CWS and Human Trafficking

Stephanie Olson of the Set Me Free Project knows that this big event in Omaha this month brings more than baseball fans to the area.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You get a big event coming uphere in Omaha, and a lot of
people look at it in very differentways. For example, the annual event
that is the College World Series apinnacle of fun and baseball, not just
for our community but for the nationas well. So many guests come to

(00:20):
town and you get a team andtheir supporters baseball fans all over, even
if their team's not playing, theyjust love being a part of it,
and growing up here in Omaha,you take a certain pride in having the
CWS here. Unfortunately, Nebraska isnot going to be a part of it,
having getting bombed by Florida over theweekend. But great year for the
Big Red. We will get somewonderful teams back here in Omaha for the

(00:44):
College World Series. But there areother people that look at this event and
because of the nature of what they'reinvolved in, they have to look at
this in a very different way.They see the College World Series as everything
I just mentioned, but in additionto that also a horrible opportunity for continued
human trafficking. And one person who'sdone a great job in trying to prevent

(01:08):
this and get people out of itis the executive director of the set me
Free Project. Stephanie Olsen is backhere on news radio eleven ten kfab.
Stephanie's great to see you. Thankyou. You too good to be with
a very well tanned Scott for thatis only on the face. When I've

(01:29):
tried to wear shorts on the golfcourse, people yell at me. I'm
like, well, they don't getmore tan if I don't wear shorts,
true, and I don't. Also, I don't really tan. I think
what you're seeing in terms of tanmight just be lighting in here, could
be when we have guests in thestudio, I use a lot of lighting
tricks to make me look better.In fact, this isn't even me.
This is a stunt double. Thisis Denzel Washington. Oh my, I'm

(01:53):
so grateful to meet you. It'sthe Tan. But yes, you guys
are partnering with Union Pacific and Ipresume other groups as well, to shine
a light on this horrible scourge insociety and a lot of people it's the
last thing they're going to think aboutwhen it comes to the College World series
here. So I mean, firstquestion here, do we really have a
problem with trafficking related to this wonderfulweeks long baseball event. Yeah, so

(02:17):
here's what I will say. Wehave a problem with trafficking every day,
and Nebraska as a whole, certainlyOmaha is a hot spot for human trafficking.
But anytime there is a big event, anytime there's money, there's people,
there is a higher demand. Andso we don't know the exact statistics,

(02:39):
but we do know that there arepeople who come and celebrate with their
friends that might take advantage of somethingas horrible as trafficking, buying people.
I would love to plead ignorance about, well, how does this happen?
But you and I have had enoughconversations over the years that I know where

(03:00):
some of this conversation goes. Istill want to have it, though,
because not everyone does. They stillthink of and you've heard me use this
example. They think of human traffickingas the movie Taken Absolutely, where you
know you were kidnapped and then soldto some fat guy in a boat,
and it's just, you know,this horrible experience, And sadly, this
kind of thing does happen, butit's not usually kidnapped by strangers, is

(03:23):
it. It's not, And it'susually building relationships and a lot of times
on social media. We know there'sa huge unfortunate increase of familial trafficking,
where moms and dads are the traffickers, grandmas and grandpa's are the traffickers.
But when it comes to the CollegeWorld Series, there's a lot of miz
and people think, oh my gosh, I'm afraid to send my kids to

(03:45):
the College World Series because they're goingto get kidnapped. No, and that's
just a fallacy. That's not somethingthat's going to happen most likely, right,
So how does it generally happen whensome of these guys have been tailgating
since Tuesday and it's now Saturday andthey're like, I've got a great idea,
yeah, you know, and thenthere's some online resources. So primarily

(04:08):
the increase with trafficking are going tobe the people traffickers are bringing in to
the College World Series. And that'swhy it's important for there to be awareness
and prevention with the companies that arearound the College World Series events, so
hotels and restaurants and bars, theyneed to know what to look for when

(04:31):
it comes to things like that.So what do we need to look for?
Well, I think it's important thatwe first understand what's not happening.
Again, what's not happening. It'skidnapping a whole bunch of people around the
College World series. But when wesee things that might be unusual, maybe
you've got a couple of people whodon't look like they match, somebody older,

(04:55):
somebody younger, maybe somebody who mightbe hyper submissive. That might be
something to look for. But primarilyit's going to be those hotels and those
restaurants that are going to be seeingthat extra traffic and things that they're there
needing to be prepared for to makea difference. Actually, so someone sees

(05:19):
a situation, they're like, Idon't I don't like the look of this.
I get a bad feeling when Isee that older guy with that younger
girl, and I just got afeeling. I don't know, but I
would I would hate to see somethingthat I can help prevent and not do
anything about it. What do Ido? Do I just go up and

(05:39):
go, hey, what are youdoing? Or do I call the police?
What do I do? Yeah?I call Li Neeson. Yes,
if you can call Liam Neeson,let him know that I want to talk
to him. But otherwise, Imean, that is you know, don't
ever intervene on your own. It'simportant that we make sure that we're not
participating, but that there are thingsthat we can do. Nebraska actually has

(06:02):
a human trafficking hot line, andso they can call I'm grabbing this as
we speak before I give you thathotline, though, if there is an
immediate need nine one one, contactnine one one, and people are definitely
going to be prepared. If youare in trouble and you need help,

(06:26):
you want to call the Nebraska HumanTrafficking Hotline, which is eight eight eight
three seven three seven eight eight eight. But if you see something and you
need to report, you can contacteight eight I'm sorry, eight three three
seven five seven five six six five, which is the Nebraska Human Trafficking hot

(06:47):
line for reporting. No one's goingto remember that number, but they'll remember
to ask their phone what's the phonenumber for the Nebraska Human Trafficking hotline,
and then they can find that number. Click a thing and call the number
exactly, or you can remember eightthree to three. Please look, there
is the ls L O okay okay, p ls L okay. Please look

(07:08):
eight eight eight please look eight threethree alrighty eighth se eight there's a eight.
Yes, we're talking here with StephanieOlsen, executive director of the Set
Me Free Project. What is itthat your organization does when you're able to
intervene in the life of someone whohas been down a path that he or

(07:30):
she never thought, you know,I should say she or he never thought
they'd be going down. You know, we really focus on prevention education because
only one to two percent of traffickedindividuals are recovered and restored, striking statistic.
So we want to stop human traffickingbefore it starts. So we have
a curriculum for all ages. Butone of the things that we also do

(07:51):
is have a curriculum and training forsurvivors of human trafficking and people that need
to learn what does a healthy relationshiplook like, how to be safe on
social media? And then we workwith a lot of amazing organizations like Project
Harmony and organizations that do that directservice, and so we do a lot

(08:15):
of referrals in that sense as well. Yeah, there probably aren't going to
be a lot of people who willbe able to intervene and save someone here
going down to a baseball game laterthis month in downtown Omaha. But for
those people who are parents and theysay, yeah, my teenager has I
know some of this is just standardteenage stuff, but I mean they've been

(08:39):
withdrawn in a very disturbing way.You know, the people that they're hanging
out with. I get very nervousabout. There's just some older guy that's
just been coming around and it feelslike he's grooming my kid, right.
I mean, these are things thatyou can look out for as a parent,
real things, and the amount oftime they're spending on social media,

(09:00):
who they're relating to, and justwhat you said, those changes. What
used to be typical is no longertheir typical. And so what do you
do in a situation like that,because as a parent, it is a
scary thing. But that's where havingthose people and I always say traffickers build
incredible relationships, we need to buildbetter ones. And so that's one of

(09:24):
the things we really try and helpthe community, help parents and caregivers do.
How do you talk to your youthabout human trafficking, about social media
safety and all of those things.Yeah, oh, I've tried with my
daughter. I mean, you knowthis that we showed her taken as a
warning tutorial a few years ago,but I had to make sure that she

(09:46):
knows your father does not have acertain set of skills. No, if
you end up going down a wrongroad, or you end up making bad
choices and something awful happens and Iget on the phone with one of these
guys, the conversation is going tobe like, I have a certain set
of skills. If you harm mydaughter, I will talk about you on
the radio. Absolutely, I willtrash you. Not take down five guys

(10:09):
in the kitchen. I've never seenit. I could not, but I
will. I will talk about themon the radio, and I will make
a blistering social media poste that willbe like dozens of time by people that
say, yes, Scott, youget them. And if you don't want
to know, it's not you.That's why I need my daughter to have,
you know, head on a swivel. Yeah at all times there,
because there's nothing I can denow hermom. On the other hand, if

(10:31):
she gets in the room with thoseguys, senior, amazing, beautiful wife,
no, they will never find achance. They will never find their
bodies. But you know, alljoking aside here and I love the Set
Me Free project because one of yourbig events every year is the laugh Your
Cash Off fundraiser for this, butyou've got something coming up a little different

(10:52):
on that on Wednesday. What canpeople? We have a new event we're
really excited about. It is foreveryone in the community. It is really
just a College World Series awareness event. What is it? What does it
look like? What doesn't it looklike? And this is going to be
a great one. It is onWednesday from eleven to one at Hotel Deco.

(11:16):
They are sponsoring the event. There'sgoing to be free food for everybody,
love it and we are going tobe hearing from myself but also the
mayor, the FBI, Homeland Security. We have amazing people coming to present
and really talk about what is happening, what to look for, what are

(11:37):
some of the miss surrounding trafficking andCollege World Series, and how to really
help protect you and your family.She myself, that is a Stephanie Olsen
referring to herself executive director that sentme free project online at at setmefree project
dot net and more details about thisevent Wednesday from eleven to one at Hotel

(11:58):
Deca Go at fifteenth and Harny rightthere at setmefree project dot net'st Dephanie always
a pleasure. Thank you very muchfor what you do, and thanks for
coming on here and telling us aboutit.