Clean Up Kennedy

The City has continued to move forward on addressing the organized prostitution and possible human trafficking going on in the illicit massage businesses (IMBs) operating along Kennedy Blvd and across Tampa. For the past 6 months, Tampa’s legal department has received input from local and national anti-trafficking NGOs. The public comments featured several survivors of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, discussing their experiences in Tampa and their support for the ordinance. Representatives from the Salvation Army and Polaris also spoke. The representatives from Polaris (which begins at 11:35 in the video below) discussed the problem of illicit massage businesses nationally, how the ones in Tampa are connected to larger national networks, and even read what buyers online say about their experiences in these 'massage spas.' Video of public comments December 7th Later, agenda item 82 came up, and the city attorney discussed the revamped b...

We have another City Council Meeting 9am December 7th. As an ongoing effort by the city to address the issue of commercial sexual exploitation and possible human trafficking going on Kennedy Blvd and across Tampa.  The Meeting will be held on the 3rd floor of Old City Hall at 9am    315 E Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33602 If you are interested in coming and showing support for the efforts by the city to address trafficking in our city, Email cleanupkennedy@gmail.com for more information. https://atg.tampagov.net/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=5977&doctype=AGENDA

'Lights in the Night': Candlelight Vigil for Trafficking Awareness November 4th 9:00pm to 11:00pm Barnes & Noble Parking Lot 213 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33609 Hosted By: Clean Up Kennedy - Fighting Human Trafficking in Tampa Bay Come join us Saturday evening, November 4th for a candlelight vigil to help raise awareness of what happens behind closed doors in the spas along Kennedy Boulevard. We will be lining up along Kennedy with candles as a sign of unity against human trafficking in Tampa Bay.  We want to stand together as a community to show we support the women impacted by these terrible crimes.  Whether you want to participate in prayer, a moment of silence, or just stand with us, we’d love to see you out there. We will be meeting in the Barnes & Noble parking lot, then splitting into smaller groups and heading out from there. If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a 'Team Captain' contact Joe Mans...

Mark Douglas  investigative journalist for  Channel 8 WFLA has been doing diligent and thorough reporting on the illicit massage businesses on Kennedy Blvd for 6 months now. Below are links to all 11 stories so far in his series.    http://wfla.com/2017/04/27/8-investigates-are-storefronts-for-sex-thriving-along-tampas-kennedy-blvd/ http://wfla.com/2017/05/01/8-investigates-what-is-tampa-doing-to-stop-modern-day-slavery/ http://wfla.com/2017/05/03/tampa-prostitution-message-board-lighting-up-over-8-on-your-side-health-spa-sex-investigation/ http://wfla.com/2017/05/23/you-paid-for-it-6-5-million-massage-therapy-regulation-fails-to-weed-out-prostitutes/ http://wfla.com/2017/06/01/storefronts-for-sex-tampa-devising-massage-parlor-crackdown-after-8-on-your-side-investigation/ http://wfla.com/2017/06/19/8-on-your-side-storefronts-for-sex-investigation-prompts-protest-of-kennedy-blvd-spas/ http://wfla.com/2017/07/27...

It’s been just over five months since the Channel 8 news report:  "Are ‘Storefronts for Sex’ thriving along Tampa’s Kennedy Blvd?"  blasted the issue of illicit massage business into the public spotlight in Tampa and inspired citizens to launch the Clean Up Kennedy movement.  The September 28th meeting was the third time that the Tampa City Council has had this issue on the agenda. Thursday there was an hour of presentations from the Assistant City Attorney and the Florida Department of Health followed by public comments by other organizations that were present. Representatives from  Polaris ,  USIAHT ,  Created ,  Florida State Massage Therapy Association , and the  Florida Department of Health  were present at the meeting and testified and commented on the situation. The Assistant City Attorney seems confident that retooling the bath house regulations that are already on the books will work to make it harder for these business...

Volunteers from Clean Up Kennedy made their presence known at U.S. Representative Kathy Castor's immigration town hall at Alonso High School. Since many of the victims of trafficking are brought into US legally or illegally it is important to include the very real issue of human trafficking in any discussion of immigration policy.  Representative Castor shook hands with Joe Manson, who was holding a "End Sex Trafficking in Tampa" sign outside the meeting and expressed her interest in meeting and discussing the issue more with him. Here Representative Castor answers a question about what is being done to combat human trafficking in our district. We look forward to hearing more from Representative Kathy Castor about how we can work together, citizens and government, to end the terrible industry of sexual exploitation in Tampa Bay.

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 se...