JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – An Arizona man is walking across the country to raise awareness about human trafficking, and he stopped in Jackson on Wednesday.
My Sister’s Keeper Walk is a Phoenix-based nonprofit. Frantz Beasley, who is the founder, has walked more than 2,000 miles, crossing state lines to raise awareness of human trafficking.
“It’s important that they understand the epidemic that is happening to women of color,” said Beasley.
Beasley wants to normalize the conversation on a national level.
Ashlee Lucas, Mississippi Department of Public Safety Human Trafficking Coordinator, highlighted the cases of familial trafficking in the state.
“It’s not the movie, not throwing in the back of the van. It’s not abduction. It can be a boyfriend type experience where they are pretending to be a boyfriend, and they lure them. It could be a family member exchanging them for drugs or rent money,” explained Lucas.
Lucas added that more than 600 officers have been trained in the past year to identify and investigate the cycle of violence.
Helen Brown has been in the frontlines to help those who have been victimized by human trafficking.
“I saw the movie, ‘Taken,’ and when I saw the movie, I was like does that happen here. I started seeing things and hearing things, and I knew. It was the first case we had in Jackson in federal court that was a human trafficking case,” said Brown.
Beasley said he will travel to Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, in the coming days. His last stop will be in New York.
