Post by Katie Patterson

For thousands of people, Hot August Nights is a stroll down memory lane, an opportunity to reminisce in the nostalgia of cherry red Corvettes, ’69 Mustangs, teal Chevys with cream interiors, and the golden era of design.  Having not been to the event, I was excited when two of my coworkers invited me to walk the streets of downtown Reno and check it out.

Now, I am not much of a car person, but I did enjoy a blast from the past: these classic cars were a sight to see with their enormous trunks, vinyl roofs, crank windows, and goofy air conditioning contraptions on the side of the car; even better than the cars were the proud owners sitting and standing near their ‘baby,’ eagerly waiting to answer any and all questions that an onlooker might have.  Time flew by, and we had to get back to work.  Heading down Virginia a sobering thought crossed my mind, “How many people, locals or tourists, know about the sex trafficking that would be taking place at this year’s event?”

Illegal commercial sex accompanies most large-scale events, especially ones that are male-dominated.  At last year’s event, police did a ‘sting’ operation to target these illegal activities, and nine women were cited for soliciting prostitution.^[1] This year five arrests and five citations were issued for prostitution related charges.^[2] While these numbers prove that men are paying for sex illegally, they do not reveal to what extent and whether these women are being trafficked.  Albeit, Creighton University was commissioned to do a human trafficking study and found Nevada has the highest rate of illegal commercial sex in the nation, 63% higher than its neighboring states.^[3] Data supports the fact that when prostitution is legal, such as Nevada’s brothels, trafficking increases; the illegal activity is masked by the legal activity.^[4]

As we neared Liberty, I glanced pass work to the Wild Orchid, a local strip club in downtown Reno, and another thought crossed my mind: we “Ooh” and “Aah” at these cars. We objectify them, pay money to see them and to enjoy their classic beauty. We do the same to these women. We “Ooh” and “Aah.” We judge and objectify. We pay money to see, enjoy, and experience their beauty.  We marvel at the beauty of a nice car, call it ‘baby’ and invest in it, but to what extent do we value the car more than the woman?  Superficially we may treat these cars in a similar fashion as we treat these women, but a very stark difference exists: one gets life from its engine, the other from her heart.

To Note: I want to thank Ashley Ingle, Josh Patterson and Cassie Michaels for reviewing and providing much needed feedback.  As well, so many questions came up while writing, such as: Why did the prostitutes get cited and not the men? Can we change our attitudes/misconceptions and laws so both parties are held responsible? If a prostitute has a pimp, is she now considered trafficked because she is no longer working on her own volition? How do these women end up here, and do they (as many seem to believe) want to be in this life?  Future blogs will research and dive deeper into these questions.  Thank you for taking the time to read and consider.

^[1]Guevara, A. (2017, August 15). Behind the Scenes: Hot August Nights Prostitution Sting. Retrieved August 23, 2018, from http://www.ktvn.com/story/36141281/behind-the-scenes-hot-august-nights-prostitution-sting

^[2]Ventura, I. (2018, August 12). Reno Police reports final statistics for Hot August Nights 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018, from https://mynews4.com/news/local/reno-police-reports-final-statistics-for-hot-august-nights-2018

^[3]ECpodcast. (2018, June 22). Awaken Media Sex | Human Trafficking Reno. Retrieved August 23, 2018, from  episode 56 features Melissa Holland, Founder and Executive Director of Awaken.

^[4]Harvard Law School. (2014, June 12). “Does Legalized Prostitution Increase Human Trafficking?” Retrieved August 30, 2018, from https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/lids/2014/06/12/does-legalized-prostitution-increase-human-trafficking/

Celebration nights are one way the Awaken staff honors their community. On April 20th, 2018, I had the privilege of experiencing one of these events first-hand.

As 5:30 approached, guests began to arrive one by one. I started to notice familiar faces, some mentors some clients, and some volunteers. I sat down and observed smiles and squeals as I watched a volunteer connect with a client and share memories of Easter dinner. As everyone began to settle in, I was asked by a client if I could hold her infant baby. I felt honored to be asked, and held her beautiful baby girl in my arms. I became so intrigued by her tiny little toes and fingers, and her gleaming smile. She snuggled with me and we stared at each other as we sat in the big comfy green chair by the television. She tried to close her eyes to sleep, but I could tell that just like me, she didn’t want to miss out on any of the excitement.

Eventually we all joined one another to form a circle in the living room area. I looked at all the faces united together, some young and some old. We had a new survivor join us whom I had never met, she was tall and full life. She gleamed as people welcomed her to the community and introduced themselves.  She was assigned the job of lighting the candle that set on the glass table. This is a tradition that we begin every celebration night with, recognizing the survivors that are not yet home. Following this, another client read a passage out of the book, Find Your Way Home, an anthology compiled of powerful pieces written by survivors. She fought back tears as she read the words; we all felt how connected she was to herself and her emotions in that moment. I teared up too as I held her baby girl. I felt empowered to just be in her presence.

We concluded with closing statements and passed out cards. One card recognized a client’s birthday, while another recognized a new job and another celebrating three months of sobriety. We then made the transition to dinner. An Awaken volunteer brought us delicious sliced steak, bread rolls and an Asian fusion salad to eat, as we all connected over what has happened since we last met. Some of us mingled in the kitchen near the food, and some mingled in the living area. Laughter and story-telling filled the space. I observed as a survivor and a case manager had a staring contest and fought back giggles as they tried to both keep from blinking.

One mentor states:

“I’m a new mentor. It’s an amazing time to come together and celebrate the uniqueness of everyone”

While one survivor said,

“This is a reminder that I’m not alone. Awaken is a foundation where I was able to rebuild my life.

A woman came in to offer free massages.  I had seen her at previous celebration nights before. The clients and volunteers waited eagerly for their turns.

The celebration ended with delicious orange flavored cupcake topped with tangerines, donated by another volunteer. Cupcakes are the way we end celebration nights.

Leaving Awaken that night I felt extremely touched to be welcomed into such a such a sacred space filled with women with such unity and love.

By Vanessa Dunn – Awaken Intern

This May, Vanessa is studying abroad in South Africa with Sierra Nevada College. However, she is looking forward to June’s celebration event and to reconnecting with her friends at Awaken!