Experts worry QAnon conspiracies are overshadowing fight against child trafficking

SAN DIEGO _ Rallying in the center of Santee's busy shopping district on a recent Saturday, men, women and children waved signs condemning the sexual exploitation of children.

"Standing 4 children" read one, and "End human trafficking" another. They received honks of support as drivers passed by.

There were other signs, though, that raised fears among some child-victim advocates that their long-standing efforts to fight trafficking are being hijacked and radically politicized by backers of conspiracy theories.

The Santee rally included hand-lettered support for "WWG1 WGA," an abbreviated version of the slogan "Where we go one, we go all," adopted by those who ascribe to the belief system known as QAnon.

One man carried the message: "FBI FBI FBI. INVESTIGATE PIZZA-GATE," a nod to the debunked conspiracy theory that powerful Democrats were running a child sex trafficking ring out of a Washington pizza parlor.

And another: "#PIZZAGATE IS REAL. SAVE OUR CHILDREN."

Similar protests have played out on street corners across the country and other parts of the globe in recent weeks, including another one in downtown San Diego organized by a different group.

The rallies were in response to calls to action that have spread virally through social media hashtags such as #SaveTheChildren, #SaveOurChildren and #Wheresthechildren.

While the front-facing message of the hashtag campaign confronts the all-too-real horrors of children being sold for sex and pedophilia, many of the ideas it promotes are rooted in conspiracy theories at the center of QAnon.

Advocates for child victims have been working for years to expand public awareness surrounding sexual exploitation and trafficking, but the narrative that is being constructed around the latest viral movement has many of them worried.

Sensational depictions of random kidnappings, coupled with inflated and unreliable data, undercuts the efforts already underway and distorts public perceptions of the reality of trafficking, experts said.

"I am troubled by the misinformation that is blended with true concern," said Jamie Gates, a professor at Point Loma Nazarene University who co-authored a study examining the scope of sex trafficking in San Diego County.

One of QAnon's core tenets is the belief that President Donald Trump is fighting a military-backed holy war against a secretive ring of satanic elites who sexually exploit children, and sometimes eat them, while being protected by a "deep state" global bureaucracy.

Hollywood A-listers and Democrats are seen as the villains in the baseless conspiracy theory. The FBI in Phoenix last year characterized QAnon as a domestic terror threat after linking it with acts of violence.

The complex and sprawling ideology stems from the online postings of an anonymous figure, "Q," who claims to be a government insider with access to classified information. QAnon conspiracies have also branched into several other directions, from the faked death of John F. Kennedy Jr. to "deep state" coup plots.

Support for QAnon has broadened recently to include GOP candidates for Congress, and the president has further bolstered the group's profile by re-tweeting followers and positively acknowledging the cause.

Now the crusade against pedophilia has found a foothold with a wider audience, and the line between protesting the crime of child exploitation and advancing QAnon doctrine is blurry.

https://lmtribune.com/nation/experts-worry-qanon-conspiracies-are-overshadowing-fight-against-child-trafficking/article_a560405a-db5e-561b-93d4-ab6d9b209d81.html

Army Alaska soldier dies in Seattle hospital

A soldier assigned to Fort Wainwright, Alaska, died Sunday at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle from “natural causes,” according to Army Alaska officials.

Spc. Wyatt Xavier Moore, 21, died from an “illness," John Pennell, a spokesman for the command, wrote in an email. He added that “due to HIPPA restrictions, I cannot specify the illness.”

Pennell did say the soldier’s death was not related to alcohol or the novel coronavirus.

Moore served as an intelligence analyst with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

Moore joined the Army in June 2018 out of Brandon, Florida. He trained at Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Huachuca, Arizona; and Fort Benning, Georgia, before arriving to Alaska in May 2019.

Moore deployed to Iraq as part of the Operation Inherent Resolve mission targeting the Islamic State group from August 2019 to June 2020. His battalion commander praised him as a volunteer “who served both in and out of combat.”

“He was goal-oriented and a hard worker, a great intelligence analyst, and a dedicated friend. His kind character helped others through tough situations, and he was there for his friends when needed," Lt. Col. Matthew Chase said in a prepared statement. "He will be truly missed.”

Moore’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2020/09/15/army-alaska-soldier-dies-in-seattle-hospital/

Saginaw man charged with sexually assaulting 2 girls for years

SAGINAW, MI — A Saginaw man is facing numerous charges stemming from his alleged years-long sexual assaults of two minors.

In the same week in July, Carrollton Township Police officers and Saginaw County Sheriff’s deputies began investigating Thomas D. Berry, 42, on sexual misconduct allegations.

In the sheriff’s case, prosecutors allege Berry repeatedly sexually assaulted a now-15-year-old at various locations throughout Saginaw County between 2013 and 2016. They also allege he repeatedly sexually abused a now-10-year-old girl from 2013 through July of this year in Carrollton Township and in the city of Saginaw.

Prosecutors declined to say what led police to begin investigating, or how Berry had access to the two girls.

Police on July 31 executed a search warrant on Berry’s home. In doing so, they found more than 200 images of child pornography on Berry’s cellphone, prosecutors allege.

Authorities issued warrants for Berry on Aug. 31. The following day, Berry appeared in Saginaw County District Court for arraignment on five counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim 13 or younger, and single counts of indecent exposure, possession of child sexually abusive material and aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material.

As of Sept. 15, Berry is being held at the Saginaw County Jail on a $75,000 cash-surety bond. His next court date is pending.

https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2020/09/saginaw-man-charged-with-sexually-assaulting-2-girls-for-years.html

>>10658085

probably referring to this post