Pick Up Your Picket Signs: Why “Clean Up Kennedy” is Important
Pick Up Your Picket Signs: Why “Clean Up Kennedy” is
Important
By: Carrie Pinkard
If you’re a
Tampa resident who regularly drives down Kennedy Boulevard you may have noticed
a group of very sweaty people waving “Clean Up Kennedy” picket signs. You
likely wondered: Who are these people? What does it mean exactly to “Clean Up
Kennedy”? Or Why are these protesters so unbelievably good looking? Read on and
your Clean Up Kennedy questions will be answered.
The people
holding the picket signs are Tampa citizens from a group called “Clean Up
Kennedy: Fighting Human Trafficking in Tampa Bay.” This group seeks to close
down the massage businesses on Kennedy Boulevard that offer illicit services at
the expense of exploiting women. Many Tampa citizens drive by these massage
parlors everyday and don’t realize they are essentially “storefronts
for sex” and hubs for human trafficking.
“Clean Up Kennedy” is all about
bringing community awareness to an issue that for too long has been brushed
under the rug. It’s a movement that aims to give a voice to the voiceless women
who have been coerced to work in these spas against their will. “Clean Up
Kennedy” believes that protests will bring awareness, awareness will put
pressure on Tampa’s elected officials, and finally the elected officials will
enact legislation that will crack down on these illicit massage businesses.
A recent
victory came for the group when Seven Star Spa located on Kennedy Boulevard
shut its doors for good. Reportedly, the landlord asked the spa owner to
evacuate the building and the owner complied. This evacuation occurred after
weeks of Clean up Kennedy protesting outside of the spa, holding signs like
“Spa or Brothel?” and “End Sex Trafficking in Tampa Bay”. Ask yourself, if they
had nothing to hide, would they have left the building?
Clean Up
Kennedy’s tenacious founder, Joe Manson, celebrated the closing of Seven Star
Spa on August 4th, but not without acknowledging all the work that
is left to be done.
“In the midst of our celebration we
must acknowledge that our job is not over… The women who were inside Seven Star
Spa are somewhere else now. And it’s probably not a better place. They’ve
probably been sent to another massage parlor or brothel. We must turn our focus to the remaining
illicit massage businesses open on Kennedy Boulevard and continue fighting for
these women.”
Clean Up
Kennedy is important because it shows what can happen when one concerned
citizen decides it’s time to speak up about an issue they’re passionate about.
Joe Manson decided he was no longer going to sit back and allow these
businesses to exploit women in the neighborhood he grew up in. He gathered a
few friends, started a Facebook group, and began expressing his concern at Tampa
City Council meetings.
This group
has grown from an idea in one man’s head to a movement that has garnered local
news coverage, 1,500 supporters on Facebook, and increasing community
involvement. As the citizens of Tampa become aware of what’s happening behind
closed doors of these massage parlors, they’re showing up to help.
If you
would like to join the group of unbelievably good looking protesters who picket
on Kennedy Boulevard, or get more involved in Clean Up Kennedy in any way, you
can connect with them on social media or through email.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CleanUp_Kennedy
Website: http://cleanupkennedy.blogspot.com/
If you are interested in writing an article to be featured on this site email us at CleanUpKennedy@gmail.com
