Kaela Thompson and Slavery in the United States

Authors note: the advertising has been disabled on this article because HP considers it too controversial. I consider it necessary; these stories must be heard!

Every once in awhile, a story comes along that somehow spans the entire spectrum of the human experience, as if through one person, and one story, we are given a chance to see the best and the worst of mankind.

This is one such story; Kaela Thompson is one such person.

“Hey bitch, get your ass over here, lay your ass down and shut up. No trouble out of you now, or you’ll get what you got coming to you and then some.”

At the age of twelve, Kaela ran away from home because of an abusive step-father.

Groomed by a hooker who befriended her at a bus stop, Kaela was then captured by a pimp and forced into prostitution. Several times she was “sold” by the pimp for crack cocaine. By the time she was thirteen she had been raped repeatedly and sold as a commodity on the open market. On average, Kaela turned 8-15 tricks per 24-hour period.

“Yo, dude, give me an ounce; here’s some cash and you can have that little tail over there.”

San Diego, California….2002….thirteen years old…..slavery in America!

“Won’t somebody help me? Do you see me? Do you hear me? Won’t somebody help me?”

The year is now 2012. Kaela Thompson has graduated from college with honors, and now works as a counselor to help children who have lived the life that she has lived.

Yes, the best, and the worst, of mankind, all in one story!

Well, the short answer is that someone cared enough to reach out a hand of help. Kaela was eventually sent to the Juvenile Hall, and there she met two teachers who took a special interest in her, encouraged her, and helped her to find a new life. Of course, most of the credit must go to this incredible young woman, who dug down deep inside herself, and found whatever she needed to move forward despite the horrors of her past, a past that included four years of forced prostitution and rape.

Someone cared enough to reach out a hand of help!

If I were to ask you what is the leading crime enterprise in the United States, what would your answer be? If you were to say the illegal sale of drugs you would be absolutely correct. Now, if I asked you for the second leading crime enterprise, what would you say?

The second leading crime enterprise in the United States is child trafficking, a billion dollar business in this Land of the Free. The average age of girls forced into this business is 13 years old.

What would a typical scenario look like? A young girl meets some friends at the Mall. She is approached by a good-looking old boy and a friendship ensues. Over time, they begin “dating” and the dating continues until one night the boy introduces the young girl to some friends of his; at this point, the nightmare begins, as the young girl is then taken against her will and forced into prostitution.

It is happening in every major city in the United States and it is increasing at a rate that is unfathomable to normal citizens. Most police forces mark it down as a teenage runaway; no crime is witnessed, no evidence of crime is apparent, and because of limited resources the police turn to crimes that have been committed, crimes that are of a higher profile like murder and armed robbery. The children are essentially cut adrift in the sex trafficking world to fend for themselves, many of whom are never seen again.

The young lady in the picture above, Carissa Phelps, was trapped in the same nightmare as was Kaela. Carissa today is a lawyer, has an MBA, and is CEO for Runaway Girls, Inc. She, too, was helped by two caring teachers who recognized a problem and reached out a hand of help.

If you have a younger daughter (and yes, younger son) take a good, long look at them right now, and imagine them being used as sex tools for the underbelly of society. Do not for a second think it can’t happen to your family.

I received a call recently from a woman living in Florida. She had seen my article and video about the child abuse at Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota, and she had a story to tell me.

Her story has to do with Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota, and she told me of young children sold as sex slaves on that reservation. Oftentimes, it seems, children are placed into the care of their extended family when their parents are unable to care for them. The extended family receives money from the government to care for the children, and then, because Social Services does not check on the welfare of the children, the extended family members sell these children to strangers to do with them as they please.

I have done no research about these claims as of yet, but I have absolutely no doubt that the claims are valid. A recent study by the Department of the Interior states that sex trafficking and abuse of children on reservations have reached epidemic proportions. No, I have no doubt that the claims are valid.

If you are into irony, you will love this next fact. Slavery was once a black institution in America, and the rulers of that institution were affluent whites. Today, the average slave is a white, thirteen year old girl from a middle-income family. It is estimated that 250,000 young girls and boys are currently sex slaves in the United States and the numbers are growing.

How could this happen in the United States? The opinions on that question are varied, but several factors seem to best explain the problem. There are more single-parent households in the U.S. than ever before, and one working parent means less supervision of the children.

The internet has become the great advertising tool for sex traffickers. Children are easily lured over the internet, and once they have been lured to a meeting place, the demoralizing and dehumanizing spiral for a child begins.

Cutbacks in police funding, of course, means less resources to fight these crimes. When funding is stretched thin, most efforts go towards investigating murders and violent crimes. Since most teenage victims are labeled as runaways, they fall further and further down the priority list in police stations across America.

As a writer, I know of only one thing that I can do, and that is to raise awareness about these crimes. I would love to say that these despicable acts shock me, but that is not true. For far too long I have been painfully aware of the dark side of the human race, and very little surprises me any longer.

If you are a parent, you must take a proactive stance on this problem. Monitor your child’s use of the internet. Return to some old-fashioned rules that require more accountability from your child, and know as much as you possibly can about your child’s activities. We were all young and wild at one time, and we all tried to get away with as much as we possibly could. Fortunately, for most of us, our penalty for youthful exuberance was not to be sold into prostitution.

Be proactive in your community. Get to know your neighbors, and try to establish a safe harbor in your neighborhood. Pay attention to this issue when it comes before your City Council, or when hearings are held in your community. Write to your city leaders demanding that the police become more active in possible child-slavery cases. Elected officials will react to demands placed by their constituency; they have no other choice to do so if they want to remain elected officials. Turn up the heat and demand that action be taken.

For every happy ending like Kaela Thompson, there are thousands that end with slavery and at times death. I look at the numbers and I am discouraged, and because I am human I tell myself that I cannot possibly make a difference. Sex traffickers are organized and well-funded; they are dangerous and they are determined. How can we possibly make a difference? How can we possibly save 250,000 children from a living hell?

We can do it one child at a time!

2012 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)….P.S. three days before I wrote this article, a former student of mine disappeared in Oregon. She was dropped off at school and has not been seen since. Please keep her in your prayers.