The membership meeting on June 2nd had a guest speaker, Ashley Chesney, who was speaking on behalf of Set Free Monterey Bay, a nonprofit that fights sex trafficking in the Monterey area. She spoke from experience, since she grew up in Pacific Grove and was a victim of sex trafficking herself.
She has written a short book about her experiences and how she escaped, called “From the Ashes.” Her organization provides therapy, aftercare, education and training. She wanted us to know that the problem persists in this area since many buyers bring their victims with them when they come here for events. One question she said to ask these women if you talk to them is “Are you safe?” or “Do you feel safe?” It was a very educational meeting on a topic that we hadn’t thought about before.
