Why Justice Matters to Me

Ten months ago when I first came to San Francisco, I was introduced to trafficking through hearing about the film “Call & Response”. At that time it was still in process of being made; now it has been released in some theaters and it turned out to be an incredible film, well made, good music, good information, very moving! Before I even actually saw it, it moved me to find out exactly what trafficking is and where it is. A couple of my friends I walked through the city that night and realized how many massage parlors are in our neighborhood alone. Quite honestly it is a disgusting amount! This is not a proven fact, but my guess is there is a lot of trafficking just in the 6 by 6 block community I live in.

  After realizing this my friends and I decided to do what research we could to uncover which of these parlors do have trafficked women held against there will, and which are really just brothels with women stuck in prostitution but choosing to be there. We mapped the Tenderloin, and began to keep track of The Guardian, Redbook, and made some phone calls to the actual parlors. Much of what our interns are doing now.

Human slavery IS an issue today, it DOES exist. It’s right here in our city, and many other places in our country in other forms besides sex slavery. This cannot be ignored. Why is our world so driven by money! Quite honestly it drives me crazy! If money was not put on this pedestal as the golden key to life and happiness would human slavery still be an issue today? Why do people sell people? Because people don’t run out, because people can continue to make you money, once u sell a drug it’s gone, you have to buy more to sell more. But a person you can buy once and continue to sell and sell and sell. Money should not come above the value of human life! For anyone who reads this I just want to challenge you to evaluate where money stands in your life. Money is not evil, or well it doesn’t have to be. But when we place money higher then people, it does. Even if you’re not trafficking people into the U.S. money can still consume you and bring more stress and upset to your life then needs there needs to be.

Why do we all care so much about it? I include myself in this, I personally have to keep myself in check on where I am holding money in my life, and where I am putting to much importance on what money can give me. But really think about it, if we could all just decided to give like 5% of our earnings to help people in poverty or out money towards people’s education that can’t afford it. Couldn’t we solve a lot of the problems we have here in the U.S and even beyond our own country? If we could all just choose to think of other people over ourselves what could that do to the money crazy world we live in?

Anyways, I’m going to get off my soap box now! Basically, I care about human life, I believe that every single person has value and has a purpose. When I hear about human slavery, families stuck in poverty, or women beat up in there own home and told they are worthless, I just don’t like, there’s a lot of injustice in this world and I hope “Because Justice Matters” can be a part of bringing justice to the places where people are held captive in the dark, they deserve to live in the light too.

-Katie, BJM Staff