Viral Video Of Alleged Human Trafficking In Atlanta – Authorities Clarify It Wasn’t
There was a video that went viral on various social media platforms last week of alleged human trafficking in Atlanta. A man driving through the city spotted something odd with a Budget rental truck on the interstate. He saw people riding in the back of the rental truck, and he thought it could possibly be a human trafficking attempt.
It didn’t take long for the TikTok video to go viral. The TikTok user, @dwick_1, whose name is Langston Proper, shared a series of videos as he followed the Budget rental truck he believed could be involved in human trafficking in Atlanta. Proper also shared an update on his Facebook page to give some additional information on what he saw.
Proper alerted the authorities as he followed the truck from Atlanta to Gwinnett County. The Gwinnett County police managed to catch up to the truck on Interstate 85 Northbound and pulled them over near Lake Lanier.
While many reports were saying the incident was human trafficking, the Gwinnett County Police Department has addressed inquiries and confirmed that is not the case. After pulling the truck over, the police found two families, 8 people total, including 2 children. The people were not tied up or in distress as the video seemed to imply.
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the Gwinnett County Police Department said the individuals appeared healthy and willing spoke with officers. The people explained they were traveling from Alabama to Maryland for a job opportunity. In addition to the 8 people in the truck, many of their personal belongings were in there as well.
The driver of the truck did receive a citation for occupants riding without seatbelts. Officers were able to get the families to a business to arrange alternate transportation to their destination.
Again, Gwinnett County Police Department says there is currently no evidence of human trafficking related to the incident.
The Downside Of Social Media
Unfortunately, too often, videos like this will go viral on social media without clarification. In fact, one post with this video has over 7 million views on X. There were also other websites that shared the video without verifying the information.
Social media has many benefits, but disemenation of false information happens more often than you might think. Anyone can publish anything, and it’s up to the readers to determine its truth. False information can be harmful to those implicated in the post. But it can also put people in danger in various ways. It creates confusion and can even lead people to make decisions that aren’t the best.
Human Trafficking In Atlanta
In this alleged human trafficking in Atlanta story, it is important to highlight the man’s vigilance. He saw something that didn’t seem quite right and alerted the authorities. It’s something we should all be more aware of. Even if it turns out to be nothing, there is always a chance it could have been. Like the saying goes, “See something, say something.” It is better to be safe than sorry.
In this case, the story went viral before anyone verified the information. Perhaps that could have been prevented if the original poster had not said for sure that it was human trafficking. And while it’s a relief to know it wasn’t a human trafficking in Atlanta case, it’s important to know that it could have been.
Human trafficking doesn’t just happen in Atlanta, it happens everywhere. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, “More than 27 million people around the world endure the abhorrent abuse of human trafficking and forced labor, including thousands of people right here in the United States. It is a threat to global security, public safety, and human dignity.”
Also from the DEA website, “Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.” This could happen behind closed doors, or in plain view.
Victims can be any age, race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, or from any socioeconomic class. Traffickers will target vulnerabilities and satisfy needs of an individual to gain the victim’s trust. It can happen any where, at any time. Victims can be deceived and not recognize the danger until it’s too late.
Some victims may not seek help due to various reasons, including fear or distrust of authorities, language barriers, or not seeing themselves as a victim.
Check out the DEA website for a list of red flags for human trafficking situations. Know the signs, and again… if you see something, say something. But maybe don’t post about it on social media to lead to the spread of misinformation.
