2 weeks Ago
PORTLAND, Ore. — A notorious Northeast Portland intersection that's seen three deadly shootings in the past few months is now the scene of a major human trafficking bust: Northeast Sandy Boulevard and 82nd Avenue . The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) says the intersection is a known hotspot for trafficking .
Its human trafficking unit arrested or cited 30 people throughout several missions last month. “We don't necessarily see that sort of payoff — but we did this time,” said Mike Benner with PPB. Benner said the charges included commercial sexual solicitation and unlawful prostitution, or people offering to pay providers for sex.
"We will work with our partners with the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office to hold these people accountable for their criminal behavior," said Benner. He added that the people arrested range from 19 to 70 years old. They all lived in Oregon or Washington, except for one person out of Florida.
“There's a lot of human trafficking that happens in Portland,” said Esther Nelson-Garrett, CEO of Safety Compass. “We have the data to back that up.” Safety Compass is an Oregon nonprofit that provides support to survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking in the Northwest.
Nelson-Garrett said they have worked closely with PPB for years. "As they are doing their arrest, they are impacting the space of human trafficking,” said Nelson-Garrett. “They're also impacting the demand side of the issue.
" Since the arrests, neighbors like Lauren Damron, who has lived in this area of town for two years, and others have noticed some changes. "We have always noticed a lot of ladies on 82nd. Lots and lots of ladies.
We've seen cars pull over and interact with them. Just recently I was talking to my partner, and we noticed that there were none on the road anymore, so we were curious as to what happened,” said Damron. "It's a good thing that (the arrests) happened.
And I hope that they all headed to safer places and having better lives." A total of six cars were towed and information was gathered related to other providers, suspected buyers and ongoing trafficking investigations. PPB says about 25 providers were contacted and offered connections to resources.
The agency said its human trafficking unit will continue these missions. If you know or suspect someone is being trafficked, please call 911, PPB's non-emergency line at 503-823-3333, or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Non-emergency-Portland-related tips can also be reported to: humantrafficking@police.
portlandoregon.gov ..
