Posible child explotaition in SW Seattle

[Michael Waldo]

I posted this in South Arbor heights a few weeks ago, but after talking with police, I am posting it to the blog. “A young girl, maybe 10 years old, came to the door selling candy and books for a fund raiser. She did not look happy or comfortable. She could not name the charity or have any paper work or name of a charity with her. She said she was from Federal Way and her “supervisor” dropped her off and told her to go door to door to sell. It was 84 degrees out; she was carrying a large plastic storage container and had no water with her. Another neighbor posted that she had a young boy come to her door with the same story. The Non-emergency operator told me to call 911 if I saw them again so the police could send someone out to talk the children and get their story. It sounds very sketchy to me. They are not selling for something they belong to and they are way too young to be employed to do this job. Please call 911 if you see these children. I have reported this information to the police.”
A got many responses:
… boy selling candy etc, he was speaking so quickly I didn’t catch the charity name. When I asked him who was with him he said no one. I had a dollar in my pocket and offered him some water.
the boy who came to our home looked maybe 9-10 yrs old…
… just saw them on 34th heading southbound towards Othello. Called 911 to let them know their location. The ones I saw looked like boys…
…The police called me back about an hour after I called 911. They said they had broadcast the information but there weren’t any officers available. So I’m sure the kids were long gone by then….
…I was so busy I did NOT think to call the police…I feel so stupid now. however, did question where their parents were…and so did my kids because that same little girl came to my door over a week ago with the orphanage speech but had a younger girl, about 6 years old with her. I looked around and saw no car or adult lagging behind (like I do when my girls sell GS cookies). I’m saddened for them and mad I didn’t think to call or question them more…
…I’m frustrated that the police aren’t going to do anything about this even if you call 911, because they just don’t have the resources directed to that kind of thing. Does anyone have any contacts in the media that they could talk to?…
…he kids (boys) stopped my husband in his car and sold him candy. My husband gave the boy some cash and the boy told him he didn’t have to give him the candy and that he could just run off with his money. My husband laughed and said my car is fast and I’ll catch you and the boy said he might break into our house for more money…
Something is off with the kids when they are speaking to random adults like that.
He finally gave my husband his candy and ran off with his bin. …
…My wife called 911 this weekend about similar kids, both with Slavic accents. Of course, the police never bothered to look, and they even called my wife back to let her know. Not sure why they did that…
…So, Seattle police can set up a brothel in the U district, using money and man power, to bust some consenting adults but when there is real child exploitation reported, they don’t have the resources to investigate.
This is really frustrating and sad. If there is anyone with a contact at our Southwest precinct, please try to get them to pay attention….

Can anyone offer help with this issue? These are real, young children being exploited and the police can’t be bothered to investigate.

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[KatherineL]

Just a note, Michael. These Asian massage parlors are not staffed by consenting adults. The women are young women brought over here with the promise of good jobs in the promised land. Once here, they’re forced into prostitution to pay their “travel costs.” They never earn enough to pay it all back.

This issue with the children is disturbing. But it’s also important to rescue women lost in a foreign land.

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[Michael Waldo]

There were no sex workers in this place. It was set up by the police to target johns. No women were in danger.

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[KatherineL]

The johns expected there would be the usual type of woman. Some of them were known to have frequented them before. They probably would again. The police focused resources on the problem to interrupt the commerce.

Not to hijack your original post. It sounds like two types of vulnerable people being exploited, but not enough resources to help both at once.

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[anonyme]

Very disturbing. I’ll keep an eye open for these kids. Sounds like they are not only being exploited, but are already well indoctrinated into a life of crime.

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[SurlyT]

The same kids were going door to door in the Morgan Junction area just before 8 last night. A boy and a girl up 41st ave SW and two boys up 42nd ave SW. Like the OP mentioned, the boy who came to my door had the same bit and was not able to give me any additional information about where the money was going and if there was an adult with him. He to had what sounded like an Eastern European accent and couldnt be any older than 9. After he left I took my dog for a walk and saw a young girl doing the same thing on the other side of the street and came across two other young boys doing the same thing on 42nd. I talked with a women who was also approached by the kids and we both agreed it didn’t seem right so I called the police. I have not heard anything back from them. These kids are too young to be running a scam on their own, it is really quite a sad situation.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by SurlyT.

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[4thGenNeighbor]

I was reading this thread earlier and I just had a young boy about 9 or 10 stop by my house with a large tub of candy he was selling out of. Since I had read the thread and had a chance to think about it I asked him a few questions. He answered that is a member of City on a Hill Church in Federal Way. Here is a link to the church website: http://cityhill.tv/
I asked about the cause it was supporting and it’s called Mission Possible, which appears to be youth based mission organization. He said it was affiliated through his church. While I was talking to him he seemed happy and nice, maybe a bit shy. I noticed he had a slight accent. When I went to the website for that church I noticed that the church website had text in English and Russian. I didn’t get the impression that he was under stress. I’m not a fan of seeing kids off alone seeking donations or selling for a cause door to door, but I just wanted to comment with the information I gathered.

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