HumanTrafficking:MoreComplexThanYouMayThink

Tosaythatthetermhumantraffickingproducesastrongemotionalresponsewouldbean
understatement.Thetermcreatesthedesiretoprotectandvillainizeshumantraffickers.When
thetermispairedwithpicturesofforeignandhelplesslookingwomenandchildren,advocates
aregalvanized.However,thosethatarecriminallychargedashumantraffickers,aresubjectto
falseandinaccurateperceptionsabouttheirinvolvementinthecrime.

Sometimesthosechargedareunawareandextraneousmembersoflocalneighborhoodgangs
whoengageinprostitutionrings.UnderCaliforniasgangstatute,gangmembersthat
are
prosecutedforcrimeslikehumantraffickingorpimpingwereoftenpassive,notdecisive,
participants.

Take,forexample,ayoungmale,MemberA.MemberAispartofagang,GangY.GangYhas
severalothermembers,includingtwoothermen,MembersBandC.Thereareseveralpictures
ofMembersA,B,andCflashingGangYssign,andinthehouseofGangYsleader.

LetssaythatMembersBandCstarttopimpwomentheyknowout.Inotherwords,MemberB
turnsthemout,meaningthatherecruitsandconvinces,eitherverballyorbyforce,womento
becomeprostitutes.Onceturnedout,MemberCforcesthesewomentowalkthestreets,and
collectsmoneyfromthemattheendofeachnight.

MemberAisunawareofBandCsactivity.Hisonlyconnectiontothemistheirshared
membershipinGangY.Inotherwords,MemberAisa
passive
participant.MembersBandC
are
active
participants.

ItisnotasurprisethatMembersBandCwouldbeprosecutedforsomechargeofhuman
trafficking.ButunderCaliforniaPenalCode182.5,MemberAcouldalsobeprosecutedasan
equalparticipant.

ThatsbecauseasaconfirmedmemberofGangY,MemberAisnowessentiallyconflatedwith
otherGangYmembers.Whenoneofmembercommitsacrime,allcanbeprosecuted.Thereis
nodifferencebetweenactiveandpassiveparticipantsthereisonlypredatorandvictim.

This,ofcourse,isblatantlyunfair,and,recently,acasebroughtunderthiscodewasdropped.
BrandonDuncan,aSanDiegorapperknowncolloquiallyasTinyDoo,wasoriginallycharged
asacoconspiratorinnineLincolnParkgangshootingsbetweenMay2013andFebruary2014.
ThoughDuncanhimselfdidnotparticipateintheshootings,prosecutorsclaimedthathismusic

promotedtheviolence,andthathebenefittedfromtheincreasedstreetcredtheshootingsgave
thegang.

ThisprosecutionclearlyoverreachedandviolatedDuncansFirstAmendmentrighttofree
speech.Thankfully,theSanDiegoSuperiorCourtjudgerecognizedDuncanschargesasabsurd,
anddismissedthem.However,gangmemberslikeMemberAchargedwithhumantrafficking
underthesamecodemaynotbesolucky.

Obviously,theactionsofMembersBandCarehypotheticalusuallytheyarenoteventhat
straightforward.Sometimespimps,oftenchargedwithhumantraffickingaswell,aresimply
theboyfriendsofprostitutes.Inastudyconductedbytwoanthropologistsin2008,only14%of
underagefemalesexworkersintheirsampleofmorethan300workedwithapimp,like
MembersBandC.Manyhadinsteaddecidedtoworkontheirown,andweresupportingtheir
families,includingtheirboyfriends,withthemoneytheymadefromtheirwork.

ButunderCaliforniaPenalCode266.h,anyonethatknowinglyliveswithaprostituteand
derivesfinancialsupportfromtheirearningsasasexworkerisjustasguiltyofpimpingas
someonelikeMemberBorC,andcanthusbechargedwithpimpingorhumantrafficking.Once
again,therearenoprovisionsforthedocile,onlyfortheobstinateandtheabused.

CurrentCaliforniacodeseemstoonlyprovidefortheblackandwhiteareasofthisvery
stigmatizedlegalissue.Inordertohaveacompleteandfairsystem,amendmentsmustbemade
totheselawsinordertoensurethatjusticeisalsoservedforthoseinthegray.

Untilthen,ifyouarechargedwithhumantrafficking,pleasecontactustodiscussyourcase.