Thread by @mjcontrera

You’re 15. You’re being interrogated by police.

You ask if your mom is coming. They say no.

You ask for a lawyer. They talk you out of it.

You tell them you have a “pimp,” or in other words, you’re a victim of child sex trafficking.

They ignore you.

washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/inter…

This happened in my hometown of Akron, Ohio, to a girl named Alexis Martin. She led robbers to the house of her 36-year-old alleged trafficker, and he was killed. She wasn’t in the room when the shots were fired.

Ohio, like more and more states today, has a law that says that if a kid charged with a crime was being sex trafficked, her charges should be put on pause while she gets support services.

Instead, Alexis was tried as an adult and sentenced to 21 years to life.

While Alexis was imprisoned, @KimKardashian advocated on her behalf.

Kim, @KingJames, @TaranaBurke + thousands more were a part of the movement to #FreeCyntoiaBrown, a case similar to Alexis’s. But there are so many more kids in situations just like this.

Last year, @GovMikeDeWine released Alexis, saying she was a victim. But also, she has to be on parole, wearing a GPS ankle monitor, for the next 14 years.

The consequences of her trafficking being disregarded are far from finished.

If you want to understand what child sex trafficking actually looks like in America, and what happens when those kids end up in major trouble with the law, this is that story.

washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/inter…