metro.
Los Angeles County and Metro Board Member Don Knabe will join local law enforcement officials, Metro executives and local businesses Thursday morning to unveil a multimedia awareness campaign aimed at informing the public about the heinous crime of child sex trafficking.
The press event will take place Thursday, May 31, at 9 a.m. outside the main entrance of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration. Joining Supervisor Knabe will be:
- Leroy D. Baca, Los Angeles County Sheriff
- Jim McDonnell, Police Chief, City of Long Beach
- Art Leahy, CEO, Metro
- Lee Ann Muller, President, Clear Channel Outdoor Southern California Division President
- Chris Kelly, Former Chief Privacy Officer at Facebook & Founder of the Safer California Foundation
The campaign, originally called for by Supervisor Knabe, will appear at Metro train stations and bus stops, rail cars and buses. The information will also appear on Metro’s website.
Thanks to a generous donation by Clear Channel, over 50 digital displays and 15 traditional billboards will broadcast the message across Los Angeles County.
Categories: Safety
The campaign feels forced; Metro’s connection to preventing this crime is tenuous. As far as awareness campaigns go, Metro’s resources would be better spent encouraging safety or fostering a culture of civility and compassion amongst riders. And I completely agree with everything Spokker said.
Couldn’t have said it any better myself, Spokker.
There’s not much you can do about human trafficking without talking about the illegal immigration problem as well. The permeability of the U.S./Mexico border causes it to be the main artery for this kind of activity. As the Los Angeles region has a weak stance on illegal immigration (going so far as to look the other way on sanctuary cities, boycotting Arizona, etc.), I sense some hypocrisy on the part of public officials on the matter.
Securing the border, punishing corporations that hire illegal immigrants and instituting a common sense immigration policy will do more to stop the desperate and naive from being coerced by criminals than encouraging untrained civilians to be on the lookout for trouble on the local light rail line. I see this as a feel-good campaign that actually accomplishes nothing. We’re still enabling and incentivizing victimization in this country otherwise.
In any case, Metro should not be involved in such matters and concentrate on operating the buses and trains instead.