Annual motorcycle ride through Eastern Iowa puts spotlight on human trafficking

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Tish Young was at Metro Harley Davidson in Cedar Rapids with a pair of child-sized sandals. They were a prop she would use throughout the afternoon during the fifth year for the Freedom Ride to End Human Trafficking.

“There are empty children’s shoes that I’m going to take with me,” said Tish Young, Chief Operations Officer for Chains Interrupted, a nonprofit focused on fighting human trafficking. The shoes, she said, were to prompt questions. “What should those children be doing? And where are they now? I really want people to start thinking about the fact that there are people, right now, in this moment, being trafficked.”

Young said traffickers often use online platforms to groom children. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of people prosecuted for human trafficking in 2011 was 729—in 2020, it was more than 13 hundred, a 84% increase.

Young said the ride was a fitting way to raise awareness of human trafficking.

“Travel is just a great way to reach new people, get out and go meet them where they’re at, but [also] to remind ourselves that johns travel to get your kids,” said Young.

Along with reaching new people, a ride tapped into the passion of the biking community.

“People look at bikers, and they think, ‘Oh, you know, they’re really like, hardcore, they’re really bad.’ Well, they’re not,” said Lisa Becker, a board member of Chains Interrupted. “They’re probably some of the best people that you will ever meet. You know, they’re the ones that always are there to help. They’re the ones that come together, you know, for these causes.”

Becker said of her own involvement, “It’s a God thing. I feel like Jesus just touched my heart and just said, ‘You know, hey, this is the direction I want you to go, you can make a difference.’”

The cause: making sure as many people as possible know what human trafficking looks like and how to stop it.

“Please talk to your children. Please talk to all of the children in your bubble,” said Young. “We got to be smarter than the trafficker. And it’s really hard to tell who’s out there these days.”

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