My Response to Team Osborn!
Thank you so much for your response and desire to learn more about human trafficking. I have been astounded by the lack of awareness and desire to understand by those meant to protect and serve our communities, state, nation and world. It makes your response so much more meaningful in the face of such horrific circumstances.
When we hear about human trafficking at events like the College World Series, it isn’t that people are being taken for the most part. The victims are there as a reward or to make money for their traffickers. Since they are generally isolated, these events are a good opportunity to be noticed and hopefully rescued. I was seen with our traffickers in various public places when they knew that I wasn’t likely to talk. Even then I was closely watched.
While I could go into great detail about how our traffickers were created and evaded prosecution for decades along with ways to strengthen our systems to prevent this, they are useless without first tackling the issues that make us susceptible to human trafficking either as a victim or perpetrator.
Those involved in human trafficking are generally vulnerable individuals. They have become vulnerable out of shame, isolation, disability, poverty or were born out of abuse themselves.
They could be ex-convicts who are unable to find employment; are shamed for it; or are unable to escape their former lives. They could be immigrants who don’t understand the language, culture or laws in America. They could be queer in their gender or sexuality and ostracized for it. They could be neurodivergent and seen as an easy target for abuse. They could be disabled in various ways or elderly making them at the mercy of others. They could have a mental illness that isolates them or causes them to be at the mercy of others. They could be addicts who can be easily exploited, blackmailed and abused. They could be desperate for companionship, understanding, food, clothing, shelter or medical care and fall into the web of human trafficking and enslavement.
The same government programs that help all Americans to survive and thrive are the ones that make us all less vulnerable and less likely to get involved in human trafficking. The easiest solution is to fully fund our government institutions.
DHHS which is meant to protect the vulnerable and provide much needed assistance to them is operating with far too few funds or employees. Many times vulnerable adults and children are left with their abusers because they have nowhere else to go or there aren’t enough resources to investigate; prosecute offenders and assist victims.
When there are so few IRS auditors, crimes like tax evasion and money laundering are allowed to run rampant. These crimes can sometimes be linked to human trafficking and terrorist organizations. When the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Bureau of Consumer Protection are underfunded, scams and dishonest businesses are allowed to flourish, leaving the victims vulnerable even further. This holds true with all government agencies.
These conditions also tax the limited resources of the FBI and law enforcement agencies, allowing criminal enterprises to flourish unabated. Our traffickers are a part of one such organization, Crusader Foundation with a website and office in Omaha that claims to investigate human trafficking and assist victims. Many survivors and well meaning people get involved not realizing their true intentions until it too late. They are then threatened and blackmailed into continuing.
As the American public has been screaming for over a year now, tax the rich. The super wealthy are only getting richer as our government institutions are eroded for their benefit. The wages, employment opportunities and cost of living for the average American are abysmal leaving us all vulnerable to not just human trafficking but all crime.
I would like to see our government do right by the American people. As a former accountant and fiscally conservative individual, I know that our government is throwing bad money after bad money. They are being sued for violating their own laws, sometimes because they lack the necessary resources or are ironically afraid of being sued. It is an incredible waste of taxpayer dollars that serves no purpose but to weaken our government and country, making us extremely vulnerable and akin to a third world country.
I refuse to accept this fate for our beloved nation that you, my family and so many other brave Americans fought and sometimes died to safeguard for future generations. While I have lost everything and everyone, I keep fighting because so many incredible Nebraskans have fought for me to be alive today. I am forever grateful and indebted to them.
If you would like me to expound on anything, I would be more than happy and willing to do so. The fate of our beloved nation and fellow Americans is at stake. There is absolutely nothing more important than that.
I have included my case manager, social worker and friend, Miss Amanda Schwanke from the United Way in this email. She has been a dedicated servant and advocate for Dodge County for decades. She, along with those like her understand the problems and challenges at a local level. She would be willing to answer any questions or talk with you as well.
Thank you again for responding. It has been a great blessing and comfort for me as I try to stay safe and heal both physically and mentally. May God bless you in this life and the next.
Sincerely,
Darcy Mohamed
