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Minnesotans lead annual walk to raise awareness, combat sex trafficking in the St. Cloud area

St. Cloud Times - 9/25/2021

Sep. 26—WAITE PARK — Donning hats and long sleeves to combat the morning chill, a group of around 60 women and families gathered at Shear Dynamics Salon on Saturday for the third annual walk against sex trafficking.

Carrying signs with slogans like "Women and children are not for sale," "Sex buyers are the cause of sex trafficking" and "Stolen people, stolen dreams" the group walked along the Lake Wobegon Trail from the salon to River Edge Park and back to raise awareness about sex trafficking in the St. Cloud area.

The walk's goal this year was to raise $30,000 for the Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center in St. Cloud, which will help fund direct care services for victims of abuse and assault.

Peggy La Due, the executive director of CMSAC said the organization helps between 70-100 people every 12 months, both adults and minors. The youngest person they've helped has been 8, and the oldest was in their 60s, she said.

In the past few years more than 200 men in St. Cloud have been charged with buying sex with a prostituted or trafficked person. St. Cloud and Greater Minnesota has been a hub for human trafficking for years, and is even considered a "training ground" for traffickers from the Twin Cities.

Exploiters and buyers can be anyone, but in the St. Cloud area are primarily white married men with disposable income, according to CMSAC.

The annual Walk Together-Uniting Against Sex Trafficking is organized by Linda Wander, owner of Shear Dynamics Salon.

"You think about how Minnesota [in 2015 was] third in the nation as far as the highest numbers of sex trafficking, and then Central Minnesota is second in all of Minnesota. That means there's a lot of idiots here using these services, which just breaks my heart," Wander said. "I want to be pretty frank about that."

Wander said she encourages abstinence, and fears the impact the porn industry and the internet may have on youth who may not know how to have healthy relationships, or be at risk of manipulation from traffickers.

Rockville resident Shantel Hendrickson came to the walk with her 7-year-old daughter, Charlotte. Hendrickson said she heard about the walk on Facebook and thought it was an issue more people needed to be aware of.

For Avon resident Mark Reum it's Wander's enthusiasm about the cause that pushes him to get involved with this event year after year.

"I think it is important for men to get involved," he said. "It's a dark side of society, it's kept in the shadows all of the time. We need more exposure. I'm always just alarmed when I hear the numbers that come out of Central Minnesota and St. Cloud."

Following the walk, participants sat in the salon and listened to speakers Joy McElroy with Cherish All Children and Eleana Lukes, a survivor advocate and case manager at Terabinth Refuge in Waite Park.

Lukes talked about growing up in shelters and detention centers as her mother struggled with chemical dependency for a majority of her life. Her trafficker groomed her at age 11 and as a 12-year-old she was trafficked across state lines and in Canada until she was 19.

In 1999 she testified in front of a federal grand jury against her traffickers, which resulted in a 44-count indictment on 15 individual ringleaders of a multi-generational trafficking ring. Twelve ringleaders were from a family spanning three generations and operating out of North Minneapolis. They targeted minors for two decades.

"Today it is one of the biggest prostitution rings that has been busted in U.S. history," Lukes said. "In Minnesota, seven of the individuals pled guilty to their charges, the other ones went to trial. They all lost."

Lukes said she was trafficked by her trafficker's brother for five years after the trial and her trafficker still contacts her today on Facebook, despite sitting in a high security federal prison in Indiana. She has changed her name three times because his family continues to contact her.

For years Lukes said she struggled with chemical dependency and went to prison five times. Now with the help of her community and a lot of work, she has since graduated from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's degree in family crisis intervention and a master's certificate in addiction counseling.

She's now a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, published author and speaker.

"Back in 1999, at a time with domestic violence was barely even talked about, that was a 'family issue,' something that was extremely taboo. So we didn't start talking about trafficking or exploitation until the last 10 years," Lukes said. "By us educating and doing these walks and talking, we're supporting the movement that is going to induce change. Because this is not a family issue. This is not an issue that is hidden. This is not something that should be taboo. This is a public health issue. This is a community issue."

Lukes said because sex trafficking also involves topics like mental health, chemical dependency and trauma, it's important for the entire community to know what's going on in their backyards so they can spot the warning signs of trafficking and support those who are struggling and trapped in this situation.

"These things are two-fold," she said. "They go hand in hand."

To connect with CMSAC or utilize their free and confidential services, including a 24-hour crisis phone line, one-to-one support counseling and human trafficking services, go to their website at https://cmsac.org/.

Becca Most is a cities reporter with the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-241-8213 or bmost@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter at @becca_most.

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