'Don't bring that here': How Milwaukee plans to combat trafficking during 2020 Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention will bring an estimated 50,000 visitors to Milwaukee next summer.

And it also could bring unwanted attention from another group: human traffickers.

"We understand we have to do what is necessary in Milwaukee and the county to say think twice and don't bring that here," said Dana World-Patterson, who leads the Human Trafficking Task Force of Greater Milwaukee

Speaking before the city's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Commission Thursday, she urged partners in the room to have a unified front. She said she expects a regional approach to take shape, too, as the DNC hotel footprint stretches to northern Illinois.

The Super Bowl and other large events have a reputation of drawing traffickers to an area. Researchers have said it's almost impossible to quantify if trafficking is happening at a higher rate during the Super Bowl, given how hidden the crime remains and how stigmatizing it can be for survivors.

Still, advocates across the country have taken the opportunity to raise awareness of trafficking during high-profile events. 

The city commission already has spoken with advocates and experts in other cities who prepared safe houses and other resources to help trafficking victims during major events, such as the Super Bowl, said Karin Tyler, who coordinates the commission through the Office of Violence Prevention.

"Just like delegates are here and setting things up, so are traffickers," Tyler said. "We have to work just as hard and think about hotels, AirBnBs and group homes."

Last year, a report found many sex trafficking victims in Milwaukee had a history of being reported missing from group homes. The report determined at least 340 people ages 25 and younger had been victims of sex trafficking in the city over a four-year period ending in 2016. 

And it's not just happening in Milwaukee. Sex trafficking has been reported across Wisconsin, in rural and urban areas. 

As the DNC draws closer, officials are planning a media campaign with billboards to publicize the issue and are organizing training for hotel operators to recognize signs of trafficking. A run/walk event to raise awareness of trafficking is tentatively scheduled for June, weeks before the DNC begins.

The Milwaukee Police Department is addressing sex trafficking as part of its broad planning for the DNC, said Regina Howard, who runs the department's Office of Management, Analysis and Planning.

"We're preparing for everything," she said.

How to recognize signs of human trafficking

The Polaris Project runs the National Human Resource Center Trafficking Hotline and has a list of potential warning signs for human trafficking.

The center notes not every indicator will be present in all situations and can vary based on the type of trafficking, for example, labor trafficking vs. sex trafficking.

In general, a person may be at risk if he or she:

• Is not free to leave or come and go at will.
• Is in the commercial sex industry and turns over money to someone else.
• Is fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense or nervous/paranoid.
• Is frequently monitored, not in control of their own finances, is unable to speak for themselves or does not have control of their own identification documents.
• Cannot clarify where they are staying or does not know what city he or she is in.
• Appears to have lost a sense of time.

What to do

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

If you suspect a child may be experiencing trafficking, report it to your local office of the state Department of Children and Families. Contact information can be found at dcf.wisconsin.gov/reportabuse.

Call 211 to get connected to resources in your area.

Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888.

Contact Ashley Luthern at ashley.luthern@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aluthern.