Sex trafficking survivor joins new Oakland street outreach effort
OAKLAND, Calif. - A coalition of people spent Friday evening out on the streets of Oakland for a neighborhood walk aimed at keeping Black women and girls safe.
"Here in Oakland recently, there have been a number of either kidnappings or attempted kidnappings of Black women and girls," said Nola Brantley, CEO of Nola Brantley Speaks, "As community organizations, there are 27 of us, we have come together, and we are going to do something."
Brantley helped organize the street outreach event. She says she's a survivor of human trafficking, and she wants to help prevent others from falling prey and feeling the pain.
The groups gathered at San Antonio Park in East Oakland. The community organization Oakland Trybe provided food for attendees before the volunteers started the street outreach along International Boulevard and East 15th Street.
Earlier this year in February, the City of Oakland put up barricades in that area, in an attempt to disrupt cruising and prevent human and sex trafficking.
"We'll be doing outreach every Friday night across the entire city of Oakland," said Brantley.
As part of the outreach, the group has created flyers with advice and safety tips for women and girls, as well as for parents and caregivers.
The street outreach comes just as Oakland's mayor announced Tuesday that she's forming a new advisory council on human trafficking that will include survivors, public agencies and community organizations.
"What's going on, it's horrific, and we need to come together," said Darren White, founder of a group called Realized Potential, Inc. which works with young men. White says it's important to help them understand the challenges women and girls face.
"Talk to young men about how they view women, how they treat women. Why do they have the views they have about women, and we talk about topics of music, and movies that influence them," said White.
The organizers say the street outreach is just the beginning of their efforts.
"Our next tier to what we're rolling out is a series of self-defense classes that we're offering to the community for free, prioritizing the enrollment of Black women and girls," said Brantley.
The groups say they plan to be out every Friday evening at different spots in Oakland, handing out information about safety tips and ways parents can protect girls.
If you or someone you know is being exploited check the Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR) Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking website.
Other resources to help victims of human trafficking include:
CITY OF OAKLAND: https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/stop-sex-trafficking-in-oakland
STATE OF CALIFORNIA: https://oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking