Hamilton County ‘Queer Activist’ Substitute Teachers Busted in Prostitution Sting

According to several reports, a “queer and trans activist couple,” both of whom were employed as substitute teachers in Hamilton County Schools, were cited on prostitution charges after an August sting operation. 

A police report says that 22-year-old Ezra Fry and 25-year-old David Acevedo were cited in late August, and that Chattanooga Police Narcotics and Vice Detectives carried out the undercover prostitution sting.

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Jury Selection Begins in Backpage Prostitution Trial of Former Phoenix New Times Owner

A victim who was 14 when she was sex trafficked through the now-defunct website backpage.com is helping bring the site operators to justice. Testimony from Eryka Brewster, now 24, helped lead to a conviction of the former site’s CEO, Carl Ferrer, her pimp, and the ongoing prosecution against one of the site’s co-owners, Michael Lacey. Co-owner Jim Larkin, who was also being prosecuted, killed himself on August 1. Lacey and Larkin owned the Phoenix New Times for years, known for its scathing attacks on conservative Republicans.

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Ohio Attorney General Yost to Host Anti-Trafficking Summit in January

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) will host his Fourth Annual Human Trafficking Summit next January 26 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. 

Seventeen workshops will take place at the event, including examination of the trauma inflicted on trafficking survivors, best practices for serving those who have endured such crimes, discussion of why individuals solicit sex and review of state policies to reduce the demand for labor trafficking.

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Bill to Mandate Human Trafficking Awareness Training in Lodging Introduced in Pennsylvania

State Sen. Judy Schwank (D-PA-Reading) announced on Monday she will introduce a bill mandating that Pennsylvania hotel and motel businesses train their workers in human-trafficking awareness. 

Human trafficking, an industry the International Labour Office believes to generate $150 billion each year, is a form of slavery whereby human beings are defrauded or coerced into servitude that is often sexual in nature. The U.S. Department of State estimates that about 25 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking. Of those, nearly a third are children or teenagers and roughly half are women. 

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Ohio Mayor Resigns After Joking About Ice Fishers and Prostitutes

Mayor Craig Shubert of Hudson, Ohio

The mayor of Hudson, Ohio, resigned Monday after saying that allowing ice fishing with shanties could result in prostitution, multiple sources reported

Hudson, Ohio, Mayor Craig Shubert, submitted his resignation Monday morning after saying ice fishing in a shelter could lead to prostitution at a city council meeting in early February, NBC News reported.

“If you then allow ice fishing with shanties, then that leads to another problem — prostitution,” Shubert said, NBC News reported.

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Massage Parlors Attacked by Gunman Busted in Prostitution Stings

According to documents released Friday, the two massage parlors targeted by a deranged gunman in Atlanta Tuesday had both been subjects of prostitution stings by police, despite claims to the contrary by Atlanta’s mayor. 

“As far as we know in Atlanta, these are legally operating businesses that have not been on our radar,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said after the shootings. “Not on the radar of [the Atlanta Police Department].”

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