Natalie hugs her mom, Janiece Charlez of Temple, in this photo from 2006. Natalie was recruited in high school by sex traffickers and was murdered in 2016. A local group, A Rose Program, is holding a seminar June 21 to bring awareness to human and sex trafficking.

DAVID STONE | June 16, 2022

About 100 Bell County children are targeted by sex trafficking rings every year and many more cases go unreported or are misclassified, members of a local group that raises trafficking awareness said today.

“Yes, sex trafficking and exploitation of our family members is happening right in our backyards,” said Janet Lyn Brown, a member of A Rose Program. “We need to get together and unpack this topic that’s affecting our communities.”

A Rose Program will host Human Trafficking Awareness 101 at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, at Holiday Inn Temple-Belton, 5247 S. General Bruce. Ages 12 through adults are welcome to attend the free event.

“You will hear survivor-centered stories during this conversation of awareness and prevention about sex trafficking,” Brown said.

Topics for the event will include:

• What is sex trafficking?

• What are clues of a sex-trafficking situation?

• What does sex trafficking look like in Bell County cities?

• How do I keep my children safe?

Brown encourages parents, teachers, health professionals, community leaders and members of law enforcement to attend the workshop.

Janiece Charlez, a member of A Rose Program and a parent, learned about sex trafficking in a horrifying way. She lost her daughter to the heinous crime.

“I didn’t even know what sex trafficking was,” Janiece said this week. “I thought Natalie was just acting out — teenagers do that. She was about 15 when I realized what was going on.”

Natalie was a student at Temple High and thought she had met the boyfriend of her dreams, Janiece said. That wasn’t the case.

“She was being recruited and groomed,” a distraught Janiece said. “She was living at home and really wasn’t a wild child. The young man seemed respectful and charming, and she fell for him.”

Natalie became entangled in a web of forced sex, and Janiece said the family went from being carefree and fun to fighting the battle of their lives.

“We tried everything to rescue Natalie,” she said. “I became an expert at following her through websites that sell people and Facebook posts made by her and her captors. It’s how I followed her.”

“While it appeared on the outside that this was a choice Natalie was making for herself, I quickly learned that it was only through coercion, threats and drug manipulation that they were able to control her.”

Natalie turned 21 on Sept. 15, 2016. One week later she was found murdered in Houston.

“Because this horrible thing happened to my sweet little girl, I have dedicated my life to making sure it doesn’t happen to someone else’s child. I celebrate Natalie’s life by sharing her story in the hopes that it will serve as a wake-up  call to all of us.”

The technique used to recruit Natalie is called “boyfriending,” and the recruiter likely was in a situation similar to his victims. In other words, he was recruited and manipulated into finding prey for a crime ring who in turn sold the victims to the highest bidder.

“He was affiliated with a larger sex-trafficking ring and had connections with groups in Waco, Houston and Dallas,” Janiece said.

Janiece said the situation with Natalie was a bitter pill to swallow.

“There was a lot of guilt and shame,” she said. “I would wonder: ‘What did I do? What did I not do?’”

Unfortunately, Natalie’s case is too familiar. Human trafficking can occur in any community where there are teens to manipulate and an illegal black market to service. Last year, there were more than 11,000 cases of human trafficking reported in the United States, and that includes 7,859 cases of sex trafficking.

Like Brown said, only a small percentage of actual occurrences are reported. Many cases end up classified as another crime such as sexual assault, which makes exact sex-trafficking numbers difficult to establish.

According to the FBI, human trafficking is the second-fastest growing crime sector in America. Texas has become the No. 2 hub in the US for trafficking activity.

According to Brown, the average age of a person when they are first targeted is between 11 and 14 years old, and with the increased presence of social media, children even younger are becoming victims.

“It usually starts with pornography,” Brown said. “Kids are talked into sending compromising photos through social media, then the traffickers use the photos to demand more. It’s a process called sextortion. These people get images and then threaten the kids if they don’t do specific acts.”

“Porn is a drug,” she said. “It changes the pathways of the brain. It is highly addictive, and porn users eventually start looking for different variations and start acting out on humans. At some point, looking at nude photos doesn’t satisfy their urges.”

For additional information on sex trafficking or the A Rose Program, visit www.aroseprogram.org.

The June 21 program will consist of an informational discussion at 6 p.m. about the extent of the problem in Central Texas and preventative measures parents and teacher can take. A 30-minute question-and-answer session will begin at 7:30.

Sudsy collaboration

Two Temple-area business have teamed up for a second time to create a new Texas Hill Country scented soap. A product of Through the Dutch Door, owned by Misty and Daniel Van Staaveren, the soap is made with Fire Base Brewing Co.’s Reveille Rye beer. The soap will be sold exclusively at Fire Base. Also in the photo is JD McBride of Fire Base Brewing (far left). David Stone photo

Council hears Jackson Park plan

DAVID STONE | June 16, 2022

A new Jackson Park neighborhood plan presented to Temple City Council today is expected to bring park improvements, add a large northside dog park, and construct new sidewalks and trails.

The plan is the ninth to be completed as part of the city’s Love Where You Live initiative.

“Jackson Park has a lot of possibilities,” Assistant City Manager Erin Smith said. “It’s not designated as a historic district, but there are a lot of spectacular homes in the neighborhood. Some have some really unique features.”

Most of the homes in the neighborhood were built between 1930 and 1940, and most are in good or great condition.

“There are some architecturally significant structures in Jackson Park — we might want to create another historic district or recognize these homes in another way,” she said.

Smith said a pre-plan survey of Jackson Park residents revealed several needs and wishes for the large park, which is centrally located in the neighborhood.

“The residents love their big beautiful park,” Smith said, “but they would like to see some improvements. Several mentioned playground equipment for younger children.”

While the park has fairly new playground equipment, residents would like to see an additional play area for children under 5. To meet that need, the plan calls for a Tot Lot next to the existing playground.

“A Tot Lot is designed for kids 2 to 5,” Smith said. “While the older kids are playing at the big-kid playground, the younger ones would have a place of their own.”

Another park-related item in the plan is improvements to existing restrooms. The facilities are there but are in need of a makeover, residents said.

Those taking the survey also expressed a desire for walking and bicycle trails in the Northside neighborhood. The neighborhood plan likely will include a trail linking the big park to Wilson and Miller parks to the north.

“Miller Park is very popular — no matter when you go there people are fishing,” Smith said. “The proposed trail would take walkers through Hillcrest Cemetery to the other parks. The path through the cemetery would have decorative fencing, benches and other outdoor seating along the way.”

A neighborhood dog park ranked high among needs described by residents, and Smith identified an area that would be within walking distance from several North Temple neighborhoods.

“There’s a vacant piece of land along Nugent from 6th Street to 10th that could be converted into a dog park,” she said. “There’s a good amount of space — enough for parking for those who didn’t want to walk. Jackson Park is a long way from other dog parks in Temple, and this location would be centrally located on the Northside. It would be close for residents of multiple neighborhoods — Jackson Park, the Historic District, the Garden District, East Downs, BellAire.”

The plan calls for the construction of a roundabout on Nugent by the dog park to slow down traffic for the expected increase in pedestrian and pet traffic.

A big issue for residents is improving walkability in Jackson Park. That means more and better sidewalks. Many of the existing sidewalks are in poor shape and in some areas, kids are walking in the street because there are no sidewalks.

“There are a lot of existing sidewalks in Jackson Park, but most are in poor or very poor condition,” Smith said. “We need to provide safe walking routes to schools and to the park.”

“There are places where kids have to walk in the street or on private property. We need improved sidewalks, including stretches that have a buffer between the sidewalk and the busy streets.”

Smith pointed out that 3rd Street is a main corridor for Temple’s Northside — including Jackson Park — and several businesses and schools are located on the busy thoroughfare, making it a prime area for pedestrian traffic.

“We can make 3rd Street safer for walking,” she said. “A lot of the businesses have really wide places to pull into or out of the parking lot. If we made the drives narrower we could make the area safer for walking without reducing accessibility to the businesses.”

Another busy entry into the Jackson Park neighborhood is North 8th Street. Smith envisions the use of “bump-outs” at intersections to slow traffic and make the area safer for pedestrians.

“I’m not a fan of speed humps or bumps,” she said. “Bump-outs can calm vehicular traffic, provide an area for landscaping and signs for entering the neighborhood,  and make pedestrian crossing safer.”

Bump-outs extend the curb into the street, making street crossings shorter and quicker for pedestrians. They also make the street narrower at intersections. A car making a left or right turn onto a street that has bump-outs must slow down considerably to make the turn.

today’s best bets

• Craig Howell Band live at Bo’s Barn Dancehall. 8 p.m. Tickets: bosbarndancehall.com

• Pint Night at FoxDog Beer Garden featuring brews by Red Horn Brewing in Cedar Park. Free pint glass with the purchase of a Red Horn beer while supplies last. 6:30 p.m.

• Young Adult & Beginner Cooking Class. 6 p.m. at Over the Plate, 1118 S. 29th Street in Temple. Are you new to cooking, or a young adult about to survive on your own? Through hands-on learning, we will teach you the necessary knife skills to prepare a variety of recipes. During this class you will be learning proper technique to cut and peel a variety of fruits and vegetables as well as how to butcher chicken in order to prepare a meal. Come ready to learn and be ready to enjoy the food you prepare at the end of class! Minimum age is 18. Water and Aprons provided. Class is $55 per person.

• Sweatin’ With The Oldies at Sammons Community Center. 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Join Kathy Patterson as she leads these extremely popular exercise sessions designed especially for those with mobility issues or who have difficulty standing while exercising. Slow stretches and comfortable balance exercises, while seated or in contact with a chair, will help tone and strengthen muscles to increase mobility and flexibility. Gradual use of hand weights and stretch bands is also incorporated. Easily adaptable for those with physical limitations. Two convenient session times to choose from. For more information, call 254.298.5403.

• Cody Ellinger & Joel Wood live at Fire Base Brewing. 

• Karaoke at Corky’s. First song at 8. Rolling Stogies Mobile Cigar night!

• Summer Sounds Free Concert Series at West Temple Park featuring Tex Mex Cowboy. 7:30 p.m.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS