[et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label=”Fullwidth Header” title=”Tech And The Turn Out Process” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left” header_fullscreen=”on” header_scroll_down=”off” background_url=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/IMG_3305_crop.jpg” parallax=”on” parallax_method=”on” content_orientation=”bottom” image_orientation=”center” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_letter_spacing=”0″ button_one_use_icon=”default” button_one_icon_placement=”right” button_one_on_hover=”on” button_one_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ custom_button_two=”off” button_two_letter_spacing=”0″ button_two_use_icon=”default” button_two_icon_placement=”right” button_two_on_hover=”on” button_two_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ max_width=”500px” max_width_last_edited=”on|” title_font=”Montserrat||||”] [\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
Over a cell phone, a pimp may be promising wealth, stardom and glamour to a young person in your life. On the street, people call this getting \u201cturned out.\u201d<\/p>\n
And you probably have no idea.<\/p>\n
Phones with social media \u2013 the same devices you rely on to stay in touch with a daughter, son, sibling, niece or nephew \u2013 are also predators\u2019 ultimate victimization tool.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_audio admin_label=”Audio” audio=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/Marianna_FinalPiece_Master.mp3″ title=”Cellphone Entrapment” artist_name=”Marianna Sousa” background_layout=”light” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_css_audio_content=”background-color: #F1F0EF;||border-left: 20px solid #B32317;”]
\n[\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/IMG_3392.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”left” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]
\n[\/et_pb_image][et_pb_testimonial admin_label=”Testimonial” author=”Kasimira Bufford” url_new_window=”off” quote_icon=”on” use_background_color=”on” background_color=”#f5f5f5″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
“I try to hide it from my mom, though, because she\u2019s so nosy. But I\u2019m at the age where I want to have a boyfriend now.”<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
Kasimira Bufford knows this from experience. She\u2019s a petite, creamy-skinned 27-year-old with bright eyes and a beguiling smile.<\/p>\n
She remembered her life a dozen years before our interview, when she got her first phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I’m talking to boys. I try to hide it from my mom, though, because she\u2019s so nosy,\u201d Kas said with a giggle. \u201cBut I’m at the age where I want to have a boyfriend now.<\/p>\n
Soon, she fielded \u201ca lot of messages from guys I know who made money on the street\u201d because \u201cI have cute pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sacramento native started posting those pictures along with jokes and messages to friends on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. She was eager to impress.<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t take long for people outside her social circles to notice her seductive online photos, like the ones she used to send only to her boyfriend. When she posted them on her social media, it was easy for pimps to zero in on her.<\/p>\n
Her desire to become a famous model and performer overtook any worries that \u201cmy mom would whup my a**.\u201d Kas liked the attention she attracted through social media \u201clikes\u201d and an inbox full of requests to meet in person.<\/p>\n
Just as she began to discover her womanliness, she willingly supplied photos to match the more risqu\u00e9 image she wanted to project. She enjoyed the attention and private messages that complimented her smile and her figure.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
At the same time, she wanted to live the life promoted to teens in music videos, magazines and movies. She desired designer clothes and accessories, luxury cars and endless parties. Kas was smart enough to know that working at McDonald\u2019s or a Smart and Final grocery store wouldn\u2019t afford her that life.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
Her cell phone allowed her access to a world that supplied the trappings of glamour, at a merciless price.<\/p>\n
\u201cI met a gentleman who saw me sitting down. He just seemed really nice,\u201d Kas said. \u201cWe talked on the telephone a lot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Before long, she visited his house.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe drink a little bit. I pop a little pill to make myself feel good. My body becomes very weak,\u201d she recalled about that night.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I woke up, I was on a Greyhound to Fresno.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n During the next 10 years she moved around a lot \u2013 living mostly in hotel rooms and making money for various men. On a bad day, she said, she\u2019d pull down $500 – $600. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Most days Kas\u2019s phone was blowing up with texts, come-ons, orders from her pimp about where to go, whom to meet, when the next john would show up.<\/span><\/p>\n The man behind those orders didn\u2019t even need to be in the same city. Wherever he was, he could track where <\/span>she<\/span><\/i> was using locators built into the phone and its social media apps.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI put my life in a lot of danger because the money made me blind,\u201d Kas said. Although she used some of that money to shop and pay for hotel stays, most of\u00a0it went to the pimp. \u201cHe takes everything, and when I need something, I ask him for it \u2013 so he\u2019s basically the bank.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He also was the employment agency for other young women. The pimp she\u2019d call her \u201cdaddy\u201d would put Kas on social media to lure people like her. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI’ll ask them, \u2018Do you have a man? Does your man take care of you?\u2019\u201d she remembered, \u201c\u2019Because my daddy could take care of you better. You know he could put you in a house, put you in a car faster than how you’re doing right now if you’re in the life.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Her\u00a0family worried and wondered about her safety, but there was little prospect of finding Kas. That’s because her pimp, she said softly, \u201cisolates me from my family. He basically doesn’t let me communicate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The street life was riddled with secret code her pimp used to\u00a0create accounts with phony pictures\u00a0and keep Kas’ family from tracking her down.<\/span><\/p>\n With each dollar she made, her pimps’ greed increased.\u00a0They didn’t pay Kas, and sometimes they beat her.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe were on our way to Stockton and I ran out of gas on the freeway and he was sleeping,\u201d she remembered. \u00a0\u201cI was waking him up to tell\u00a0him we\u00a0were running out of gas and he literally punched me through the window.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Her\u00a0circumstances began to take a toll on her body and mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In one town, her pimp \u201chad me out there for a week and\u00a0every night (I was)\u00a0getting bad bit by bedbugs. I had to sleep in in the bathtub because they were just everywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n “I think that was the breaking point for me,\u201d she said. \u201cAll those bugs that were on me\u00a0was God telling me to stop.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That meant returning home after a decade away.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/Kas-with-Phone.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”left” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] If you\u2019re with a pimp \u2014 you\u2019re being used. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t matter if he\u2019s a new boyfriend or if you\u2019ve been together 30 years.<\/p>\n About pimps\u00a0online:<\/b><\/p>\n On social media, don\u2019t respond to random messages.<\/span><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t know them, <\/span>block them<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n Be vigilant! Look out for negative statements, bragging and expensive promises.<\/span><\/p>\n Detecting female\u00a0pimps online:<\/b><\/p>\n Don\u2019t be too friendly with females on social media, especially if you don\u2019t know them.<\/span><\/p>\n Question the intentions of strangers who suggest \u201cmeeting up\u201d or \u201chaving drinks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Avoid random meet-and-greets. They could be a trap. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n With help from\u00a0family and a counselor,\u00a0Kasimira dealt with the shame and guilt around the way she’d lived, and entered a nine-month program designed to redirect her life.<\/p>\n “I got a job with Walgreens. I’ve been working there for seven months now,” she said.\u00a0“It’s been cool. I\u2019m a beauty advisor there so that is exactly what I want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n She now understands that her cell phone is a tool over which she has control.<\/p>\n “I don’t use it for any type of sexual purposes anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cI never changed my phone number so I still get phone calls from johns and I tell them\u00a0 sometimes they have the wrong number.<\/p>\n “Or I just tell them I’m retired.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”on” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_audio admin_label=”Audio” audio=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/Marianna_SecondWebExtra_Master-1.mp3″ background_layout=”light” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_css_audio_content=”background-color: #F1F0EF;||border-left: 20px solid #B32317;” title=”Reporter’s Notebook” artist_name=”Marianna Sousa”] I changed her diapers, combed her hair and walked her to daycare. My younger sister Kasimira is a part of me — a part I didn’t want to fade away in confusion and pain.<\/span><\/p>\n When I pitched my story about her to my NextGen \u00a0editors and mentors, I knew I was taking a risk. In general, journalists don’t cover stories about their own family and friends. \u00a0It’s our job to maintain a neutral and unbiased perspective when sharing stories and information. My sister represents many young women entrapped through social media and cell phone technology. <\/span><\/p>\n Losing my sister to the streets was one of the most difficult experiences in my life. \u00a0I wanted to give her the opportunity to speak her truth and to represent her experiences. I wanted to offer her the opportunity to own her story, in a respectable way.<\/span><\/p>\n “So,\u201d a friend asked, \u201cyou’re just gonna put it all out there, huh?” Absolutely. I didn’t become a journalist to play it safe. I want to lift up narratives that need to be exposed. \u00a0I waited until the day before production began to reveal the identity of my interviewee. During the pitch session for this project, everyone’s mouth dropped when I told them. So I had to work hard to justify my reason for writing this story.<\/span><\/p>\n Veteran journalists warned me to be be careful with this story. But deep inside, I knew my first major \u00a0piece of journalism needed to spring from my \u00a0passion and awareness. I’m passionate about the development and safety of young women.<\/span><\/p>\n Perhaps because of that, my sister and I connected during our interview in a way we hadn\u2019t \u00a0for many years. <\/span><\/p>\n Having my sister back in my life is a new beginning. Witnessing her healing process has opened my eyes to see, the power of self acceptance and self-love.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Over a cell phone, a pimp may be promising wealth, stardom and glamour to a young person in your life. On the street, people call this getting \u201cturned out.\u201d And you probably have no idea. Phones with social media \u2013 the same devices you rely on to stay in touch with a daughter, son, sibling, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"coauthors":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/716"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/716\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n[\/et_pb_image][et_pb_audio admin_label=”Audio” audio=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/Marianna_WebExtra_Master.mp3″ title=”Kas’ Tips” background_layout=”light” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_css_audio_content=”background-color: #F1F0EF;||border-left: 20px solid #B32317;”]
\n[\/et_pb_audio][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”on” border_color=”#c1c1c1″ border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”5px|5px|5px|5px” custom_padding=”10px|10px|10px|10px” border_width=”3px”]<\/p>\n
\n[\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”https:\/\/capradio2016.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/2016\/10\/IMG_3294.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”left” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\nWhy I Put It All Out There<\/span><\/h1>\n