Wally World

Hello and good day to you wonderful friends! I hope that you are all having an amazing day. Today I just want to get a little personal on my end. Don't worry, it does involve sex trafficking, so don't zone out just yet.

Here is the thing. I am currently not in the beautiful state of Colorado. I am actually in a very flat state in college. And yes, I can say whole heartedly I miss my mountains, family, and friends! You don't live in a place like Colorado and not miss it.

Anyway! Right by my school is a very conventionally placed Wal-Mart. Behind that, there are the crack apartments and then it leads to the North part of town; if you go there, make sure you have a group of guys you know and maybe some pepper spray. Anyway, on the other side of my school's campus there are some really nice houses and the neighborhoods that get nicer and nicer the further you go. I take this way to get to work, and even though I dislike the town I live in, I definitely would not mind living in one of those houses.

Now, this Wal-Mart right next to me is known for something. What is it you ask? Well, sex trafficking, and hold-ups at gun point, but that is not the point that I want to currently talk about. I want to talk about sex trafficking.

Here at my college there are two "rules" that are not really rules but they are taken very seriously. The two rules are to never be on a bridge late at night. And never go to Wal-Mart at night. Simple enough right? Wrong. Within the first week of school I managed to break both rules. Don't worry though, I have not been on a bridge since the first time I broke that "rule." But I cannot lie, I do go to Wal-Mart at night every once in awhile.

Anyway, one night I was at Wal-Mart with two friends. One was walking slow so she witnessed me and my other friend get followed by two very bad "stalkers." We laugh about it now and how the Wal-Mart turns into a Halloween Wonderland at night. But that is not the worst experience I have had at Wal-Mart.

If you are getting tired of reading, hold on, it is about to get really interesting.

I have this roommate here at college. She is awesome and like the bestest ever! Last year we would go to Wal-Mart every Saturday, along with some other girls at the time neither of us had a car. Anyway,  we had all gone to Wal-Mart this particular Saturday afternoon, and we had ran into a friend who use to live on our floor. We were all talking to her till my roommate and I walked off so that we could do a little fast shopping on the opposite side of the store.

Not long after separating we notice that there is a group of about 7 guys following us. Sometimes they would separate and then they would come back together. My roommate and I weaved in and out, we went to weird parts of the store. These guys were on us. Quickly we started making our way back to our large group, where two of the men started looking at the flowers we were all gathered around and then left.

After that they didn't bother us anymore, in fact we didn't see them anymore. It may have been the fact that Mama (the girl who use to live on my floor) was making very load statements to make sure that her daughters (me and my roommate) were safe. She is my Mama away from home and she is the safe haven I run to when anything goes wrong.

Here is the thing. Everyone said beware of Wal-Mart at night! Guys follow you and sex trafficking is something that happens there and there are some strange and pretty creepy people there. I have never had an issue with Wal-Mart at night. But during the day, that is when I have issues there. There are other things that have happen there to me as well, and it happened during the day.

What is my point with this? Sex trafficking doesn't wait for night time to roll around. It happens at every hour of every say. And the people involved are not always the "creepers" we would like to picture them as. You know the ones I mean, with yellow rotting teeth, the huge balding spot and receding hairline with the wrinkled face and large warts all over, and lets not forget the scratchy high pitched voice. Pretty much your typical horror movie creepy old guy. 

But this isn't always the case. More often then not the typical male recruiter for sex trafficking is good looking, someone who you wouldn't be thinking would be involved in the sex trade. So, remember that. The guys following my roommate and me around definitely did not fit the "creeper" title. Rather they were guys that were attractive and other any other circumstance I would maybe even go out with.

Do you get my point? If not there were two and I will say them again for you. One: sex trafficking happens at all hours of the day, just because you are sleeping, doesn't mean the sex trade was put on pause.  Two: recruiters of sex trafficking don't always fit the "creeper" profile that we put them in.

Just some stuff for you all to think on.

And on one last very important note. In the bathrooms of this Wal-Mart there are little stickers that are everywhere. They say that you think there is someone being trafficked to call the National Trafficking Number which is 1-888-373-7888.

So, now take a moment and put that number in your phone. And if you ever think you are witnessing or suspect someone being trafficked call the number right away.

You can always do more then you think you can,

Nicole and Janice

P.S. We now have an instagram so go follow us at @whatdoyouknowaboutsex. And we have a twitter so go follow us there as well @AMASeexTFaxts. And then like us on facebook at What Do You Know About Sex Trafficking. And then lastly if you would ever like to email us for any reason our email is askmeaboutsextrafficking@gmail.com