After multiple complaints of human trafficking and other building code violations at the Victory Inn on Henry St. in Muskegon County, Chief Judge William Marietti this week ordered the motel closed. Located in the heart of the Roosevelt Park shopping district, it’s a shock to some area residents that human trafficking had been happening, however for some neighboring businesses, they say, they’re not surprised.
“I am not shocked at all.”
That is Missy Scott, who runs a tanning salon directly across the street from the Victory Inn.
“There were a lot of people coming and going, fifthly, icky people. It’s about time (the hotel closed.")
Not shocked either is Sara Johnson, the Director of Programming at The Hope Project and the Lakeshore Human Trafficking Project in Muskegon. She says, human trafficking is nothing like how it is portrayed in Hollywood.
“I think that some people think that it’s kidnapping, that there is movement involved, and that is not the case at all,” Johnson said.
The Hope Project is a non-profit, faith based organization in Muskegon whose mission is to raise awareness of human trafficking and to bring restoration and healing from its effects. Having connected with over 90 survivors, Johnson says she has seen firsthand the brokenness it has caused when they first arrive at Hope Project’s door.
“Some of the women who come here are suicidal, some of the women who come here cut themselves because of the pain, and they tell us “I don’t think I would be alive it weren’t for the Hope Project," Johnson said. "But do I feel that healing is possible? Yes I do.”
So just how bad is it?
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1 in 7 runaway teens human trafficking victims. . With a reported 325 runaways in Muskegon County in 2017, that would statistically mean nearly 46 persons became victims that year alone.
*You can find more about the hope project here: http://www.hopeprojectusa.org/