Submitted by Brad Gerbel
On Tuesday night I attended the community meeting concerning the transitional home for victims of sex trafficking that will be established in Coronado in the coming months. The meeting was sponsored by Cathy and Gregg Anderson, as well as Kathy and Casey Blitt.
The meeting was moderated by former Coronado Mayor Casey Tanaka, who did an exceptional job in his role of moderator. The panel was composed of Susan Munsey and Dan DeSaegher, representatives from GenerateHope, the nonprofit that will be operating the Coronado transitional home, Mayor Richard Bailey, representatives from the offices of State Assemblyman Todd Gloria and State Senator Toni Atkins.
It is perfectly reasonable that many people have questions, and even concerns, given this issue is relatively new for our city. While there were a lot of people in the room that support the idea of having a transitional home in Coronado, most of them did not speak. Instead, the conversation was dominated by four people: Cathy and Gregg Anderson, Kathy Blitt, and [REDACTED], who used most of the evening to take turns asking questions of the representatives from GenerateHope and Mayor Richard Bailey.
[REDACTED] kicked off the evening by revealing the address of a safe house operated by GenerateHope, which is used by women that have just fled their captors. This is a crime, punishable as a misdemeanor, under California law. It was a sad prelude to what was to come during the meeting.
The Andersons, Ms. Blitt and [REDACTED] would essentially ask a question, then repeatedly get back in line to ask another question; by the end of the evening each of them asked at least six questions each. None of them wanted to hear (or accept) the facts that Coronado is following California law and we must permit this type of transitional home to exist in our city.
One questioner went so far as to ask whether the City of Coronado is going to check up on the medications the women may or may not be taking. The city is not going to check what is in their medicine cabinets, just like they aren’t going to check what is in your medicine cabinet Ms. Anderson. Please refer to the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Another questioner asked if these crime victims speak English or do they need translators.
A federal prosecutor took to the microphone and explained to all in attendance that we should all become educated about the dangers of sex trafficking, Coronado girls are not immune from becoming victims, and that convention travelers (like the ones that visit Coronado) account for a large portion of the “buy” side of this industry.
One of the most poignant moments of the evening came when a man took to the microphone and drew parallels between Coronado’s transitional home for victims of sex trafficking and the story of Ryan White, the young man who died from complications of AIDS in 1990 and captured the national attention. Ryan, a hemophiliac, became infected with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment. At this point in history, little was known about HIV/AIDS and Ryan was sadly turned away from school. The same thing seems to be happening here in Coronado with little understanding of the needs of victims of sex trafficking.
I walked away on Tuesday night with an overall feeling of sadness. The best of Coronado was not on display on Tuesday night – actually, the worst of Coronado was on display Tuesday night, and it plays into stereotypes that some people have of us. The amount of venom and vitriol that came out of the mouths of the four people I mentioned above was embarrassing. I am embarrassed that these people are my neighbors. I am embarrassed that they cannot open their hearts to six to eight (6 to 8!) women who have had their lives ripped apart by falling victim to the sex trafficking industry.
Mr. Anderson referred to the women as “criminals” in previous public letters. Shame on you Judge Anderson! These women were not criminals. They are victims of crime. These women are God’s children – we all are God’s children! They deserve a second chance at life and Coronado should not ban these women simply because you four are uncomfortable with the circumstances they experienced.
These are eight women living together that share a tragic background but a hopeful future. A future that will be a little bit brighter if we allow these women to recover in a safe place, with the anonymity that we all enjoy.
The organizers of Tuesday night’s meeting, who are holding themselves out as great people, are talking about picketing in front of the Coronado home of the family who donated the Hansen Mansion. Good people do not picket in front of the home of someone who is trying to help society – sad, angry people do things like that.
Sooner or later this story is going to get picked up on the national news and they are going to paint Coronado as a bastion of privilege where the citizens want to keep out anybody who doesn’t fit “the mold.” There have been very sad points in American history where Americans were discriminated against for their race, religion, or sexual orientation. Let’s not let Coronado repeat the mistakes of the past.
Brad Gerbel
Editor’s Note: This article was edited to redact content on August 3, 2020.
