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Trafficking
king Dedication
“challenging People to shape
a Better Future now”
ly two dozen attorneys general asking that the
adult services site be taken down.
“Traffickers who exploit runaways and other
disadvantaged kids shouldn’t be provided with
a powerful online clearinghouse,” McKenna
said. “The only way for Backpage.com to
completely stop child sex trafficking on its site
is to take down adult services advertisements
altogether and take aggressive steps to be sure
such ads don’t surface elsewhere on the site.”
McKenna added that kids aren’t capable,
legally or otherwise, to consent to be sold for
sex. And regardless of a prostitute’s age, it’s
difficult to know whether the person adver-
tised is being coerced.
In many cases involving human trafficking
on Backpage.com, law enforcement finds that
minors are, in fact, often coerced. Prosecutors
in Benton County, Wash., are handling a case
in which teen girls say they were threatened
and extorted by two adults who marketed them
on Backpage.com. One of the adults rented a
hotel room in Kennewick and forced the girls
to have sex with men who answered the online
ads, for which Backpage.com charges $1 and
up.
Backpage.com, owned by Village Voice
Media, LLC, is the top provider of “adult serv-
ices” advertisements. The multimedia compa-
ny, which owns 13 weekly newspapers in the
United States including the Seattle Weekly,
admits its involvement in advertising illegal
services. In a meeting with staff at the
Washington State Attorney General’s Office,
Village Voice board member Don Moon readi-
ly acknowledged prostitution ads
appear on the Web site. And in a
June 29 article published nation-
ally by the Village Voice, the cor-
poration criticized those con-
cerned about child sex trafficking
as “prohibitionists bent on ending
the world’s oldest profession,”
acknowledging that, as a seller of
adults services ads, “Village
Voice has a stake in this story.”
Industry analysts suggest that
Village Voice’s stake in adult
services advertisements is worth about $22.7
million in annual revenue. Many state attor-
neys general believe that Backpage.com is
attempting to minimize the impact of child sex
trafficking because they fear it will turn atten-
tion to the company’s robust prostitution
B ernIe F OsTer
Founder/Publisher
B OBBIe d Ore F OsTer
executive editor
T ed B anks
advertising Manager
J errY F OsTer
account executive
l Isa l OvIng
news editor
H elen s IlvIs
Multimedia
d avId k Idd
graphic Designer
m OnIca J. F OsTer
Seattle office Coordinator
J ulIe k eeFe
s usan F rIed
Photographers
The Skanner Newspaper, established
in October 1975, is a weekly publica-
tion, published each Wednesday by
IMM Publications Inc.,
415 N. Killingsworth St.,
P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228.
Telephone (503) 285-5555.
E-mail: info@theskanner.com
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All photos submitted become the
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spon sible for lost or damaged photos
either solicited or unsolicited.
The Total experience Gospel Choir performed at a local Martin Local king
Memorial Commemoration Sunday, Aug. 29, at the Martin Luther king
Memorial Park. The event in Seattle was held despite the cancellation of the
dedication of the new MLk memorial on the Washington Mall due to Hurricane
Irene. Several speakers including king County Councilman Larry Gosset and
community activist Harriet Walden spoke about the legacy of Dr. king.
advertising business. While Backpage.com has
ramped up its effort to screen some ads for
minors, the attorneys general involved in
today’s letter believe that “Backpage.com sets
a minimal bar for content review in an effort to
temper public condemnation, while ensuring
that the revenue spigot provided by prostitu-
ny enforces policies to prevent illegal activity,
the attorneys general ask that Backpage.com
describe in detail its understanding of what
precisely constitutes “illegal activity,” and
whether advertisements for prostitution fall
into that category. The attorneys general also
ask, among other requests, how many adver-
tisements in its adult section and
subsections have been submitted
since Sept. 1, 2010, how many of
those advertisements were individu-
ally screened, how many were
rejected and how many were
removed after being discovered to
be for illegal services.
In 2008, McKenna helped lead 42
other attorneys general in reaching
an agreement with Craigslist to
crack down on illegal listings, in an
effort to reduce crimes like distrib-
uting child pornography and human
trafficking. Craigslist ultimately removed its
“erotic services” section altogether in May
2009.
The hub for illegal sex ads is a magnet
for those seeking to exploit minors and
points to more than 50 cases, in 22
states over three years, involving the
trafficking or attempted trafficking of
minors through Backpage.com
© 2011 the Skanner. ALL RIGHTS RE SERVED.
REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART
WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED.
c
susan FrIed PHOTO
continued from page 1
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m
m
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n
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t
tion advertising remains intact.”
The letter from state attorneys general makes
a series of requests to Backpage.com, asking
that the company willingly provide informa-
tion in lieu of a subpoena. For example, in
order to substantiate the claim that the compa-
y
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a
l
e
n
Read the rest online at
www.theskanner.com
d
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r
S eattle S eptember 2011
live swing jazz music and much more. $10
admission. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Historic Flight
Foundation, 10719 Bernie Webber Dr.
Thursday september 8
If you have an event you want to share
with the community, email it two weeks
in advance to The Skanner at
info@theskanner.com
saturday september 3
BLueS FOOD FeST: Good friends, good food,
good music that’s what communities are made
of! $20 adults, $10 youth. You may go to
www.brownpapertickets.com or
www.bluesforfoodfest.org to purchase tickets.
Noon – 8 p.m. Magnuson Park, 6344 Ne 74th St.
VINTAGe AIRCRAFT WeekeND: This is an
opportunity to experience history in action at a
family event. enjoy vintage aircraft, great food,
Page 2 The Seattle Skanner august 31, 2011
TALL SHIPS LADY WASHINGTON PuBLIC DOCkSIDe
TOuRS: Self guided tours aboard Lady
Washington and/or Hawaiian Chieftain hosted by
crew members in period costumes. $3 donation
per person is appreciated. Noon – 5 p.m. Center
for Wooden Boats, 1010 Valley St.
Friday september 9
kIDS “kRAZY” CARNIVAL: Last family fun Friday of
the year! Join us for activities, games and prizes.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
$4.75 adults, $3.25 youth/Sr. Mounger Pool, 2535
32nd Ave. W. 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Friday – sunday september 9 – 25
DO THe PuYALLuP FAIR: Fair opens September 9 at
10 a.m. and runs thru September 25. Hours are
as follows Sat – Sun 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. Sun – Thurs
10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Admission is adults $11, seniors
(62+) $8, students (6 – 18) $8 and children under
5 are free.
saturday september 10
5TH ANNuAL SkYWAY CAR SHOW AND COMMuNITY
FeSTIVAL: Throughout the day activities featured
will include arts and crafts, clowns, carnival
games and much more. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Roman
Casino Parking Lot, 11829 Renton Ave. S, Seattle
sunday september 11
eXPLORe, eXPeRIeNCe AND eNJOY LIVe ALOHA
HAWAIIAN CuLTuRAL FeSTIVAL: experience the
festive spirit of the Islands while you learn their
true history. 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. in the Fisher Pavilion
and Fisher Rooftop and the South Lawn.