PONTIAC, Mich. – Michigan is ranked 10th in the country for human trafficking.
Don’t think it happens near you? A human trafficking ring in Oakland County reportedly had exploited dozens of women over several years.
Nearly 300 members of law enforcement and mental health professionals will be gathering on Thursday, Nov. 7, to examine the issue of human trafficking in Michigan and overlooked signs of the crime.
“It’s right under our nose,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office has a unit dedicated to investigating the crimes associated with human trafficking.
“We’re doing a fantastic job. Our law enforcement community investigating and charging drug offenses, and sometimes it appears as prostitution, sometimes violent crimes, gun crimes -- we are holding people accountable,” McDonald said.
She added that simply removing traffickers is insufficient; without charges and convictions for trafficking offenses, true accountability is not being achieved, especially in protecting vulnerable women.
That‘s where Cindy Brown comes in. As part of McDonald‘s human trafficking unit, she knows why women who are trafficked don’t leave.
“They‘re afraid, it‘s the main reason, they’re afraid,” Brown said. “The traffickers have basically brainwashed them to say, ’If you go to the police, nobody’s going to believe you, because you’re a criminal yourself. Look at you have drugs, you are engaged in commercial sex. Those are crimes. Nobody’s going to believe you.’”
That’s what happened on Paddock Street in Pontiac. Nearly 30 women were trafficked out of two different homes. Richard Coleman was charged and convicted in the human trafficking ring he operated.
Background: Oakland County man convicted on 11 felonies including multiple counts of human trafficking
Authorities said he was controlling the food the women ate, wouldn’t let them shower and physically abused them.
“One woman, he knocked out her teeth. One woman, he broke her ribs. He was sexually assaulting them, taking them from their families so they didn’t have the family interaction to say something’s wrong,” Brown said. “It was a horrible situation.”
So who is showing up to pay for human trafficking victims? Authorities said it’s mostly married men from Oakland County -- and they want to see accountability, charges and exposure of these men.
McDonald said most people would be shocked at how prevalent it is.
It‘s a crime that centers around addiction, luring women who are vulnerable and might have an addiction to trust the trafficker and then rely on them for drugs -- and that’s when it may be too late to escape.
Thursday’s conference aims to teach law enforcement to take a closer look at their drug and sex work cases as they may be connected to human trafficking.
If you suspect that any child or adult is a victim, or is at risk of becoming a victim, call 855-444-3911 any time day or night. If the individual is in imminent danger, immediately call 911. Click here to learn more about human trafficking.