Picture this: an all day hackathon, where Christian cybersleuths track down sex workers and their pimps.
Almost like a video game, points are awarded to the would-be detectives for their various virtual discoveries: an alleged victim’s high school diploma, pictures of a sonogram, confirmation of tattoos.
Guided by their evangelical faith, the hackathon participants are on the hunt for evidence of human trafficking, and to find and rescue sex workers – whether they want to be “saved” or not.
It almost seems like the plot of an 80s movie starring Chuck Norris.
But it’s not. These are the Skull Games.
To Catch a Trafficker
Co-created by evangelical public speaker, martial artist, and philanthropist Victor Marx, the Skull Games are a vigilante hackathon event where Christians use their internet sleuthing powers to hunt down anyone and everyone involved in online sex work.
Using publicly available software and information – everything from fake Facebook accounts to face recognition software to ChatGPT – the participants in the Skull Games say they’re using their cyberstalking powers to carry out the will of God.
Named after mind games that traffickers use to abuse victims and keep them in line, Skull Games have reportedly sent police hundreds of leads across several events in the last few years, although there is no information on how many led to arrests.
God’s Will?
Supporters say these volunteers are doing God's will by saving victims from terrible situations. With their faith as a north star, Skull Games participants use any means necessary to surface information that could make a difference.
Indeed, the organization's mission is explicitly guided by religious belief in battling against "pure evil." The group's intelligence director, Michele Block, has been open that they believe their surveillance efforts are part of a "battle against Satan".
But critics say that such extrajudicial sleuthing, and the conflation of voluntary sex work and human trafficking some evangelicals tend to make, can sometimes do more harm than good.
“I think it’s dangerous because you set up people to have that vigilante mentality — that idea that, we’re going to go out and we’re going to catch somebody — and they probably really believe that they are going to ‘save someone,’” argues Kristen DiAngelo, executive director of the Sex Workers Outreach Project. “That's that savior complex,” she says. “We don’t need saving; we need support and resources.”
Saving Souls, or Endangering Them?
Sex workers themselves are skeptical that the approach Skull Games takes is the right one. They say a civilian searching for personal information about them is an invasion of privacy, and that the evangelical aspect of the sleuthing only adds a layer of judgment.
Others even believe that these vigilantes represent a sincere threat to the very people they’re trying to rescue.
Critics argue the Skull Games approach, which generally works backwards from sex workers to pimps and traffickers, results in fewer actual criminals facing prosecution and more low-level arrests of independent or semi-independent online sex workers. Even still, many at Skull Games would consider such an arrest a win.
“Sometimes they do need to make the arrest, because of the health and welfare of that person. She needs to get clean, maybe she’s high,” says Skull Games president Jeff Tiegs. However, he adds the addendum that “very rarely, in my opinion, is it right to charge and prosecute a girl.”
Ironically, the supposed help being provided by Skull Games could actually hinder some of the women they’re trying to assist. With an arrest for sex work on their record, many could find themselves unemployable in other careers in the future.
“They’re going to lock them into sex work,” says DiAngelo, “because once you get the scarlet letter, nobody wants you anymore.”
What is your reaction? What do you make of this evangelical Mr. Robot approach of attempting to stop sex work at the source?
69 comments
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Rev Mark D
Sounds like punishing the victims, because this day and age of electronics everywhere and instant recording and lookups, these workers, likely for the most part victims of child abuse sex abuse crimes and trafficking including drug addiction, will be forever consigned to what they're doing, or being forced to do by circumstances, including ongoing abuse, extreme risks and danger. They do a lot better to put their efforts and money behind things like Dorothy's House rescue and recovery of victims. Sounds like stalking and harassment. Like using an attack dog who kills the victim. "Well the operation was successful but it also killed the patient. But that's good, now the patient is in heaven , all bless the loving kindness of the Lord's work, and I am his blessed instrument. Pay me, I'm a hero,
God used me to work his glory. What a good dog am I."
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Daniel Todd Kamm
More misguided people doing misguided things on -line. Imagine, reducing real people to pawns in a game and hunting them, researching them and reporting them so they can be saved... that is not faith...that is abuse. I can't imagine what is wrong with people who engage in this type of activity, but doing it in the name of any faith... they're perverts. They exchange one "evil" for another, far worse.
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Robert Gagnon
Saving innocent kids from trafficking I'm all for it. But this is not a game they are playing with. People are not points to be tallied. People that choose the sex worker lifestyle don't need the harrasment.
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Amber Fry
Not all of them choose it, it is often forced on them... but still if they are adults then these hackers would do better to put time and money into shelters and recovery programs than to go hunting them down, especially if the workers are not ready or willing to be "saved" just yet. Nothing wrong with being ready for when they are but forcing it on them in some cases can drive them farther away.
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Rev Mark D
Jesus stopped the people from stoning the prostitute. And he simply said go and send no more. He did not Stone her, and he did not let the crowd stone her. Exact same example and principle is right there in that story.
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Rev. Mike Eggleston
Christians just can't stand the fact some of us refuse to fall into line with their demands.
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ServantOfJudgement
Surely you aren't aligning yourself with the human traffickers and such are you? That's what this article is about ya know. You can't think it's ok to abduct someone and sell them into prostitution can you Rev mike?
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Rev. Mike Eggleston
Not at all but these Christian busybodies are also targeting and harrassing people going about their lawful business. Most people working in the sex and adult entertainment industries are doing so out of choice. A few might be victims of human trafficking, just as some working in just about every other industry are, but claiming the majority are is just Christian propaganda.
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Lisbeth Kieran Bushey
There's also adult actors involved in the legal and ethical production of pornography who don't want this harassment. They don't want these people doxxing them either!
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Rev. Mike Eggleston
I've wriiten some of the software for porn. sites. In my experience, the pornographers and models are among the most ethical people I've had the pleasure of working with.
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Rev Mark D
Pornographers are beyond The pale because they're continuing what is often unconscious or traumatized repeat behavior by victims, not true voluntary engaging in commerce as cognizant fully aware adults. There's a line and that's over it.
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Rev. Mike Eggleston
What are you referring to? I've worked with both the people who operate adult entertainment (porn.) website and met many of the models and actors. None of them were forced into that line of works, they chose it of their own free will. This Christian group of interferring busybodies is attempting to deny them that right.
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ServantOfJudgement
Yes. You are on the side of kidnappers, rapists, molesters and pedophiles. Don't feel bad about it, you've got plenty of company right here. Look at all the support the traffickers get from you guys. It's almost unbelievable but there it is in black and white.
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Kenneth Lafe Eric Sanderson
Instructions for accomplishing a Straw Man logical fallacy:
1) Ignore the real argument
2) Create a pretend argument
3) Defeat the pretend argument
4) Do a victory dance
Good job!!
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Rev. Mike Eggleston
Not at all. You're the one on the side of oppressive bigots who are attempting to destroy legitimate businesses ane people's livlihoods.
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Lori K Kashishian
Absolutely. They are STALKERS ON A HIGH OF VIDEO GAME TECH but with people's lives at stake and frankly sex workers are becoming unionized and have a right to do what they want to do because there's certainly enough men who take advantage of them. Child trafficking is completely different but they need to go after this bastard and go after I'm hard
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Colleen McAllister
I feel that this group is wrong in what they are doing. God has nothing to do with this. This group is nothing more than a bunch of vigilantes.
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Kenneth Lafe Eric Sanderson
Conservatives LOVE themselves some vigilante justice. That's why Kyle Rittenhouse is a right-wing hero - because all true conservatives DREAM of bringing 'ol Betsy' to 'take care of the bad guys' and wield ultimate consequence - and if that sounds like an adolescent boy's fantasy, that's because it most certainly is.
Add in 'save the children!' and 'battle with SATAN!' and you've completed the right-wing fantasy bingo trifecta, the ultimate righteousness that nobody dare reproach you for, even though guns are the real number one cause of the death of children and Satan is a make-believe boogeyman used to scare the rubes.
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Pamela Renee DeSalvo
Exactly, and how much information they "find" is not altered, edited, or changed in any way to match their rhetoric? Leads to like you said vigilante. hero-worship mentality. It IS Not Good or "Christian."
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Rev. Mike Eggleston
I agree their actions are not good but they're definitely Christian.
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John D. Partin
Doing Christian is Christian, not just calling yourself "Christian", no matter what you do. By their fruits, you will know them. Also, doing things in the right spirit. "Not all those who say to me 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in Heaven". It is ungodly people's inability or unwillingness to distinguish between posers merely calling themselves "Christians" and those actually living their faith and following Christ that have resulted in all the condemnation of Christianity as a whole because of those in it who do or did wrong.
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ServantOfJudgement
The local police give them missing persons cold cases. The group is looking for peoples loved ones. If that's not God's work I'm not sure what is. Jesus looks for his loved ones, is that not God's work? You're falling into the trap of complacency with human trafficking and sex slaves
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Kenneth Lafe Eric Sanderson
The REASON human trafficking is a thing in the first place is because of numerous CONSERVATIVE POLICIES that create discrimination, inequality, displacement, ignorance, disenfranchisement, crushing poverty, homelessness, desperation.
If you want to be a HERO then how about not causing the situations that make the problem in the first case!!!
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Lionheart
Truth, using logic, reason, and critical thought can be brutal….right?
🦁❤️
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Kenneth Lafe Eric Sanderson
As usual, the zealous charge ahead full of their own certainty, delusion, and self importance, uncaring of anything else, particularly reality.
The law has built in protections against exactly this type of unjustified persecution, and for very good reasons, It's too bad they are insulated from direct feedback from every single person they 'help'.
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ServantOfJudgement
The local cops give them cold cases to investigate, they work together.
Some of the sex slaves they rescue have joined the team. Their testimony is gut wrenching, what man is willing to to to man is horrifying.Jesus said we would do this, if you look at the comments here, you'll see the vast majority is in opposition to stopping human trafficking. Very interesting indeed, coming from so many, ahh, uhhm, errr, uhhh....caring uhhmmm people.....
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Kenneth Lafe Eric Sanderson
HAW HAW HAW you really GOT ME with your right-wing GOTCHA logic - as usual!
And as usual you hear only what you want to hear and IGNORE reality.
Ever heard of probable cause? Right to privacy? Reasonable grounds? Authority to consent?
Right-wing propaganda doesn't tell you to think of those things in this instance, but those are just some of the RIGHTS being trampled on so some keyboard warriors can congratulate themselves.
And once again conservatives point to the exceptions to 'prove' their case for trampling on the rights of thousands. 'Some of the sex slaves' is how many? 'Joined the team' in what capacity? Happiness girls?
And the reason there are so many people on the streets in the first place is because RIGHT-WINGERS like YOU who consistently vote AGAINST social programs and assistance!! How about instead of praising vigilantes we keep people from being forsaken into those circumstances in the first place - you know, like JESUS SAID. Or do you believe Fox News over the bible - don't want to make people 'soft' by giving them support and skills!
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ServantOfJudgement
Kenneth, they're kidnap victims bro. They get raped daily man. You're talking propaganda? I'm talking about somebody's kid getting abducted, don't you pay attention to your surroundings? Don't you watch or listen to anything but fox news!? Im sure they cover this stuff but maybe not. Social programs? What are you talking about? They're kidnapping people man, good God all mighty people are going missing! Our sons and daughters are being abducted, pay attention!
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Kenneth Lafe Eric Sanderson
Cite your source here.
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ServantOfJudgement
Kenneth Your total and absolute hatred for my Lord Jesus The Christ and all those who love him has blinded you. There are 2 cops that posted right here. Read their claims. If you don't believe them you won't believe anyone.
You're siding with the kidnappers, pedophiles, rapists and molesters. You side with them because you hate Jesus, like Jesus said you would. The bible is remarkable in its accuracy.
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Kenneth Lafe Eric Sanderson
I think if you loved Jesus, there would be no one in our society who would be forgotten, who would fall through the cracks, who would be desperate. I think if you loved Jesus, human traffickers and pimps wouldn't exist, because they too would find productive places in society.
Tell me again your judgement about me and Jesus. Tell me all about it.
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Michael Hunt
If all they did was investigate human trafficking cases there wouldn't be a problem. The problem is that they also doxx legitimate, legal sex workers who are not sex slaves! You're ignoring all nuance to claim that all they do is save victims of human trafficking when that isn't all that they do. It's great that they help these victims but it's really bad that they also ruin the lives of other women who are not victims.
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Lionheart
Yep, they’re doing Gods will. I wonder if they are happy with his condoning slavery, and stoning people to death……but he loves everyone……and he wants your money…….and your servitude. And when you get to heaven, you can kneel down and bow down to him endlessly for ever, and ever. I hope your knees are going to be up to it. 🤭
🦁❤️
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ServantOfJudgement
I bet those slaves in China that made your electronic devices so cheap were under Moses' law of slavery, they'd have been freed way before you had the chance to upgrade to a better version. Don't you feel bad for the slaves you have working for you? I sure do. Chin up though, the Christian word is spreading in China, soon they'll know what's right. Your tablet will cost more unless we find another country to enslave. Hmmmmm...who could we use up next..... we did Afghanistan slaves for the poppy, that was a hair messy at the end, not them again. Made cheap pain pills though, huh? North Korea next? They wouldn't know any better, the Christians get chopped up there so we could use'em for a few decades before they got wise.
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Lionheart
Slaves are ok though, your god approves of it. Who am I to disagree with him/her? I do draw a line though of stoning people to death….and I’m not over in favor of drowning people, or turning people into pillars of salt. I’m good with not eating shellfish though, and animals with cloven hooves, but I do love Bacon 🥓.
🦁❤️
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ServantOfJudgement
Lol, nice. Thumbs up. That's not a touche, it's just WittyFunny.
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William J Lewis
Funny doing "God's Will" always seems to justify, destroying, killing, condemning the other, and wars of all kinds. It has never been God's will to destroy his creation that I know of.
If they truly were "Christians" as they claim to be, they would know man doesn't save anyone, according to their "Word" that would be Jesus' purview.
It does, however, make them feel like special, and self righteous people.
Might want to clean up the deviates among themselves first anyway.
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Marion Sowerby
They're they trying to legitimise doxxing people and hacking.
Idc that it's "cold cases" (strong doubt).
I have rarely come across such a judgemental bunch of self-righteous cases of superiority complex.
The comments I read in all these discussions are largely holier-than-thou blokes who clearly have never considered how difficult it is for a youngster to survive in your country without some family money and support.
People have a massive variety of reasons for going missing, for joining cults, for turning to drugs, for going into sex work.
What doesn't help is a bunch of holy-book bashers with their own agenda of "conversion" or "saving". The road to hell is apparently paved with good intentions. It is apparent that many do-gooders of most creeds are doing it for their own self-aggrandisement , not for the good of the people they "save". Satan is a Christian construct, btw, the rest of us don't need a stick to be threatened with to do nice things for others.
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David Arthur Lewis
Sick. Haters gonna hate.
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Rev. MichaelRS
Okay people, we're not talking The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas or Pretty Woman hookers here. There's nothing good or glamorous about being a sex worker.
As a former police officer in and for the County of Los Angeles I know the vast majority of prostitutes are sad people that are forced into it to througg sex trafficking/ slavery and/or tp supportt addiction or out of desperation having run away from home at a young age and and then doing what they need to do to survive.
Again often picked up by sex traffickers/pimps, sometimes link to gangs or higher level organized crime, and others that exploit them and addict them to drugs and then cut them loose when they are no longer a substantial earner.
And then there's the adjacent crimes of robbery, assault, drugs, blackmail, murder and so on and so forth.
So get this nonsensical notion of the the joyous, happy-go-lucky, freedom loving sex worker out of your heads. It's a sad, dark and sick business for all involved.
Anybody who thinks differently is totally ignorant of the reality.
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Lisbeth Kieran Bushey
How many people have they legitimately endangered this way? Whether from a pimp, an independent online worker's job, corrupt/violent cops, or abusive family?
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Rev. Mike Eggleston
They don't care how many people they put in danger. They just want their "brownie points" towards their 1st Class ticket to heaven.
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Matthew Mastrogiovanni
Yet Mary Magdellan is praised.
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John Komorowski
Mary Magdalen was Jesus's wife (Jewish law [at the time], said a Rabbi had to be a married man). The Catholic church turned her into a hooker as she was the number one of Jesus's disciples. They could Not have a female involved, they had to be strictly patriarchal. Have you not read the Nag Hammadi papers, the apocrypha, etc? Shame that you do not seem to be not well versed at all.
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Patrick Alois deHertogh
My feeling fall in line with prior comment, Plus I feel that if this is something a person chooses to do on there own free will. Why should that be punished. I feel that those who profit off others should be punished. Regardless kids ect. As far as this being ones personal decision. Walk in there shoes before condemning them.
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Rev Frankie PG
I spent over 20 years in law enforcement and I can assure you that people like these and those that go undercover are doing a phenomenal job on saving lives. The main things that sex traffickers care about are: getting paid and making sure the worker is scared enough to not run. As for those being trafficked they are scared and are usually being threatened in some way, such as threatening pictures of their families or deportation.
The Police throughout our country are sadly understaffed and it is brave souls like these that are bold enough to help. Some may find it as an invasion of privacy but when trying to rescue people, what's really the line? Kristen D'Angelo's plea definitely falls on deaf ears for me as it is the same plea that they've been making for the homeless for decades.
Being a normal citizen, they aren't contrained by the humongous amount of red tape that law enforcement officials must stay within. This group believes they are doing God's work, who am I to say they're not? I appreciate and applaud their efforts.
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ServantOfJudgement
When I was a boy I witnessed the abduction of a young woman at a metro park while she was riding her bike. My brother and cousin were with me and my cousins mother. We all were in total shock. That woman was brutally raped and murdered. That same man was apprehended decades later for the abduction, and murder of another woman. Same way he took the one I saw. He's in prison now. His name is James Worley.
Thank you for standing up for this group. You can see here there's just st a couple of us that see reality or worse, they support the traffickers.
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Rev Mark D
I can't see you ever supporting traffickers, they're among the cruelest and most merciless destructive predators that can be.
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Rev Mark D
Brave souls like the six goon squad guys in Jackson mississippi, and that other gun squad in Memphis. Brave souls like the guys who did amadou diallo. Brave souls like the guys who shot and strangled to death people in Minneapolis and Louisville and Kansas City and Baltimore. Those brave souls, Frankie?
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Daniel Lee Weiss
I'm going to suggest you check out Genesis 34:25-26, where Levi and Simeon killed every man in a city, because one of them molested their sister.
in response, God gives them / their descendants the Right / role of Guarding the temple.
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James Bullard
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. " Matthew 7 1-6
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George S Freese
Sex workers are dying to serve you. I worked with them after they lost what looks they had. Put all johns in jail for 3 months and we might save lives. No real parent wants their child to be one like a drug user. A hookers half life is short and after that most have to do risky things to make money. Johns are slave drivers and pay for the death of others.
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Rev. Mike Eggleston
Most people in the adult entertainment industry are there by choice. They''re also far more ethical than these hackers out to destroy people's livlihoods and legitimate businesses.
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Rev Mark D
Well no, as I said pornographers are beyond The pale. However, on their side, pornographers still do have Except of course with the basic principal, reflected even in a statement by Jesus, of government deciding what is legal and not, because unfortunately that argument still does hold, such that even Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar's.
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Rev Mark D
"Dying to serve" is too often a literal outcome... Why do you suppose that is Mike?
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ServantOfJudgement
I checked out these guy's website, watched the statement video, read a few other articles from other news outlets that included victim testimonies. They work with the local police when they run an operation. The police gives them cold cases of missing people and the team tries to find them. They also try to find sex slave operations via social media platforms. All leads go to the police in the end. Their ranks include rescued victims, now on the muscle to rescue their captive sisters and brothers. How admirable and righteous of them. True heros.
From everything I've read, their target is rescuing victims of sex offenders, pedophiles, human traffic rings and the sort. The author of this article slightly paints them as group suffering from Savior Complex. I don't see that anywhere though it's possible.
God said we will stoop to selling our children into prostitution at a global level. Looks like he pinned that one too. That kind of fulfilled prophesy is never fun to repeat, it's shameful for Man to be such an animal. Still, God told us we would and we are. When older civilizations and nations did this God eventually obliterated them after unheeded warning upon unheeded warning, he's very patient. There's a process he adheres to, we can read it and check off the milestones as we tumble closer to national or global judgement. You can trust His process, even if you don't believe in him. Believe isn't required for the process of annihilation.
Groups like this are encouraging to learn about. I should think all parents would support this sort of thing. I know that's not true though, to plenty of people, this group will be one that brings nothing but disgust as the recent movie Sound of Freedom has done. If so, I'll take liberty to check the next box off while they sell their children into prostitution, knowingly or otherwise.
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Kenneth Lafe Eric Sanderson
The REASON human trafficking is a thing in the first place is because of numerous CONSERVATIVE POLICIES that create discrimination, inequality, displacement, ignorance, disenfranchisement, crushing poverty, homelessness, desperation.
If you want to be a HERO then how about not causing the situations that make the problem in the first case!!!
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ServantOfJudgement
California Kenneth. Look no further.
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Kenneth Lafe Eric Sanderson
I expect more SOJ, even from you.
I am from California, but I have lived other places - all around the US - and I currently live in Oregon.
But the disappointment is the ad hominem attack. Honestly, it reeks of desperation. Please, PLEASE tell me there is more depth to your convictions than what you've shown so far.
Common decency demands it - and I think more of you. I really do.
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Daniel Lee Weiss
odd cali voted in favor of child trafficking, all dems voted FOR it, while conservatives voted against.
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Kenneth Lafe Eric Sanderson
Yes that is odd, isn't it - unless you hear the WHOLE story, which right-wing media isn't going to tell you.
But I'm not going to tell you either. If you wanted to know it, you'd already know.
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Daniel Lee Weiss
well SOJ, we are rapidly approaching national and global judgement, soon the son of perdition will rise, and things will get ugly.
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Christy Wilkinson
Yes indeed. The dukes of hell are here already and have been for decades.
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Alexander Arends
Sounds like a sophisticated "Neighborhood Watch". Kind of silly to have the word "Christian" attached to this network, but as long as they operate within the law and law enforcement is participating in this, go for it.
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Rev. Mike Eggleston
Most of their victims are operating withing the law too.
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ServantOfJudgement
Which victims are that Rev Mike Eggleston? The victims that get gang raped or the victims that did the gang rape? Im not aware of any pro-gang rape or sex slave friendly laws on the books, then again, I am a little old fashion and might not pick up on what all the kids are up to these days.
Shameful. Rev. Shameful.
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Christy Wilkinson
I think its the wrong way to go about this. This action is serving righteous ego, not the Sacred Divine.
Sorry, it's much more than punishing the victim, it's assaulting and harming and destroying the victim.
A little bit of intelligence might produce something without doing all that Harm and damage... But it is so much addictive fun, you know?
And that little dopamine rush they get with every little successful step and accomplishment? That's actually hard addictive drugs in your brain you are programming to get you addicted to doing has the same effect on your brain and your mind as if you put it in your body from having endless sex, alcohol, or drugs that you buy, same effect, you're pumping out your own morphines and increasingly getting hooked on them more and more and more. That sounds like sin to me. You get your opiates for free and without having to risk buying them and being arrested. Then who's going to save you?
Very well stated. I agree totally. There are plenty of people who need help desperately and want it. Time, money, and effort are spent more wisely helping those people. And for those of you to whom it matters, you'll still get your pat on the back.