Mesa council issues proclamation marking January as human-trafficking awareness month

Councilmember Julie Spilsbury presented a proclamation recognizing January as human-trafficking awareness month to community partners and invited the public to upcoming events.

The proclamation, read and presented during the Mesa City Council meeting, called for collaboration among schools, churches, nonprofits, law enforcement, businesses and community coalitions to prevent trafficking and support victims. “Human trafficking is a global plague that impacts millions of people each year,” Councilmember Julie Spilsbury said.

Scott September of NotInOurCity.org told the council the group focuses on education and community awareness and thanked Mesa for renewing the proclamation. “Proclamations are very important because they're a public profession of who you are as a council and as a community,” September said, and urged residents to attend the group’s outreach events.

Pastor Brian Smith of Hope Church Movement described Not In Our City as a coalition of “law enforcement, city officials, frontline organizations, community groups, and churches” and invited attendees to the coalition’s larger event in September. The council and guests posed for a photograph after the presentation.

The proclamation was a ceremonial recognition; no ordinance, vote, or formal policy change was proposed or recorded during the presentation. The council did not take a formal vote on the proclamation during the portion of the meeting recorded in the transcript.