Federal, state, and local authorities are joining forces to combat human trafficking in the Figueroa Corridor of South Los Angeles, an area where they said girls as young as 11 years old have been sold for sex.
On the 3.5-mile stretch of Figueroa Street, from Gage Avenue to Imperial Highway, children and women are exploited by criminals who are often members of street gangs, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said at a news conference on Sept. 4.
“Especially at night, this area becomes an outdoor bordello,” Estrada said. “What we see in the Figueroa Corridor is a human rights tragedy each and every night.”
Many of the victims are recruited from foster care or group homes, where they were placed after suffering abuse or neglect, authorities said. When foster children reach adolescence, they are often moved to a group home, making them more vulnerable to human traffickers.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has performed numerous operations in the area that includes residential neighborhoods, a variety of businesses, and 23 churches, according to Chief Dominic Choi.
Of the 84 victims rescued in recent years, the youngest was 11 years old, he said.
“This is a humanitarian crisis,” Choi said. “We need to rescue more and more victims. Our women, youth, and communities deserve better.”
The pimps operate in public view, sometimes patrolling the street in their cars while keeping an eye on the girls, according to local outreach workers familiar with the corridor.
The workers told The Epoch Times last year that some of the pimps have purchased homes in the area to use as bases of operation, using the names of women working for them.
The outreach workers say prostitution in the corridor has grown since Jan. 1, 2023, when a new law—the Safer Streets for All Act, authored by San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco)—made it legal to loiter with the intent to commit prostitution.
The law repealed a section of California’s penal code that criminalized loitering with the intent of engaging in sex work. Wiener said the law disproportionately targeted black women and transgender individuals based on their appearance.
State lawmakers rejected an attempt in April to recriminalize loitering for prostitution with Senate Bill 1219. Members of the state Senate’s Public Safety Committee declined to bring the bill forward for a vote.Focus on Federal Charges
By joining forces, the Los Angeles-area law enforcement agencies hope to crack down on some of the corridor’s worst offenders by charging them with federal offenses.
The city of Los Angeles, the LAPD, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the county’s district attorney are collaborating on the initiative in hopes of helping the victimized young women and girls stay off the streets.
Several actions have already been taken. Four motels in the corridor were closed, and strict restrictions have been placed on five other motels to discourage prostitution, officials said.
