Los Angeles city and county leaders, along with federal officials, briefed the public Wednesday on actions being taken on a three-and-a-half-mile stretch of road that authorities say is ground zero for human trafficking.
At the downtown press conference, officials detailed their collective crackdown on the illegal activity on a three-and-a-half mile stretch of South Figueroa Street, from Gage Avenue to the 110 Freeway, where authorities found at least one victim as young as 11 years old.
“What we see along the Figueroa corridor is a human rights tragedy playing out each and every night,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said. “These sex traffickers will recruit victims from foster care, from group homes – recruiting them and grooming them – to then engage in prostitution.”
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass remarked on just how young many of the victims are.
“What is common is 12 years old,” she said. “That is the age that girls are brought into trafficking.”
L.A. City Attorney Hydee Feinstein Soto shared disturbing details of what she experienced during a ride-along with law enforcement in the area, including seeing young girls in various stages of undress.
“There was a ‘kiddie stroll,’ that is the name of it – K-i-d-d-i-e stroll – specifically for the minors,” she said.
Authorities from the various departments said they were working together, combining the know-how of the LAPD and Federal Bureau of Investigation with the prosecuting power of the city attorney and the Department of Justice.
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L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón spoke about one specific defendant charged in a recent case.
“[He] trafficked multiple victims and assaulted them, including branding them with his moniker on their face.”
Interim LAPD Chief Dominic Choi provided statistics on the number of victims rescued this year alone along the Figueroa corridor.
“84 victims, I’ll say children, were rescued from human trafficking,” he said.
While some progress has been made, authorities say there is a lot more work to be done and they need help from the community.
Anyone with information regarding suspected human trafficking is urged to call the Human Trafficking National Hotline at 888-373-7888. If the situation appears to be an emergency, authorities say 911 should be called.
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