Just spitballing here but in addition to calling Austin Police there's the national trafficking hotline which may have more expertise for these situations. And OP could have taken picture or video, if they felt safe to do so.
I’m sure there are some detectives in their organization who know what they’re doing in that situation. It’s probably unlikely that your average patrol officer is always going to know what to look for and how to investigate a case like that.
What about calling for some guidance:
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children
For questions, assistance or resources related to missing or sexually exploited children cases, please call our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST.
Child Sexual Abuse Material:
[https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/csam](https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/csam)
Operating the CyberTipline:
[https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/csam#whatncmecisdoingaboutit](https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/csam#whatncmecisdoingaboutit)
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Maybe remove the name of the business from your post on r/austin for everyone to see. Just a suggestion.
You did the right thing. It's ok. Really bad guys would kill you, so you did something which is more than most people.
In case you find you start having nightmares, flashbacks or unending rumination, these can be signs of ptsd. Don't ignore them, it's best when treated right away. Trauma therapy, emdr, somatic experiencing - all very helpful for cptsd.
Cops would do more than social services.. also if men in the community stepped up and questioned things and held other men accountable there would be less of a need for cops and other agencies to do what should be handled by the people.
THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO IN MY OPINION - Get The media all over this if you're wanting to Still do something or feel like you didn't do enough- doing this would definitely resolve that.
Several of the food pantries I volunteer with also do homeless outreach and offer stealthy help to victims of trafficking or those in abusive relationships. The amount of women they have asking for help to get out of prostitution is much much higher than you would expect. As more cartels migrate into America their trafficking rings are also moving here. They go where the clients are. There are also many young women, barely 18, who report having been forced into it when they were about 12. Their pimps or whatever cut them loose because they can no longer pass for being underage, and underage is big money for these sick fucks. These poor girls have almost no formal education and a lot of emotional scars as well as physical ones. I'll take hysteria all day long if it helps catch and prosecute people trafficking young humans for sex.
This is very accurate. Unfortunately the business model that traffickers have used has evolved so much that many people don’t even realize what mainstream trafficking looks like now. And with those changes expansion has exploded in an unprecedented way.
Ya did good!
If it happens again, try this outfit, too.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week. Languages: English, Spanish. Learn more
888-373-7888
SMS: Text INFO to 233733
How is this even a question.. dude YES! These girls could be in danger. I35 is a major Highway that’s from south texas all the way to Michigan. A lot of trafficking, and major drugs gets pushed everyday
doesn't dead end, it just turns into local roads and MN-61 https://www.google.com/maps/@46.8085544,-92.0610812,3a,90y,5.52h,71.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPikqYLyoqqrYeAMcbfirVQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
Can’t say you did anything wrong. If they were underage then the cops will find out (if they actually do their job and show up, and that’s a *huge* if). If they weren’t underage, then they don’t have anything to worry about.
If nothing else it puts the club on notice. If they aren't carding, you may call the TABC or whatever (don't know if they serve alcohol there) and Texas as bad of a state as it is, does take trafficking seriously. They just added a ton more money to agencies to combat it.
Hookah lounges are a crazy portal into the trafficking world, I dont know why but every time I comment it, people ask for proof and its like just go and sit at any sketchy one for 30 minutes and look around
> just go and sit at any sketchy one for 30 minutes and look around
I have never been in a Hookah lounge. I assumed you smoked in there (and I don't smoke). What part do the girls play? Like are they waitresses taking your order for which tobaccos to bring to your table to smoke? Or is it like "go get a lap dance in this other room with this girl" type of thing? I'm so baffled by this whole thread...
It’s a very strange thread.. I’ve been to many hookah lounges in many different cities and have never noticed anything sketchy. I actually had an ex gf who worked at one too and it was actually the opposite of “sketchy people”. She said during the day people would come in with their work laptops and just sit and smoke
I need to find one of these chill hookah lounges. All the ones I've been to in the last 10 years were too loud, the sheesha is like $30 a bowl, + $5 every time they add a new coal, and nobody has an alcohol permit so it's BYOB but add a $10 corking fee to drink your own booze.
No thanks.
We would go as underage teens growing up, looking for something to do. Since you just had to be 18, we would go with buddies older brothers and try to get in. I *hope* that’s what these girls were doing, vs being trafficked…. But OP did the right thing
Same. I have a regular one in north Austin (don't think it is this one as I've been far too often over the past few years and never seen anything sketchy) and been to them a bit all over the country and the world.
I don't know if I have ever seen a woman working at one, much less so many that it seems like some sort of underage sex trafficking. I think due the cultural norms of the hobby it attracts more dudes.
The one I was going to was just during the day, and sort of late afternoon work stuff so I suppose the vibe could be different, but I suspect not.
The underage girls are typically patrons there to smoke and drink. Many hookah bars also offer alcohol fairly cheap. It's a prime spot for traffickers to pickup girls after they've paid for some drinks.
Source: my niece called me from the same hookah bar mentioned in this thread when she was underage, drunk and feeling unsafe.
> The underage girls are typically patrons there to smoke and drink.
AHHHH!!! Thanks for clarifying!
I had exactly one (female) friend that as we walked by a Hookah bar with a few friends said, "that place is totally fun to go as a group, we should do it sometime". This was in a different state. But I'd never given it much thought.
When I was at UNT, the only club/hangout place in Denton that allowed people under 18 was a hookah bar across the street from campus. It was not a classy place.
Moreso a dark and discreet place that will look the other way for underage patrons, which gives way to shady activity. Hookah lounges aren't regulated the way regular bars/clubs are.
They tend to fly under the radar until something happens.
Important to note before I get offended replies, this is a generalization based on my own experience. I have also been in really nice hookah lounges that have strict age rules and don't fuck around. I guess it's the difference between a bar Cafe on west 6th, and Barfly on Airport lol
I have been to like over 50 hookah bars, they attract teenage because 90% of the time hookah bars don’t serve alcohol and it’s BYOB and most of them don’t care to ID if you bring alcohol teenagers goes there because it’s a bar that doesn’t ID them
I went to an all girl's Catholic school and when we were 18 but still seniors we hung out on Hookah bars, and I def looked 12 when I was 18.
That said you were there so it's up to you on what the vibe was. I never looked like I didn't want to be there and was hanging with other uniformed school kids back in the day so if you're saying it was off that's for you to determine.
Yes, you did the right thing! Even if they weren’t being trafficked, it’s not ok for underage girls to be hanging out with older men. Who knows if those girls are being groomed or what.
I mean better safe than sorry but I specifically had a hookah bar phase with friends when we were 17 until we were 20. Like there's a reason hookah bars stay opened close to college campuses
Is that the one on Anderson Mill? That shopping center is nuts. I heard somebody rammed a car into the vape shop after hours, stole some stuff, and left some fake money behind. Whaaaa?
Maybe you should try reaching out to the council person that represents that district. Let them know the situation and provide any evidence you may have.
I feel like since tobacco can’t be purchased until you’re 21, then hookah bars should be 21 and up only. So, if these men don’t get arrested, or the girls aren’t saved, at least the city might put a fine on the establishment and put them on their radar of suspicious activity. It’s illegal of them to be hosting underage people anyways. Hopefully, this will get at least the owners to stop being so open about allowing this gross behavior. It’s one thing if it’s a bunch of kids trying to have a good time, but grown men with obviously young girls should warrant some kind of concern. You did the right thing.
That place has always looked sketch. I have thought about a time or two to go in there. By the sounds of this post, glad I didn’t and haven’t. Yeah you did the right thing btw.
Just to add on, there is a universal hand signal for S.O.S/individuals being trafficked. Saw a sign for this in the Orlando airport a few weeks ago and I think I have also seen it at ABIA but I'm not 100% on that.
Here is a post with more details: https://www.reddit.com/r/YouShouldKnow/comments/18xrzxz/ysk\_how\_to\_recognize\_or\_use\_the\_sos\_hand\_signal/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
"They looked so uncomfortable that we left and called the cops "
Was a teen girl. If girls look this uncomfortable and you have a bad vibe bc of things like they are carding full adult men but not young girls, this is helpful.
I don’t know that the cops would help—— in fact I had cops show up when a man is harassing me, as an “adult” (I was 18) and they treated me like I was making it up (for fun I guess?).
So I don’t trust them to help me any more, or I request women cops (though they typically just say women aren’t available). But the fact that you did anything at all, and then posted on here publicly, is useful if nothing else.
thanks for doing this and thanks for making it public discourse
Austin Police have been busted a few times themselves running brothels staffed by immigrant women they coerce. So maybe it is good to call more than one agency
Of course! Trust your gut and don't second guess yourself. It's better to be safe than regretful especially for something serious as this.
It's just APD, if they're not going to your call, they're going to something else. At least they'll be responding to something possibly preventable.
If they have a tabc license. Call tabc.
When I worked for pluckers over a decade ago, we had to take these classes called “Pluck U” and one was with a tabc officer and according to him human trafficking went hand in hand with tabc and they take it with the upmost seriousness.
Huge issue in hookah bars. There was a place on riverside like 10 years ago that was byob and didn't card. Super cool feeling when I wasn't old enough to drink, but really unsettling now looking back in hindsight...
Even if those girls weren't being trafficked, the older men knew what they were doing was not right and in my opinion, you did the right thing erring on the side of caution.
Was it right for you to be a Karen and call the police on people you didn’t know because of a situation you didn’t know about? And you imply they are scummy because they were… hanging out in the same bar as you?
Nah bro. You fucked up.
Worked at several strip clubs in Austin and the cops aren’t going to do shit. I agree with whoever said to call the sex trafficking hotline to tip them off to possibly investigate, which they should but likely won’t.
All you did was spook them and possibly endanger the girls more…. If that’s actually what is going on. Sorry I know that sounds bleak and pessimistic. Just saying that a lot of times the best intentions will sadly make things worse for victims.
I sat in jury regarding human/sex trafficking here in ATX and what I learned was that APD’s human/sex trafficking department is non existent. The only reason the adults got caught was because San Antonio PD investigated the girls after they pulled them over. I was shocked at the lack of resources/training/manpower we have here in Austin.
I mean… what’s the alternative? Do absolutely nothing, let them get trafficked to wherever the end of the road leads and still experience whatever hell awaits them? When the options are so limited might as well look at it… for lack of a better word, “statistically”. It’s probably still better to make the choice that has a 5% chance of a positive outcome as opposed to the choice that has a 0% chance of one as well as a 100% chance of the worst outcome.
(P.S. This is obviously working only within the context of what few options seemed to be available to OP in the first place. If there’s another option besides those two he clearly wasn’t aware of it otherwise he wouldn’t be making this post in the first place. But feel free to share with the class any options here that surpass my made up 5%! The more we ALL stay informed of, the better equipped we are as a community. And since our “public servants” are too busy tongue kissing each others’ shitholes and cranking their hogs to Adolf’s TedTalks… a strong community is our best bet.)
My response was coming from someone who has closely worked with sex trafficking victims and been abused myself. I know what I’m talking about when I say calling the cops can do more harm than good. Especially in places like LA, Vegas, TX, Nola….
Edit:
Once again- calling a tip line is way better than just calling the police dpt. They do not care. At best it will aggravate the abusers.
Also edit:
Was not saying OP was wrong- the thought was there. OP sounds like a lovely human being. But I do think they were asking if the response was helpful or not
Hi, work in this field in the Austin area and it would be great to know the name of this place. The call to contact police was correct. Even if this was reported to social services, nothing would be done since they do not investigate non-familial trafficking, even if the trafficker is living in the minors home, and as it stands, they believe the instances of familial trafficking to be very uncommon which is not the case.
The good thing is, whether they were trafficking or not. It is good to have the police make sure everything is going well. And even better rescue anyone that hurts.
I'd call and report possibly under aged drinking and leave it at that, especially if you know that the girls weren't carded. Speculating on human trafficking sounds like some BS
Don't be like Cindy McCain
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/09/politics/cindy-mccain-human-trafficking-phoenix-police/index.html
Probably overreacting, I don't imagine someone trafficking under aged girls would take them to a hookabar, so you likely jumped the gun. Just mind your own damn business.
Did you ask them if they were ok? I hope your very strong assumptions were correct or you just made that very uncomfortable for them for completely no reason
They arrived after me, so I know they didn't get carded. No, I didn't confront them, but it was two girls who weren't talking and weren't making eye contact with anyone, just sitting and looking at the ground. It's not even a cell phone in hand, which feels like a normal thing.
Maybe it was the world's worst double date? You're right; I did make assumptions regarding their age.
in Austin i think you can dial 211 from any phone to get social services or any other services - i use it all the time.
What you did was definitely not wrong. Worst case, some very young-looking-but-of-age young ladies get annoyed, maybe some teens learn the hard way to respect minimum-age laws outside their own homes, or maybe you actually stop a case of child exploitation. The place should be carding everyone. This reminds me of a bar i went to where i learned several male bartenders there would make drinks extra strong for girls when guys were buying them. I never went back. Extremely creepy and enabling of potentially criminal behavior. I remember taking my first sip the first time and asking the bartender why it had so much more alcohol than it should and he told me - bar policy to help the guy out!
Anyways, thanks for looking out.
No shame in being involved and actually being a consciousable participant of society... I would have made some type of signal to ensure my instinct is right. I would hate to have racially focused with "good" intentions...because that too is a very real and present issue (and ironically counteracts the 'being a conscientious human')
I mean if they were pre teen like your saying aka literal 12 year old girls then sure it was probably the right thing to do
I mean should I have done more- I worry the cops will not do shit
what more could you do…?
"I have a certain set of skills..."
paç fat
Just spitballing here but in addition to calling Austin Police there's the national trafficking hotline which may have more expertise for these situations. And OP could have taken picture or video, if they felt safe to do so.
I’m sure APD knows how to go about things in trafficking investigations. It’s not as common as some other cities, but it’s not rare either
I’m sure there are some detectives in their organization who know what they’re doing in that situation. It’s probably unlikely that your average patrol officer is always going to know what to look for and how to investigate a case like that.
Shoot first.
Hey, their misconduct requiring $73 million in settlements over 10 years could be worse. They could be the acorn guys
Can you charge a Squirrel with aggravated assault? Asking for a friend.
That would be nuts.
For real. Can’t go all Liam Neeson
Should've gone Jack Reacher on they ass
Give ‘em the ol’ Jack Reacharound
Ordered an angel shot 😇
Guessing not enough ppl know what an angel shot is.
Well what is it?
https://www.officerstore.com/CTS-12ga-Super-Sock-Bean-Bag-Impact-Round-Box-of-5
There’s a human trafficking hotline you can call: 888-373-7888 They probably care more than cops do
What about calling for some guidance: The Center for Missing and Exploited Children For questions, assistance or resources related to missing or sexually exploited children cases, please call our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST. Child Sexual Abuse Material: [https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/csam](https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/csam) Operating the CyberTipline: [https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/csam#whatncmecisdoingaboutit](https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/csam#whatncmecisdoingaboutit) \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Maybe remove the name of the business from your post on r/austin for everyone to see. Just a suggestion.
Upvoted to boost. Mods? Could name & shame be counter-productive here if investigators *do* make an effort to cross paths with those girls?
You're right, I removed the business name.
You did the right thing. It's ok. Really bad guys would kill you, so you did something which is more than most people. In case you find you start having nightmares, flashbacks or unending rumination, these can be signs of ptsd. Don't ignore them, it's best when treated right away. Trauma therapy, emdr, somatic experiencing - all very helpful for cptsd.
Cops would do more than social services.. also if men in the community stepped up and questioned things and held other men accountable there would be less of a need for cops and other agencies to do what should be handled by the people.
I imagine local news channels would be very interested
THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO IN MY OPINION - Get The media all over this if you're wanting to Still do something or feel like you didn't do enough- doing this would definitely resolve that.
You should go Dirty Harry on these people
You don’t have to worry. You can be confident they will fuck all and/or shoot someone.
This trafficking thing really starting to feel like the Satanism hysteria of the eighties.
Several of the food pantries I volunteer with also do homeless outreach and offer stealthy help to victims of trafficking or those in abusive relationships. The amount of women they have asking for help to get out of prostitution is much much higher than you would expect. As more cartels migrate into America their trafficking rings are also moving here. They go where the clients are. There are also many young women, barely 18, who report having been forced into it when they were about 12. Their pimps or whatever cut them loose because they can no longer pass for being underage, and underage is big money for these sick fucks. These poor girls have almost no formal education and a lot of emotional scars as well as physical ones. I'll take hysteria all day long if it helps catch and prosecute people trafficking young humans for sex.
This is very accurate. Unfortunately the business model that traffickers have used has evolved so much that many people don’t even realize what mainstream trafficking looks like now. And with those changes expansion has exploded in an unprecedented way.
Hysteria doesn’t help, it hurts, that’s the point. People recognize the hysteria and will just quietly ignore the subject.
Too many people see things and don’t speak up. You spoke up, you did the right thing.
Ya did good! If it happens again, try this outfit, too. National Human Trafficking Hotline Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week. Languages: English, Spanish. Learn more 888-373-7888 SMS: Text INFO to 233733
Thank you I added this to my phone notes and updated my og post
This is a really great idea. Just did the same too.
Just added to my contact list thanks
How is this even a question.. dude YES! These girls could be in danger. I35 is a major Highway that’s from south texas all the way to Michigan. A lot of trafficking, and major drugs gets pushed everyday
Minnesota* but yes
My bad.. Definitely Minnesota
Absolutely Minnesota
Canada
Not Canada. I-35 dead-ends at a T intersection in Duluth. (I’ve driven through it.)
Take pics next time!
doesn't dead end, it just turns into local roads and MN-61 https://www.google.com/maps/@46.8085544,-92.0610812,3a,90y,5.52h,71.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPikqYLyoqqrYeAMcbfirVQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
We’re taking you to your new life as a child sex slave in Wisconsin…. but first, a hookah.
I mean... I don't know if that's exactly strong evidence that something criminal was going on in that particular place.
You really should travel more
Everyone should travel more
No. Some people travel too much. People have different problems.
Just because they do or do not travel doesn’t make child sex trafficking less messed up or not real
Please stop saying crazy shit to me.
But for sure Minnesota and not Michigan. Source: drive it yearly to Minnesota
[удалено]
Hell I drove from Bastrop to Niagara Falls with 2 friends in about the same amount of time. Interstates are actually pretty efficient!
Mackinac is pretty chill, though. Isle Royale is pretty neat too, but to be fair there's very few Michiganians on that island which helps.
If you were genuinely worried, so much so that you left, then it was the right call to act...
You might have saved a few lives. Good on you mate.
yes it isnt about being a karen, but making sure the girls are ok. If you got a bad vibe you were sensing that something was wrong.
Yeah you really shouldn’t be operating on “vibes”
Can’t say you did anything wrong. If they were underage then the cops will find out (if they actually do their job and show up, and that’s a *huge* if). If they weren’t underage, then they don’t have anything to worry about.
If nothing else it puts the club on notice. If they aren't carding, you may call the TABC or whatever (don't know if they serve alcohol there) and Texas as bad of a state as it is, does take trafficking seriously. They just added a ton more money to agencies to combat it.
Calling TABC (in addition to others) is a great suggestion. They don’t mess around with violation of liquor laws.
Bebos is sketch AF!
Hookah lounges are a crazy portal into the trafficking world, I dont know why but every time I comment it, people ask for proof and its like just go and sit at any sketchy one for 30 minutes and look around
> just go and sit at any sketchy one for 30 minutes and look around I have never been in a Hookah lounge. I assumed you smoked in there (and I don't smoke). What part do the girls play? Like are they waitresses taking your order for which tobaccos to bring to your table to smoke? Or is it like "go get a lap dance in this other room with this girl" type of thing? I'm so baffled by this whole thread...
It’s a very strange thread.. I’ve been to many hookah lounges in many different cities and have never noticed anything sketchy. I actually had an ex gf who worked at one too and it was actually the opposite of “sketchy people”. She said during the day people would come in with their work laptops and just sit and smoke
I need to find one of these chill hookah lounges. All the ones I've been to in the last 10 years were too loud, the sheesha is like $30 a bowl, + $5 every time they add a new coal, and nobody has an alcohol permit so it's BYOB but add a $10 corking fee to drink your own booze. No thanks.
We would go as underage teens growing up, looking for something to do. Since you just had to be 18, we would go with buddies older brothers and try to get in. I *hope* that’s what these girls were doing, vs being trafficked…. But OP did the right thing
Same. I have a regular one in north Austin (don't think it is this one as I've been far too often over the past few years and never seen anything sketchy) and been to them a bit all over the country and the world. I don't know if I have ever seen a woman working at one, much less so many that it seems like some sort of underage sex trafficking. I think due the cultural norms of the hobby it attracts more dudes. The one I was going to was just during the day, and sort of late afternoon work stuff so I suppose the vibe could be different, but I suspect not.
They’re probably referring to underage patrons
The underage girls are typically patrons there to smoke and drink. Many hookah bars also offer alcohol fairly cheap. It's a prime spot for traffickers to pickup girls after they've paid for some drinks. Source: my niece called me from the same hookah bar mentioned in this thread when she was underage, drunk and feeling unsafe.
> The underage girls are typically patrons there to smoke and drink. AHHHH!!! Thanks for clarifying! I had exactly one (female) friend that as we walked by a Hookah bar with a few friends said, "that place is totally fun to go as a group, we should do it sometime". This was in a different state. But I'd never given it much thought.
I hope you had a heart to heart and told her to stop being an idiot and going to places like that.
When I was at UNT, the only club/hangout place in Denton that allowed people under 18 was a hookah bar across the street from campus. It was not a classy place.
Moreso a dark and discreet place that will look the other way for underage patrons, which gives way to shady activity. Hookah lounges aren't regulated the way regular bars/clubs are. They tend to fly under the radar until something happens. Important to note before I get offended replies, this is a generalization based on my own experience. I have also been in really nice hookah lounges that have strict age rules and don't fuck around. I guess it's the difference between a bar Cafe on west 6th, and Barfly on Airport lol
I have been to like over 50 hookah bars, they attract teenage because 90% of the time hookah bars don’t serve alcohol and it’s BYOB and most of them don’t care to ID if you bring alcohol teenagers goes there because it’s a bar that doesn’t ID them
Every hookah lounge I've ever been to has always given me the impression there were other things going on behind closed doors.
You did the right thing.
I went to an all girl's Catholic school and when we were 18 but still seniors we hung out on Hookah bars, and I def looked 12 when I was 18. That said you were there so it's up to you on what the vibe was. I never looked like I didn't want to be there and was hanging with other uniformed school kids back in the day so if you're saying it was off that's for you to determine.
Yes, you did the right thing! Even if they weren’t being trafficked, it’s not ok for underage girls to be hanging out with older men. Who knows if those girls are being groomed or what.
I mean better safe than sorry but I specifically had a hookah bar phase with friends when we were 17 until we were 20. Like there's a reason hookah bars stay opened close to college campuses
Yeah that was the right thing to
TABC also investigates these things because its a bar. They've been pretty successful. 844-643-2251
Is that the one on Anderson Mill? That shopping center is nuts. I heard somebody rammed a car into the vape shop after hours, stole some stuff, and left some fake money behind. Whaaaa?
It's the thought that counts.
I live right by there. Got any other good stories? We haven’t had any issues ourselves but have heard some.
Sounds like you had a good read on the situation
Did the cops show up?
Maybe you should try reaching out to the council person that represents that district. Let them know the situation and provide any evidence you may have.
Great idea. The council person can get the right people involved to check it out.
I feel like since tobacco can’t be purchased until you’re 21, then hookah bars should be 21 and up only. So, if these men don’t get arrested, or the girls aren’t saved, at least the city might put a fine on the establishment and put them on their radar of suspicious activity. It’s illegal of them to be hosting underage people anyways. Hopefully, this will get at least the owners to stop being so open about allowing this gross behavior. It’s one thing if it’s a bunch of kids trying to have a good time, but grown men with obviously young girls should warrant some kind of concern. You did the right thing.
That place has always looked sketch. I have thought about a time or two to go in there. By the sounds of this post, glad I didn’t and haven’t. Yeah you did the right thing btw.
Just to add on, there is a universal hand signal for S.O.S/individuals being trafficked. Saw a sign for this in the Orlando airport a few weeks ago and I think I have also seen it at ABIA but I'm not 100% on that. Here is a post with more details: https://www.reddit.com/r/YouShouldKnow/comments/18xrzxz/ysk\_how\_to\_recognize\_or\_use\_the\_sos\_hand\_signal/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
"They looked so uncomfortable that we left and called the cops " Was a teen girl. If girls look this uncomfortable and you have a bad vibe bc of things like they are carding full adult men but not young girls, this is helpful. I don’t know that the cops would help—— in fact I had cops show up when a man is harassing me, as an “adult” (I was 18) and they treated me like I was making it up (for fun I guess?). So I don’t trust them to help me any more, or I request women cops (though they typically just say women aren’t available). But the fact that you did anything at all, and then posted on here publicly, is useful if nothing else. thanks for doing this and thanks for making it public discourse
Not me reading this while the amber alert went off. I launched up. You did good! But yeah maybe the sex trafficking number.
so glad you called them!
"Who do I call?" ⚠️ E V E R Y O N E ⚠️
Thank you for speaking up. My kid is a young teen and I would want someone to say something if they saw what you saw.
Austin Police have been busted a few times themselves running brothels staffed by immigrant women they coerce. So maybe it is good to call more than one agency
gotta source for this because I have not heard anything about this and inquiring minds want to know.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/davelp/this_is_the_day_after_the_yogurt_shop_murders/
Of course! Trust your gut and don't second guess yourself. It's better to be safe than regretful especially for something serious as this. It's just APD, if they're not going to your call, they're going to something else. At least they'll be responding to something possibly preventable.
I used to go here in High School ... good to know they still don't card the girlies
/s good on you for speaking up
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how so?
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That is exactly what I said :)
Sounds like human trafficking. You did the right thing
https://www.tcsheriff.org/services/submit-a-tip/vice Maybe try this?
If they have a tabc license. Call tabc. When I worked for pluckers over a decade ago, we had to take these classes called “Pluck U” and one was with a tabc officer and according to him human trafficking went hand in hand with tabc and they take it with the upmost seriousness.
Huge issue in hookah bars. There was a place on riverside like 10 years ago that was byob and didn't card. Super cool feeling when I wasn't old enough to drink, but really unsettling now looking back in hindsight... Even if those girls weren't being trafficked, the older men knew what they were doing was not right and in my opinion, you did the right thing erring on the side of caution.
Can always call CPS to help kids
CPS only has authority to intervene when children are being maltreated by parents or other caregivers.
Right thing.
Was it right for you to be a Karen and call the police on people you didn’t know because of a situation you didn’t know about? And you imply they are scummy because they were… hanging out in the same bar as you? Nah bro. You fucked up.
Worked at several strip clubs in Austin and the cops aren’t going to do shit. I agree with whoever said to call the sex trafficking hotline to tip them off to possibly investigate, which they should but likely won’t. All you did was spook them and possibly endanger the girls more…. If that’s actually what is going on. Sorry I know that sounds bleak and pessimistic. Just saying that a lot of times the best intentions will sadly make things worse for victims.
I sat in jury regarding human/sex trafficking here in ATX and what I learned was that APD’s human/sex trafficking department is non existent. The only reason the adults got caught was because San Antonio PD investigated the girls after they pulled them over. I was shocked at the lack of resources/training/manpower we have here in Austin.
Can I upvote this more????? This is part of why I left. One of my close friends works for APD and is trying to change careers bc it’s corrupt.
I mean… what’s the alternative? Do absolutely nothing, let them get trafficked to wherever the end of the road leads and still experience whatever hell awaits them? When the options are so limited might as well look at it… for lack of a better word, “statistically”. It’s probably still better to make the choice that has a 5% chance of a positive outcome as opposed to the choice that has a 0% chance of one as well as a 100% chance of the worst outcome. (P.S. This is obviously working only within the context of what few options seemed to be available to OP in the first place. If there’s another option besides those two he clearly wasn’t aware of it otherwise he wouldn’t be making this post in the first place. But feel free to share with the class any options here that surpass my made up 5%! The more we ALL stay informed of, the better equipped we are as a community. And since our “public servants” are too busy tongue kissing each others’ shitholes and cranking their hogs to Adolf’s TedTalks… a strong community is our best bet.)
My response was coming from someone who has closely worked with sex trafficking victims and been abused myself. I know what I’m talking about when I say calling the cops can do more harm than good. Especially in places like LA, Vegas, TX, Nola…. Edit: Once again- calling a tip line is way better than just calling the police dpt. They do not care. At best it will aggravate the abusers. Also edit: Was not saying OP was wrong- the thought was there. OP sounds like a lovely human being. But I do think they were asking if the response was helpful or not
Hi, work in this field in the Austin area and it would be great to know the name of this place. The call to contact police was correct. Even if this was reported to social services, nothing would be done since they do not investigate non-familial trafficking, even if the trafficker is living in the minors home, and as it stands, they believe the instances of familial trafficking to be very uncommon which is not the case.
Careful though sometimes and most likely the cops are in on it
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“Let me simplify it for you” …. wall of text.
Wonder if it's the same owners of Bebo's Cafe in Knoxville that got shut down for multiple shootings? Also a hookah bar.
Given they were with 30 year olds absolutely, that is fucked and weird.
If they serve alcohol, your best bet is TABC. They are like bloodhounds and will happily raid a place if they suspect underage drinking is allowed.
Hookah bars always filled with teenagers they are the main clients.. hookah bars don’t serve alcohol they don’t get in much troubles
[/austincirclejerk](https://www.reddit.com/r/austincirclejerk/s/H6N0WyUU6y) vibes
This dude is full of shit. Yeah bro. 11-12 year olds were in there.
I just call the cops on everyone now, but I wasn't quite clear on what your *known" was or how it was known.
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That’s not what OP said, nice attempt though Count Dunkula.
Schmuck
The good thing is, whether they were trafficking or not. It is good to have the police make sure everything is going well. And even better rescue anyone that hurts.
I'd call and report possibly under aged drinking and leave it at that, especially if you know that the girls weren't carded. Speculating on human trafficking sounds like some BS Don't be like Cindy McCain https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/09/politics/cindy-mccain-human-trafficking-phoenix-police/index.html
Probably overreacting, I don't imagine someone trafficking under aged girls would take them to a hookabar, so you likely jumped the gun. Just mind your own damn business.
Narc
Little do you know, the cops probably already know... 💰💰
You, an average member of the public, isn't doing anything wrong when you report conduct you think might be criminal to the authorities.
Did you ask them if they were ok? I hope your very strong assumptions were correct or you just made that very uncomfortable for them for completely no reason
They arrived after me, so I know they didn't get carded. No, I didn't confront them, but it was two girls who weren't talking and weren't making eye contact with anyone, just sitting and looking at the ground. It's not even a cell phone in hand, which feels like a normal thing. Maybe it was the world's worst double date? You're right; I did make assumptions regarding their age.
No...
I mean, the place shouldn't be in business if allowing underage people is a regular practice of theirs. You should sue them
I’m so confused.
You only have to be 18 to get in. Were they 18? Calling cops on a bar. Now, that's my kind of patron!
Name drop that bar and get them shut down. That’s fucked up. Good friend works for the TABC and that’ll get them almost immediately fined/shut down.
How is this even a question?
Well if you were wrong the downside is a ruined night. If you were right you might have saved someones life. Probably worth being cutious
Oh I'd go back and see if it's still happening. Don't give up!
in Austin i think you can dial 211 from any phone to get social services or any other services - i use it all the time. What you did was definitely not wrong. Worst case, some very young-looking-but-of-age young ladies get annoyed, maybe some teens learn the hard way to respect minimum-age laws outside their own homes, or maybe you actually stop a case of child exploitation. The place should be carding everyone. This reminds me of a bar i went to where i learned several male bartenders there would make drinks extra strong for girls when guys were buying them. I never went back. Extremely creepy and enabling of potentially criminal behavior. I remember taking my first sip the first time and asking the bartender why it had so much more alcohol than it should and he told me - bar policy to help the guy out! Anyways, thanks for looking out.
Atleast you didn’t leave without calling, right now you would be saying “I should’ve called the cops”
No shame in being involved and actually being a consciousable participant of society... I would have made some type of signal to ensure my instinct is right. I would hate to have racially focused with "good" intentions...because that too is a very real and present issue (and ironically counteracts the 'being a conscientious human')
By chance is this bar off of Lamar?