On Friday, 50-year-old Paul “Yoshi” Moore from Sacramento pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of 3 underage girls. According to US Attorney’s Office,  two other defendants – Kevin Hawkins and Timothy Lee – were involved in selling these young girls through the internet to pedophiles and other sex predators.

Since this case was prosecuted at the federal level, Moore now faces up to life in prison. Hopefully, he’ll get plenty of time to think about his vicious acts on these minors, who have a lifetime of recovery ahead of them. Had he been tried by a local district attorney under California law, Moore would face only 4 to 8 years in prison. Ridiculous, right?

Thus, it was timely that on the same day I got this powerful letter from the President of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, Brent Meyer, announcing their staunch support for California Against Slavery.  Please take the time to read it.

Official letter: SPOA_Endorse_Letter

Dear Ms. Phung,

On behalf of the Board of Directors and membership of the Sacramento Police Officers Association, I am pleased to announce our support for the California Against Slavery ballot initiative campaign. We strongly believe that this initiative is a bold and tangible solution to address the long-overlooked and serious issue of human trafficking in California.

Our state cannot ignore this very important and significant issue for its citizens. We must have more stringent laws that undeniably hold the perpetrators of such crime accountable, but at the same time, protect victims of these heinous acts. When passed, we believe such an initiative will greatly deter the expansion of this crime by increasing the penalty and fines for perpetrators, implement more effective tools for law enforcement officers and, most importantly, bring a higher level of awareness to the citizens of California.

The Sacramento Police Officers Association is proud to stand with California Against Slavery in furtherance of this initiative. Please utilize our organization’s name and logo in your media campaign as a demonstration of our staunch support for you and your efforts with California Against Slavery.

It is our hope that, with our endorsement, SPOA can help encourage all California law enforcement officers and citizens to support the California Against Slavery campaign, as well as successfully address the tragedy of human trafficking not only in California, but throughout the country.



Sincerely,
Brent J. Meyer
President
Board of Directors