Jim and Craig call trafficking victims liars

August 9, 2010

2–3 minutes

Craig Newmark, craigslist, human trafficking, Jim Buckmaster

Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster has finally blogged his official response to the ads that were taken out in the San Francisco Chronicle and Washington Post by the Rebecca Project about human trafficking victims MC and AK. What he wrote just astounds me and not in a good way…

To AK and MC:

We saw your recent half-page newspaper advertisements in the Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle. Hearing your accounts of being victimized by criminals who you mention also misused our site, we are anxious to know that the perpetrators are behind bars. Would you or the advocacy groups who placed the ads please let us know where the police reports were filed? We have been unable thus far to identify police reports matching the crimes you describe. If craigslist was misused, we want to learn more so we can improve our preventative measures. If anyone committing such crimes has not yet been apprehended and prosecuted, we want to do everything in our power to assist the police in making that happen. You can send the information to legal@craigslist.org. We work with law enforcement to bring to justice any criminals foolish enough to incriminate themselves by misusing our site, and want to make sure everything possible has been done in your cases.

What he’s basically saying is ‘We don’t believe you. Where’s the proof?” He’s also basically asking MC and AK to reveal their identities. Could he be any more of a child? He might as well just made a blog post that said “nuh-uh”. He also blathers on about craigslist’s commitment to stop human trafficking except shutting down adult services and casual encounters which would do the most good.

Craig Newmark, ever the flunky, made a blog post entitled craigslist needs help to get evidence re human trafficking. Proof? Really you need proof? Are you two really that brazen or just blind?

Craig closes his blog post by saying “Don’t be one of those who makes allegations without backing them up with substance — be a part of the solution.” Again basically calling MC and AK liars. Not the classiest tactic from two people who are supposed to be so socially conscious.

If you’re not outraged by the actions of Buckmaster and Newmark then you have no soul, just like them.

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10 responses to “Jim and Craig call trafficking victims liars”

Soobs

August 9, 2010 at 6:17 pm

I wish someone would traffic Jim.

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Dlemay69

August 9, 2010 at 7:44 pm

So, all it takes is anyone to use 2 initials and make a claim, and it’s taken as fact? Shouldn’t they _have_ to back it up with some proof? I am very much against any sort of human trafficking, but seriously, it shouldn’t be gospel that 2 people just shout out a random claim, and everyone says “it must be true!” I’m not saying things like this haven’t happened before, but listen to both sides before jumping to conclusions.

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Trench Reynolds

August 10, 2010 at 4:15 am

I don’t know what I find more reprehensible. The fact that Buckmaster and Newmark are calling these girls liars or the fact that a bunch of nobodies are sticking up for them. At least Jim and Craig get to split that $30M in sex ad money. What’s in it for you?

For the sake of your pathetic arguments let’s say that the girls are lying. What would they have to gain from it. Even if they are lying that doesn’t mean that human trafficking isn’t taking place on craigslist in the so called land of the free.

Have you talked with any victims of human trafficking? I have. They all tell some very chilling stories and all the stories I’ve heard have a common theme, craigslist.

https://realcrime.net/?s=trafficking+sentenced

That’s just a sampling of people who have been convicted and sentenced for trafficking on craigslist. And for the people who are caught there are probably a hundred more who haven’t been caught.

And yes I am one sided and have an agenda. I’ll be the first person to admit it. I’m not a journalist. I’m just a guy with a website and an opinion and my agenda is to try and get craigslist to stop the human trafficking and child exploitation that is taking place on their site because it’s simply the right thing to do.

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Twonkey

August 10, 2010 at 2:06 am

Yeah, these guys are world-class a-holes for asking for proof instead of copping to anonymous claims made by two people who may not even exist as far as they know, right folks? I mean, it’s not like anyone has ever made a false claim in the history of mankind, is it? Nah, of course not. Everyone is on the level all the time, always, and so these guys should have just owned these accusations in spite of not knowing whether or not they’re even being made by real people, much less whether or not they’re true.Look at yourself. You’re clearly not just sharing a one-sided view of this story in order to push an agenda. You’re being fair and balanced, and giving everyone the unbiased facts to allow them to reach as informed a conclusion as is currently possible. Even the manner in which you closed this piece shows how virtuous you are. You didn’t close with a sentence that implies that yours is the only correct perception of events, and that folks ought to agree with you if they want to avoid being ridiculed as heartless demons. No, you closed the piece by admitting that you may not have all the answers, and welcomed everyone to engage in a reasonable exchange of thoughts and ideas. You’re clearly above reproach, and as a paragon of virtue, and as such, you stand as a prime example of why Craig and Jim should just have copped to these unsubstantiated claims, as well as why they look like evil scum for refusing to do so. Oh wait, that’s all a steaming load of BS. You’ve got a chip on your shoulder and an axe to grind, and you’re not above abandoning your scruples in order to pursue your agenda against craigslist. You’re so hard-up for fodder for your cannon that you have to reach really hard for it, hense your bastardization of a totally reasonable response by Craig and Jim as being indicative of a moral failing on their behalf. And of course you made sure to let everyone know that they’re either with you, or are just as bad as those two, which essentially shuts down discussion and keeps you from having to cop to the fact that you’re full of it. Whatever their crimes, you’re the last person in a position to criticize craigslist, or anyone else for that mattter. As someone who appreciates intellectual honesty, I’m appalled by these low-ball tactics. Maybe Craig and Jim really are devils, maybe not. All I know is that this site is so biased and one-sided that nobody is ever going to get an accurate picture of the two by reading this sort of Fox-News-caliber tripe.

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Twonkey

August 10, 2010 at 2:31 am

By the way, Trench, that post wasn’t in response to your crusade against craigslist. I couldn’t care less about that site. I guess I’d just like to think that if your goal is just, then it ought to be able to stand on its own two feet. Either craigslist is evil or its not. You shouldn’t have to play these self-serving mind-games with your readers.

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Anonymous

August 10, 2010 at 9:13 am

Doing the right thing isn’t usually the easy thing. Bravo.

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Sebbysmom2003

August 31, 2010 at 9:49 pm

My neice is a 22 year old mom who went missing in hauppage NY last to see her her boyfriend/pimp june 6th. She left a holiday inn express in hauppage NY at 1:30 am. Seems she isnt the last girl to go missing when last in his comapny “human trafficer”. She too had an ad as an escort on craigslist both in Maine (where she is from ) and in NY as he moved her around now we dont know where he has sold her. FB page is helpfindmeganwaterman! I just want to spread her story. God forbid craigslist should lose money and stop the facilitations of these ads on their site!

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SarahC

September 15, 2010 at 7:12 pm

To “Trench Reynolds”
I hope that’s your real name and not a laughable attempt at an alias.

Most prostitutes on craigslist are abused, most of them live bad lives, and most of them got themselves into the situation they are now in.

There are extreme cases on both sides of the spectrum in every argument.

A vast number of prostitutes on craigslist are self employed, most of them have prior drug addictions, and have made bad decisions to get them where they are. Sure some are trafficked, but the vast majority are not.

It’s not very hard to contact the police, leave your pimp, get a job, unless your being kept under lock and key. I’m sure there are some cases like this, but they are few and far between.

Get a grip on reality.

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1. Trench Reynolds
  
  September 17, 2010 at 2:42 am
  
  Is this your comment or a pathetic attempt at a troll?
  
  I used to be as ignorant as you thinking that prostitution was no big deal. That was until I got educated about what really goes on. Have you talked to any prostitutes that have been pimped out? I have. There are no resources for these women. If they go to the police they get arrested. If they try to leave they get killed or their family gets hurt. And if you believe that the majority of prostitutes that were on craigslist were not trafficked it is you that needs to get a grip on reality.
  
  Reply
Guest

July 27, 2011 at 3:17 am

UMMM, we are still talking about CHILD prostitutes here, do you not care about kidnapped teenage girls forced into prostitution?? That was the whole point of the Lyon story, and the point for the ads being shut down entirely. It’s nice to know that people out there don’t care that young girls are not believable when speaking out against, well, I don’t know, BEING ENSLAVED AS PROSTITUTES, IN THE USA, IN THE YEAR 2010. Sounds like a medieval prison to me, which is where some of your readers should be sent – they are basically condoning child prostitution and slavery/kidnapping, b/c “not enough of them are crying about it.” God helps us all if these are the humans we are stuck on earth with for the rest of our lives.

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