I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.

Abraham Lincoln

The truth is that Backpage.com and its owner, Village Voice Media, LLC, are facilitating the commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of individuals: both minors and adults. They do this with full knowledge of the potential and actual consequences to victims.

In September, 46 state Attorneys General requested that Backpage.com remove its “Adult” section, saying they have tracked more than 50 cases across 22 states including Arizona over the past three years where charges were filed for sex trafficking or attempted sex trafficking of minors on Backpage.com. They won’t remove their “Adult” section voluntarily because the revenue from it is excellent. Profits, it appears, are more important to Backpage than victims.

We are demonstrating to demand that Village Voice Media, LLC, immediately remove the Adult Services section from classified ad site Backpage.com. Anything short of this will be inadequate.

Join the Demonstration:

Phoenix
November 16, 2011
3pm – 6pm
Village Voice Media Headquarters
1201 E. Jefferson
Phoenix, AZ 85034

Contact: rbenz@fdff.org

New York
November 16, 2011
4pm – 7pm
The Village Voice
36 Cooper Square
Manhattan

Contact: SAndar@catwinternational.org

Click here to visit our Facebook event page

The mandate must come from us. If we want to make our communities safer, we must act. Please join the demonstration in person on November 16th or help us gather supporters by sending this message to your list of friends, family and colleagues. Let’s help Village Voice Media make the right decision.

In Unity,

11.16 Coalition

Abolition Media
Aboriginal Women’s Action Network
A Call to Men
Ambassador Mark Lagon
Apne Aap
Bamboo Bridges
Breaking Free
Catholic Charities
Equality Now
FREE International
Frederick Douglass Family Foundation
iMPACT Housing
Assemblyman John Hambrick
Laster Global
Prostitution Research and Education
Restore NYC
Soroptimist International of the Americas
Southern Arizona Against Slavery
Streetlight Tucson
Streetligh USA
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Temple Committee Against Human Trafficking
University of Arizona, Social Justice League
Tina M. Willis

Please use the links below to share with your colleagues.