Red Sand Project brings awareness to human trafficking

Apr. 3—LENOIR — On Friday afternoon (March 31), community members gathered to take a stand against human trafficking with the Red Sand Project outside of Bo's Family Entertainment.

The Red Sand Project is an artwork installation created by the community through pouring red sand into pavement cracks.

The grains of red sand represent the millions of men, women, and children who often fall through the cracks and are exploited daily for commercial sex or forced labor.

This public presentation creates opportunities for people to question, connect, and take action against human trafficking.

Jennifer Wilcox, CEO of Girl Scouts Carolinas Peak to Piedmont (GSCP2P), was the guest speaker at the event, which took place in the parking lot of Bo's Family Entertainment (1115 Blowing Rock Blvd, Lenoir).

"I get the pleasure each and every day of being able to reinforce and reaffirm with the girls in Caldwell County and across our 40 county service area how important it is to be courageous, confident, and to lead with character," said Wilcox. "Those are skills and talents that, for all of us, give us the tools we need, in many cases, to step out in front of what the topic of today's presentation really is about, and that is individuals being trafficked, either for labor servitude or sex servitude ... We don't want that for our girls. Girl Scouts as an organization really does an incredible job across the board to try and make sure that our girls come to the table with the confidence and the tools they need, the resilience they need, the strength that they need to be prepared to be safe and well in their community."

According to statistics from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, North Carolina is the ninth highest state in the U.S. for human trafficking cases.

Wilcox said that many of the beautiful aspects of North Carolina also allow human traffickers to easily navigate the area and hide their crimes from public view.

"It's because we have so many amazing rural areas where traffickers can hide easily. It's because we have really great road systems," she said. "You may not think so, but having come from Florida, your interstates are well laid out here and they move pretty easily. But the fact that they move so easily also means that thoroughfare for trafficking is less of an impediment for individuals who want to move people from place to place in a crime situation. We also have major airports here, where folks are able to move in and out rather easily.

"While we are blessed to be in an amazing state with amazing topography, and with great transit and logistic systems, some of those things are also triggers, symptoms, barriers that we all need to be aware of as we are thinking about how best to protect those who we love," she added. "It is so important that we as a community rally around our girls, rally around our women, and make sure that we provide them with a safe, strong space to learn and love and grow."

Sgt. Stella January, Criminal Investigations Division, and Lt. Martin Crisp, both with the Lenoir Police Department, were in attendance at the event to answer questions from citizens about human trafficking.

"If you think human trafficking isn't here, you're wrong," said Crisp. "I can't get into any specifics, but I have actually worked a human trafficking case and made an arrest ... It is here."

"How often is human trafficking associated with drug use?" one member of the audience asked.

"In my experience, almost always," Crisp answered. "If you look at any crime, drug use is the root of it."

Stephen Starnes, president of the Lenoir Rotary Club, asked about a "symbol" or "hand gesture" that victims in distress can use to telegraph to other people that they are in danger.

"It's 'HELP' in sign language," Crisp explained. "Basic sign language is always good. Being aware of cameras, things like that, are helpful."

"Can you talk a little bit about how cyber crime and use of the internet has exacerbated instances of human trafficking?" another member of the audience asked.

"Anything with social media is the devil, if you ask me," said Crisp. "Social media is a really big thing. Young kids, teenagers, their social media accounts really need to be looked over with a microscope and controlled. I know young kids are going to think Mom and Dad are just being mean, but we're looking out for you because we care. There is evil out in the world, and it's looking for victims to prey on. Mom and Dad are the first line of defense."

At the end of the presentations and Q&A, Debbie Eller, member of Women in Rotary, explained how the art installation would work. Everyone would take a small cup of red sand and pour the sand into the pavement cracks in front of Bo's Family Entertainment.

"Let's all of us, right now, take a stand against human trafficking," Eller said.