I opened the door to su-104 as quietly as possible but still found myself the subject of several sideways glances and turned heads- the very thing I'd been trying to avoid. I'd arrived a few minutes late moments after finishing my math test, the results of which I was far from optimistic about. I grabbed a seat and attempted as best I could to make myself invisible as I took in my new surroundings.
The room was packed with students and the occasional faculty member, all eyes were on the blonde woman speaking. She spoke with an air of authority and that subtle level of arrogance that screamed "cop", normally every instinct I have tells me to place as much distance as possible between myself and law enforcement but I did my best to look studious and convince myself as much as those around me that I belonged.
I pulled out a notebook with the initial intention of taking notes but soon found myself so absorbed in the speakers words I was unable to write. This was far from the typical "stranger danger" lecture I had anticipated. As the detective spoke of her first hand encounters with pimps and their victims I was shocked and troubled by what I heard. In my young life I have seen and encountered plenty that would shock most people and generally consider myself pretty hard to get a reaction out of, just to give you a reference point.
Prior to my incarceration I was acquainted with several proatitutes and interacted with them regularly without ever giving it much thought. Now after hearing the terrible things these girls go through and how they are pulled into the lifestyle and manipulated into staying, I am ashamed at my younger self for not reaching out to those girls and trying to help them in some way. The lecture ended with a quote that truly resonated with me and that in my opinion is very appropriate...You may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say that you did not know."
I don't know much about human trafficking, but I do know that it's something that happens everyday. I should have gone to the class, but I can't remember what it was that I was doing that day that interfered with me going. The way you described it, it seems that it would have impacted me in a very shocking way.
ReplyDelete