This Week in the Mercury
Thursday, January 26, 2012
News Behind the Scenes Look at Portland's New Teen Sex Trafficking Shelter
Posted by Sarah Mirk on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 3:18 PM
In the paper's cover story this week, reporter Alex Zielinksi goes behind the scenes at the long-awaited youth sex trafficking shelter that has finally opened in Portland.
One piece of the story is that, despite the United States clearly having problems with underage sex trafficking, dedicated youth shelters are very rare. Portland's new shelter is pretty much flying blind, with only one or two model shelters to look to.
And what's interesting about Portland's approach is that, unlike many transition homes that are on 24-hour lockdown, the teens who wind up at the Portland shelter after being picked up as sex trafficking victims will be free to leave whenever they want.
"This isn't an institutional, lockdown facility. I won't be tackling anyone who wants to leave," says shelter director Kevin Donegan. "All I ask for is a conversation before they leave to make sure they're safe."
That's an innovative strategy: trusting teens. How it will actually work out, though, is uncertain. Read the whole piece here.
Most Commented on Blogtown, PDX
-
City's "Overnight Sleeping" Program Finds First Host—and Neighbors React in Ugly Fashion by Denis C. Theriault
-
Oh, Did You Think The Great Gatsby Movie Was Going to Be Good? by Alison Hallett
-
Happy World Goth Day! by Marjorie Skinner
-
Feds Dish Out $745.2 Million to the Light Rail by Alex Zielinski
-
Game of Thrones Recap: Calm Before the Storm Edition by Joe Streckert
-
Good Morning, News! by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey
-
Portland Button Works Opens on Killingsworth by Alison Hallett
-
Ye Olde Underground Loo by Alex Zielinski
-
We're Number One! by Alex Zielinski
-
Mapping Destruction: City Releases Locations of Portland Hazards by Nathan Gilles
Our Friends
- UrbanHonking
- Culture Shock
- Portland Roundball Society
- Steph Cassano
- Cort and Fatboy
- Street Roots
- Powell's Books Blog
- Portland Transport
- Portland Afoot
- Bike Portland
- Eater: PDX
- Portland Food and Drink
- Mr. Movie
- Sunday Softball
- BlueOregon
- Sightline Institute
- Ultra: Arts Portland
- Bitch Magazine
- Blazer's Edge
- Reading Local: Portland
- Portland Food Carts
- Stumptown Vegans
Our Enemies
The Handyman Pro - Your Honey-Do Specialist
Don’t let our name fool you. The Handyman Pro, LLC is a repair and remodel service provider with over 25-years experience. We cover all aspects of construction and repairs for residential and commercial clients.
RSSGoing to Seattle?
Comments (2) RSS