City leaders ask public for vigilance spotting human trafficking at auto show

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January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and with the auto show in town, police are warning us to keep our eyes open, for anything that doesn't seem quite right.

"Look at human trafficking and look at sex trafficking for what it is, it is a crime against humanity," said Harriet Cammock, a sex trafficking survivor. "It is a crime especially against women."

Cammock now advocates for human trafficking victims after being sex trafficked herself by her very own husband when she came to the U.S. from Jamaica. She is working with Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones and Detroit Police Chief James Craig to raise awareness on human trafficking.

"These sex traffickers travel," Craig said. "They go to places like the Super Bowl, the World Series."

And places like the North American International Auto Show which opens to the public Saturday at Cobo Center.

During last year's auto show, police made 22 arrests. Craig says the police are investigating multiple human trafficking cases right now. In Nov. of 2017 DPD was awarded a $1.8 million grant to fight human trafficking.

The message to the community is to keep our eyes open.

"Speaking up, you might save someone's life," Jones said. "Let's tell everyone, if you see something, speak up."

"We are not asking you to interfere or intercept," Cammock said. "What we are going to ask is you call 911 if you see something that does not feel right.

"I wish someone would have looked in my face and seen the terror. If someone would have seen something and said something, the outcome would have been different."