Red Sand Human Trafficking Project Debuts at Ellsworth Air Force Base

RAPID CITY, SD (KEVN) – Airmen from Ellsworth Air Force Base met with the West River Human Trafficking Task Force Wednesday to participate in a decorative ceremony and learn the signs of human trafficking. The group spread red sand between the cracks in the sidewalk in front of the Rushmore Center in Ellsworth. As the first installment of the grassroots “Red Sand Project,” the goal was to represent victims of human trafficking who had “fallen through the cracks.”

For Lisa Gennaro, public awareness manager for the West River Human Trafficking Task Force, teaching Airmen what to look for was a valuable opportunity because they can spread that knowledge around the world.

“They go to different states, you know, they go to different countries,” Gennaro said. “And their job is to protect people.”

Gennaro explained that some of the signs exhibited by victims of human trafficking include refusal to talk, always being accompanied by others and visible injuries.

To report suspected human trafficking in South Dakota, contact the state's sexual assault hotline at 1-888-352-8511. Elsewhere in the United States, options include dialing 211 for a resource database or 911 in an emergency.

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