Missing Las Vegas Kids Found In The Big F1 Crowds
Many Las Vegas locals were not happy about the F1 races coming to Las Vegas. But those big crowds it brought actually served a remarkable purpose.
Last week, before the races began, news3lv.com reported that a search was being organized to find missing Las Vegas children. Leading the efforts was Michael Bartel, the Director of F.R.E.E. International. Which is a non-profit organization in Las Vegas that is dedicated to ending human trafficking in the United States.
In an interview with News3LV, Bartel said he knows that when large crowds are present in a city, trafficked children are likely to be too. This is because traffickers see an opportunity to exploit the kids they have when there might be outsiders willing to pay. And the chances for a transaction are much greater when the crowds are so big. Like they were in Las Vegas during the F1 races.
As sad as it is, trafficking is a huge problem in Southern Nevada.
The state of Nevada actually ranks second highest in the nation for human trafficking (htcourts.org). In 2021 alone, 201 cases of trafficking were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. And every day more and more kids and adults fall victim to this horrible crime.
But through the efforts of people like Bartel and his volunteers, 14 missing children were found this past weekend, 8newsnow.com reported. All during the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix races. They were found with the help of the Clark County School District Police and Las Vegas law enforcement.
But these local heroes are not stopping after just one weekend. They will be back in the crowds when the Super Bowl comes in February. To hopefully find more kids who need their help.
To report human trafficking in the Las Vegas area, call the LVMPD non-emergency line at 702-828-3111 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.