SWHT Strength Beyond Survival: Renne Jones Journey from Trauma to Purpose

Renee Jones, a family and mental health therapist from Florida, shares her profound journey through personal trauma and her dedication to advocacy against human trafficking, domestic violence, and related issues. Her narrative details her experiences with abuse, trafficking, and substance addiction, highlighting the complexities victims face and the importance of education, support, and law enforcement training. Renee emphasizes her efforts in community counseling, reentry programs, and her authorship of books aimed at raising awareness and providing practical guidance for victims and their families. Her story underscores resilience, the necessity of understanding victim perspectives, and the vital role of comprehensive support systems in recovery and prevention. Her work aims to empower individuals, educate communities, and foster a deeper understanding of the realities faced by survivors, advocating for systemic change and personal healing.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:15

Welcome back to the secret world of human trafficking. I'm your host, David J. Story. I'm also the author of the Omega book series. Today, we have an inspiring guest, Renee Jones, a dedicated family therapist and advocate who has transformed her life through overcoming unimaginable challenges. From surviving human trafficking and domestic violence to become a community leader and author, Renee shares her journey of pain, perseverance, and purpose. Join us as we explore her story, her work in prevention and education, and her mission to help others find their way to healing and empowerment. This is a conversation you won't want to miss, an honest, heartfelt account of turning trauma into triumph and making a difference in the world. Welcome to the show, Renee.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Okay, first let me thank you, David, this for this wonderful opportunity. I really appreciate you all listening and joining in. So again, thank you. I am Renee Jones. I am a family therapist, mental health family therapist, and I love what I do. I'd rather work with kids than work with adults. I'm gonna tell you, I do. I'm also um an advocate as well for human trafficking and DV bullying. I um my facility in my business is in community counseling here in the state of Florida. I am also in the um Fifth Jurisdiction Circuit of Court, so them known there. I offer several programs. I offer batteries intervention for men and women for domestic violence, anger management. I offer um counseling skills, um groups, I offer parenting skills, everything that surrounds a family all in one. My program is a wraparound facility, meaning so you have someone that needs to come to outpatient. Then outpatient four days a week for two hours. Well, outpatient is on one side of the street, uh, domestic vines on the other side of the street, somebody else got to go over there for a drug screen. Then you gotta, so I have a setup now where I have several people on my team, and we are offering everything in one facility that we can offer. There will be no excuses. So I love what I do. I'm also a grandmother, and I love my grandchildren, and I'm working with them. My son told me I was working with them like they're clients. No, I'm just teaching them prevention skills, you know, giving them awareness points on what to do, what to look for, because this is a different day and time right here for our kids. And it's really serious. The area in Florida I live in is very high, high, high in human trafficking. And uh, we're getting a lot of uh pedophiles, and they don't mind. They would they'd go in at the task force and get them and bust them out, and they don't mind uh posting them on Facebook and different things. So I noticed that there's a lot, a lot of us. So one of my goals is to help educate the families and the children in the schools in order to know what to do and what not to do. Some of that stuff that back in the day is gone when they come up and say, Would you like to see my puppy? Would you like a piece of candy? They do it so slick and different now. So one thing that I do, I do work with the sheriff's department as well. And I also train, so I have a lot of different um trainings that I offer, which would be human trafficking awareness and prevention, domestic violence awareness and prevention. I offer mental health assistance. Um, all these are trainings, but right now I am working on one of the um best ones that it's called um crisis intervention with the sheriff's department. Crisis intervention for them to understand and know the victim. Know me what they do. They go in and they get, they they have one person on their mind, they're going to get, and they're going to get that pet fire, they're going to get that predator, they're going to get the man who who's beating the wife, or they're going to get the drug dealer. They've they have one person in mind that they already know who they're going to go in there, bust the door down, and attack. But what happened to the victims? Where we are, we're left there in a circle, crying, don't know what to do. Yeah, they give us a card, they say call the awareness department. We we have domestic violence shelters. Do we really do that? No, we don't. So my goal is to help them and educate the sheriff's department on what to look for. Here's some more information. Here's other things that I feel that the sheriff's departments in all states should be offering and have in their cars with them for victims. And a lot of times, yeah, they may take them to a safe place or take them to a safe house, they may take them to the hospital. And my story is gonna be a prime example of that later on when we get into it. But right now, I am working on educating the sheriff's department. Let's just say law enforcement, educating law enforcement on what the victim feels. What do we feel? What do we think? What do we see? How do we how we get taken care of? How do we get started? So I'm doing all of that as well.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

Yeah, it doesn't end for them when they drop them off at a a home or anything like that. Yeah, there's a lot, a lot to do after that. And there's all the emotional.

SPEAKER_00 6:01

Mm-hmm. Yeah. And the thing about that, we don't know what to do. No one already taught us what to do. You know, they don't give us the directions. People always say, including law enforcement, the teachers, yeah, the community, oh, let us know if you need help. We're here to help. But what does help look like? And for us, we so, and if I say us, please know you guys, I am talking about someone like me. I'm a survivor of human trafficking. So I am speaking, I'm part of that us. I'm a part of that me too. I'm a part of that team. And for me to be the one to speak out, if I don't do nothing but help one person, I've done something. So this is why I'm gonna make them know that it's an us thing. Um, so right now, what I'm doing, um I'm finished with school with a master's degree. I am now in the community, in the state, advocating, going door to door, working with mental health, working with human trafficking survivors, working with domestic advice, and also I'm latching into the court system and the law enforcement.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

Very good. Very good. Sounds like you uh you stay busy.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

I do, and I love it because it's something that I believe in. This is not a job. People are like, oh, but you go into work, or this is no, this is not a job. It wasn't a job when I was back there in the day getting beaten and being locked down. This is a career for me. This isn't my life, I'm talking about. This is not a fairy tale, it's not a story, it doesn't have different episodes. Well, I guess it do have different episodes, but it's my life. It's a true story. It's exactly what I saw and experienced in my own world. I can also tell people, you know what? I live two lives in one lifetime. I live the street life, and now I'm living the normal, supposed to be normal, educational, the way that the world and and want to see us interact and do things as people. So I had a chance to know what it's like to be out there in the streets and have a chance to know what it's like to wine and dine and with the best people on the earth sometimes. So yes.

SPEAKER_02 8:23

You you had a uh rough life growing up. Uh tell us about your family.

SPEAKER_00 8:30

I have 12 sisters. That's 12 of us. Um, and I and the 12 of us only went home from my mom, and then I also had stepsisters and brothers that was a part of the family, and and we they stayed close and lived with us as well. Um my mom, who just recently passed at 97, she passed in December 25, um, and my dad did a wonderful job trying to raise us the best that they can. All of us, the ones that's still alive, are in a some type of um profession. My baby sister is Dr. Lauren Ward, and she's um in Alabama. Then I have my sister who owns a security company, and I have my brother who owns three daycares in Texas. My family was go-getters, but in the beginning, we were protectors, we were fighters, we were hustlers, we were um cool, slick, and smooth. We always had to try to find a way to get something that that made us feel better. The women, the girls was looking for love in all of the wrong places, and the guys was trying to find where they fit in, and let's do whatever. So I it it then as time grew, as time went on and we grew up and we started understanding, I was the last in a bunch to really figure it out, but that's okay. That's okay. It took me a long time to figure it out. Everyone else, they went on ahead and figured it out, went to school, went to college, did what they had to do, and started things. Me, I wasn't quite done. I wasn't quite done trying to understand who am I? Where do I belong? Why do things happen this way? You know, I've also had three sons, um, one in Las Vegas, one in Arizona, one in Philly, and they have their own families and they're doing well. But however, we have to remember that when we go through something, we're taking our families with us. So my sons went through the trials and tribulations and the um mishaps just as well as I did. We separated when I was out there and when I'm in the world, and when I was sold to the highest bidder and different things, and they were with their grandmother. My baby boy remember, doesn't really remember much. He came in and came up and came in on the park when I was using drugs. That's when he came in. My other two, the oldest two, they knew or heard from family members, oh, your mom is out there in the world, she's doing this, she's doing that, or they thinking I can just leave, or I'm selling myself, or I'm prostituting, or I'm doing this. They never really understood how this worked. And that's one of the reasons I do what I do, because people don't know. They their favorite line of words is just stop, just get out, just leave. And it's not that easy.

SPEAKER_02 11:48

Yeah, it's not that easy. That's what a lot of people think. You can just walk away from that life. But it's it's it's hard, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

It is very hard, and it's it's dangerous. That's the main thing. It's dangerous. I was left for dead sometimes. I watched someone kill someone in front of me to prove that, to for them to prove that, hey, they're not playing games. You know, I was from Cleveland, Ohio to New York City and every other stuff. I'm what the golf tournaments, I was there, um, Super Bowls, I was there. And I'm not talking about their enjoying the games, I'm talking about their working.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

Working. That's where a lot of trafficking is, at these big events, Super Bowls, World Series, all these, you know, whenever a city has a big event, yeah, prostitution comes in, trafficking comes in, drugs come in, uh, because there's a high demand.

SPEAKER_00 12:54

Very, very high demand. And it's you you don't it's it's so hard to believe the ones that look for this. Ones that you would think in highly respect is going to a $25, $30 hotel for an hour, hour and a half to come back out, and you wonder why. But it's just it's out there. And it's the underground. It's a lot of underground stuff out there as well. Yeah, I I've done it all. I've done it all. I remember when I had to dress up and but they kept me dressed up. I went from the streets to leaving the streets and riding with someone in New York and didn't realize that this person had sold me. And I was locked in this basement in this room with no windows, no nothing, with three other ladies in New York. I don't know. It's hard. I've been in court, been to trial, we did a whole lot. I can't even remember how long. You asked me, I was down there for years. Could have been days, could have been hours, but it was terrible. Never seen that person. I don't even know where that person is at. I don't know if they killed him, I don't know what happened. But I do know at one point in time in my life, I remember being in New York around a lot of people. And I remember I see the police officers, I saw everyone in suits, and my mind would just say, Help me, help me. Do you see me here? Help me, get me out of this. I don't know what to do. But I couldn't take it, I couldn't get it out of my mouth. I couldn't open my mouth to say it. You know, so my sons, my two oldest sons had a chance to read my book. The mommy teach me that. They did. I you know what, I'm pretty sure they read the book. Let me just put it to them like that. And um I remembered and know that for a long time they had shut down because they was blame me and everything. And but today I am so blessed. I am so blessed. Today, they are my best friends. We talk about everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. My baby boy, he's 32. 32. Yeah, call me like, ma, this going on, that going on, what I need to do. And I'm like, oh my God, man, that's personal. Do you need to tell me that what you're my mama? Do you ought to know? You know, so I'm always in, they call me about girl advice, they call me about life advice. They so we're very, very close now, and they gave me beautiful grandchildren. So I mean, um, I love that. And I'm just I'm just at the point in my time that I don't think everybody's getting the right information. They they looking up things on Google, they they hearing other things, or they're only gonna believe what the press tell you, and the press do not tell you everything.

SPEAKER_02 16:11

No.

SPEAKER_00 16:15

They just give you just enough information to keep tuning in. So um that's I just want people to understand and know the truth. You know, and that's my job. That's what I'm doing. That is my career, that is my life.

SPEAKER_02 16:39

Well, you were married for a while.

SPEAKER_00 16:43

Yes. I married my two oldest sons, dad.

SPEAKER_02 16:48

That didn't go too well, did it?

SPEAKER_00 16:50

No. No, that didn't. You know, I think it was No, I don't think. I know. First time I've had sex, I got pregnant. Uh my mother found out I was pregnant. Back then, if anyone worked for Ford Motor Company, they had money. They had money. If you worked for Ford Motor Company back then, you had money. So my his dad worked for Ford Motor Company. He was gonna work for Ford Motor Company. His dad got them on because he was a supervisor. They were making money, beautiful home. Everything was gorgeous. And these are the signs that we miss, man. Some of these, the signs that we miss. We think we really walking into a healthy, beautiful family, beautiful home. You got money, everything is going on. This is great. You know. My mom said, No, you're gonna marry him. And listen, I didn't even know the man's last name. All I know is we left. I took, we went in the basement with in Cleveland, Ohio, of my mother's home. Had stacks. I ended up getting pregnant. Then when I told him about it, um, his dad made him go to the military instead of working. So he didn't go at first. We were together, we got married. Within three months of marriage is when the abuse started. Within three months of marriage, he moved me first way way far out from family and friends. Um I didn't work. He was working for Ford Motor Company at that time. And every little thing I did wrong, I was beaten for. I was beaten for it. And I remember and know that it was times where um he had beat me so bad that my two sons was at the doorway just watching, and all I could see was at the corner of my eye, I knew my sons was there, but I was so messed up with black eyes, a busted nose, he cracked my jaw, my ribs was cracked, he he he did a number on me. And the next day, the next day is when I got up, had I left my sons, and I was on the number 15 bus in Cleveland, Ohio, going down to the Justice Center. All I felt, because I couldn't see it, all I felt was people staring and whispering at me. Dry blood was on my face, my eyes was busted, my jaw was busted, I couldn't talk, my nose was messed up, couldn't hardly walk. But the strength and the way that I prayed and asked God to get me down to the justice center so I can, they can see me like this and press charges, so I could leave this man, I had to do it. I had to do it. And that was the most humble experience I ever had because people don't help. They're afraid to help and step out. You know, they say, they use that, you see something, say something. Yeah, they saw me, but they ain't they said something, but they said something to each other. The bus driver did help. He didn't ask, did I need any help or whatever? But he took me straight down there and I went to the Justice Center. He was arrested, he was charged. Um, he went to court, he got out, everything was good. I don't know how much money his daddy paid off or what he did. Then he went to the military. So we still married. I'm in my own little place now, probably with my two kids. Captain Cause he wanted me to come to the military. I want to say Fort Gordon, Georgia, Fort something. And I went. I went there with him. Um, and it was like a dorm. It's like a room in this uh a building with a dorm, you know, like apartments set up, that little thing. Except I remember we had to go down the hall to shower, and they had a big old shower space and different things like that. We used right on campus or on base. So it was a lot. But this is what did it. My firstborn, he when we went there, my firstborn, he picked, my son was crying, he wouldn't let me get him. He was eight weeks old. He was in his weeks because I wasn't supposed to travel at six weeks. So he said you're coming at eight. So I remember that clearly. He picked my son up from his sleep, one, his little onesie he had on, and dropped him on a bed several times, and my baby just kept bouncing and hitting that hard bed. The beds were so hard and neat and clean, because that's what they trained them to do, I guess, that my son kept bouncing until he bounced and hit the wall. And then he said, when I come back, he better not be crying. Someone, he came back and he jumped me again and beat me and let my baby cry. Someone on that base called the MPs, and that's when he went to jail. And then I left. I went home. He was still in jail. He got out, he was in jail for some months. I mean, he they don't play. Well, they didn't then. He was in jail for a long time. At least that's what I thought. Don't know. But I do remember. I was at the bus stop and I was going somewhere, and somebody grabbed me from the back and they told me that they would kill me. And he took a knife and it's right here and he slit my throat, but he didn't go all the way across. And I almost bled out. That's why I say he left me for dead. Then he dragged me and dropped me. Dragged me, like, I don't know, it was like an alley or side street. I don't know. And he left. And I didn't realize it was him until I was on the floor on the ground bleeding and looked up and saw him, saw him walking away.

SPEAKER_02 22:38

Was your husband?

SPEAKER_00 22:40

Yeah, a couple of weeks later. Yes, he was my husband at that time. Mm-hmm. Because he told me that no one was gonna have me. And he told me, he said, I told you I was gonna kill you. And he thought he did. So that's when over that I was hospitalized for a couple months. Um end up the divorce went very quickly. We had I had all kind of proof, and I had two sons and I raised them. And that's how I did that. Um that's when I I didn't know about domestic violence centers. I didn't know about advocates then. I didn't know that there was help for someone like me in that situation at that time. Yeah. So I didn't get it then. That's why I'm fighting so hard now.

SPEAKER_02 23:46

Yeah, that's good. It's good that uh you're out there now fighting for people that uh coming from your background.

SPEAKER_03 23:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 23:56

Hopefully you can you can save them from what you had to go through. You got into uh a little drugs one time too, didn't you?

SPEAKER_00 24:07

Yes, I did. Um after the divorce, everything settled. I I'm in my apartment. Um things were and and you know what, but before the drugs, this is what's crazy. Before the drugs, is that's when I met this pimp. So it was domestic violence, and then it was human trafficking, then it was the drugs. I didn't never use drugs or do anything like that or drink during the time that I was um being sold, being traded, had to prostitute, had to work the car on conferences, conventions, um play.

SPEAKER_02 24:57

Tell us about about that working working the uh the big events and all like that.

SPEAKER_03 25:03

How did that work? How did that work?

SPEAKER_00 25:08

The people or yes, the people that had me at that time had us, it was several women, and at that time, they were some really big hitters, and they knew how to get into these special places and where to go because there's always a room or a big room where only like if the ticket costs five, six, ten thousand dollars, people go up there. So they would dress us up um in some very high-class clothes and jewelry and have us um looking beautiful and told us what to do. And we go in and um we sitting at the bar, we crossed our legs, we walked around, we introduced ourselves. And later on in life during court, I realized that mostly every female there was working. I knew I was with the other four, three ladies that I was with, but I didn't, I thought everyone else was probably just business owners or their wives, you know, but every female there um was working. And it was they don't discriminate. We it was a mischief of everybody there, and I used to look at them and and I think she's too young. But we get in and we walk around and they would normally men come up to us or we go up to them and start a conversation. We knew what the what terms to use. There were certain terms at that time that you have to use or did use in order for them to know that it was safe and that you were okay. Um, and I mean the the person who's gonna pay for my time. So they knew all the lingo and how things were set up. It wasn't their first time. It wasn't their first time. And I remember um going into a place and one of them, it was so nice, and never seen anything as fancy and wonderful and high-class people before that day. Um and a gentleman would walk up to me and he did, and he gave me his hotel key, because it was some rooms, some places have hotels not far or attached to it. And uh gave me time to be there. And um he leaves first. You don't leave until a certain time. Then you get some that just um wanted the company, wanted to talk. Um it's it was a lot of different acts and different things going on. Event was different. If they tell us we're going to an event, then they give us some information to learn and remember about that event to start the conversation. I'm not into sports, I think because of that. I have people in my family that play sports that's on the college leads and different things, and just been well, I don't know what they call that, when they get out of college and go to the pros. Um I think a lot of things now I don't do because of what I had what happened in my past. And so that's how knowing that works. I remember one time I was at a hotel and something happened. Um, something happened, and and the guy just gave me all this money. He got a phone call, and it scared me, and got a serious phone call. And I didn't realize who he was until months later when they found him dead in this apartment in his house. I'm not gonna disclose the name, but I did not realize who that person was until then. But I always wondered, why did he leave me about six to seven thousand dollars? Who carries that kind of money with them? Not me. It isn't me either. Especially back then in that day, that time. And it wasn't even hide money. People would ask me when I did speaking geeks and I share my story. Well, you should have just put up some of the money. Why you just hide it and keep it?

SPEAKER_03 30:02

No, you sound because Ips, um whatever you want to call them. They searched every part of our bodies.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

It was a time that I knew I can roll up money real little. Like they used to do them old cigarettes when they rolled them up in little wires. Some some of the people use it for weed. Um, I used to roll money up real little, and I was had a chance to stick it on my vagina. And that's how it was saved. But they searched that too. You're gonna come up all they up off their money, and you're gonna make sure that what that price is, you get that in more. And if it's opportunity to take a ring, a bracelet, or a watch, take it. And I'm talking about some high-class rings, and first time I ever seen a presidential Rolex, some type of Rolex. Um, something, I don't know. So, did I get to keep anything? Nope.

SPEAKER_02 31:15

I was just about to ask of the money that you collected, did you get any any money for your services or whatever?

SPEAKER_00 31:27

Nah, no, I had to give it, I had to turn it in. They were right there. Wherever I went or we went, trust me, they were right there. They knew what room we were gonna be in, they knew who was going in there with, they knew who to go for, they would tell us who to go for, they knew who was who, and they all did this sitting in the car or on the other side of the room, and you never know who is who and who's watching who, or who's gonna tell on who. You just don't know. And I'm pretty sure that it was some people that was on his team that or however they put it in that room watching us.

SPEAKER_02 32:07

And they probably had hidden cameras in there.

SPEAKER_00 32:10

They had everything. It was it was it was a lot.

SPEAKER_03 32:14

It was a lot.

SPEAKER_00 32:16

It was a lot. The day we had bus and I went, they took all of us to jail. The girls and uh everyone. Everyone in that whole place. Um in New York City. Now, New York, I don't know, I haven't been in jail since this. They used to have it with one big room. I don't care if it was jewelry thieves, stick-up boys, drug dealers, telephones, pants, prostitutes, everybody was all in one room. One sale, rather, not room, one sale. And they would call you in court, two in the morning, three in the morning, six in the morning, eight in the morning, nine in the morning, and different times back then. I remember going to court and they called me and I I just broke down and crying. I just broke, I told the judge, I just want to go home. I do, I don't care what you'd ask me, I would tell you what I just want to go home. I just broke down, I couldn't talk. I was so done. And I told myself, if I don't speak up and beg and ask for help now, I'm not gonna make it. I'm not gonna make it. Because I was scared to speak up and ask for help out outside of the courthouse. And then honestly, I had some judges and lawyers and political defenders as well. These are people who thought to protect us and help us, but they also was my clients.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

So you never know who to turn to because they they may even know your uh your pimp or your handler or whatever. And uh they could say, hey, you know, Renee's come to me and wanted out.

SPEAKER_00 34:08

Yeah, that's I did what I had to do, and and I was expedited back and forth from Cleveland to New York and to trial and different things, and showed pictures of who is who and all this stuff, and asked about these girls. One of them was dead. I told them they killed her. They killed her in front of us, and I don't know what they did with her body because she tried to hide.

SPEAKER_03 34:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:35

So now that part now, when I get out of that, I go home. I'm trying to get my life together, I'm trying to figure it out. I don't know any skills, I didn't know what to do. This is what I'm telling you. They would tell us everything is okay. We got our case, cases closed. You don't do no time. Why should I do some time? I haven't been in jail enough. I went to jail went to jail 30-something times in this process.

SPEAKER_03 35:09

I'm gonna say about that. Okay. So why should I go to prison?

SPEAKER_00 35:13

Because of everything. But I didn't. I didn't have to go. Um, everything was done, everything was over, but no one told us what we need to do now. The world looked so different to us. The world and the people were so different, things were so new, the it was more fresh. We it was like we didn't see anything but what we had to do. And no one knew what to do. I didn't know what to do. And my mind telling me when I went home, I went to my mom's, and my mom was afraid of me. She didn't know what what I may do or how things may go, and if somebody's gonna come to her house, and because it was a big old thing. Um, so I couldn't stay there. And by the time I end up trying to get myself together, I'm trying to figure out what do I do now? The only thing I know how to do is sell. And that's myself. That's the only thing I know how to do. So my mind told me this time I can do it for myself. That's what that's what I that's what we think. Because we don't know nothing else. We programmed.

SPEAKER_02 36:22

You have no other skills.

SPEAKER_00 36:24

No, we scared, we programmed, we isolated, you know. It's a lot, it's a freaking lot. And and and I didn't know anything else. Um, I did for a couple little while, and then it it hit me that maybe I could work in a bar. So I went and worked in a bar, and that's what working in that bar is um how I end up getting used to drugs. You know, and people always would say, I would think that you're the only one here that don't get high, smoke, snort, you don't do nothing. You shoot up, what do you do? You don't do nothing. And that's why I was the one that was more valuable. And they didn't try to give it to me. Because I didn't try to run, I didn't try to do anything because I was scared to death. They they put that in me. They programmed me, they put that in me. You know, I didn't smoke cigarettes, I wasn't the one that had to do a whole lot. I was the one that they groomed, and I had to go and groom someone else and bring them back.

SPEAKER_03 37:36

Wow. So let me put it that way.

SPEAKER_00 37:40

Yeah. But then when that was over and everything ended, um I worked in a bar and um and while I'm working in this bar, my brother-in-law cut to me and said, Hey, you can make extra money. Over the bar. They love you in here because I have that personality. You know, I have that look. I never looked my age. I never looked my age. You wouldn't believe I would. I never looked my age. You know, I always like to be younger than when I am. And I'm 67 now. So I never looked my age. And they so my brother-in-law told me what to do. So I started selling dope over the counter. You owe your remi, and um, you can order some drugs as well, and that went on for a long time. And and then I went from selling um $20 beds, $10 beds, selling bags and working to I went to selling keys. Thousands of dollars amount, and went from having two or three people working for me. Um then it was a big bus in my house. Well, before the big bus, the police or special agents, um, the college, all of them came to my house. They was all surrounded. It was it was crazy because they was looking for this one person, which I know who they were looking for. In his last place, he was there, was at my house, but he wasn't there. He had left. Um, yeah, I think they were looking for him for murder and some other stuff. But he wasn't there. And they kept an eye on me. They kept an eye on the house. You know, but I kept going to work. I didn't even know that they was watching me. I didn't know they was watching me until way later on when they showed me pictures. But that went on, and um, then somebody else who was working for me selling got busted. And then they called me, the police called, saying that they have this person. She was they from Detroit, and they ran Ohio at that time, and they wanted me to come and get the dog. I'm thinking this is a setup. This is a fucking setup. Excuse me. Oh my God, this is a setup. But I didn't know what to do, what to say. I went because I needed to see what was going on, and I knew where this person hid her stash. So I wanted to go and try to go into the home and go into the where the stash was hidden and get it out before the police tear up everything looking for it. It didn't, that didn't work for me though. That didn't happen. I pulled up, um, they met me outside, they wouldn't let me go in. I'm like, well, let me go in and let's make sure everything is good. They wouldn't let me go in, they wouldn't let me get out the car. Um, they gave me the dog because she had a beautiful um poodle that she paid a lot of months thousands for. Beautiful, beautiful dog. Oh um they gave it, gave me the dog, and I kept the dog and stuff like that. But then here comes a time now when I'm working, and I took and and I think E and J bottles with me, and several people came to my home. And this was a regular Friday night thing. This girl said, Um, I just met this girl, and I just come on, you can go. Come on, hang out, you can go. And she came in and she was smoking crap. So I would give her a little dough, I give her a little stuff and she'd go in my kitchen and she cooked it. Give her some more, and she'd go in my kitchen, she cooked, and then she called me in the kitchen. Because I told her she wasn't getting anymore, she had to pay for it. And um one of them, one of my guys was like, Don't go in that kitchen, don't go in there, mom. That's what they call me, Ma. Don't go in that kitchen, don't go in there. Just leave that alone. Why is she here? Who is she? I mean, they questioned me. They did not like the fact that this girl was in that house, they didn't trust her. Um, so I went in the kitchen. And I went in that kitchen. I didn't come out of that kitchen until February 14, 2000. Let me tell you what I mean. She said, try this. Just inhale it.

SPEAKER_03 42:16

Just inhale it, try it.

SPEAKER_00 42:18

It's good. And talk me into it, and I inhaled it. And I tried it. And I smoked all my product, all my hidden product, and then had the gas collect, and then collected some. It was terrible. It was terrible. Um, my drug of choice was crack cocaine. And um, I was smoking crack cocaine called crack co crack cocaine for a long time. For a long time, until I got some help. And um, I remember I was in Birmingham, Alabama. This is in Cleveland, Ohio. I've been all over. I've been in New Orleans trying to save myself, get help, trying to figure out where I'm at. I've been to Boston doing the same thing. I've been to New York with the human trafficking from New York. We went to Oregon, we went to uh Jersey, we went um different places. They with fires in and out going. I done went, then I didn't go back home to Cleveland. No, I'm doing drugs, and I done been to uh Birmingham, Alabama. That was the last stop, and that's where I end up going into treatment. And when I went to get into treatment, the lady said, This is a 32-day program. I was ready. Okay, fine. But they put me out in seven days.

SPEAKER_02 43:41

Really?

SPEAKER_00 43:42

They put me out in seven days because I was fraternized. And I told Diane, I don't even know what fraternizing means. She said, It's in your handbook. We gave you a book, you signed the papers. Because they had women on one side, men on the other side. My mindset, guys, listen. When we out there in the world in the streets, our mindset be set to the point where all we know is the game. All we know is the hustle. All we know is when we see men, we can get money. That's all we think about. I'm in a treatment facility. This person don't have no money. That didn't cross my back. That did not cross my back. Okay? He crossed my man. He was cute and I was gonna get him. Then I was put out, and um, when I got when I was put out, I went home and um stayed locked in my room and then um stayed clean. I started going to NA and AA meetings. I started doing what I was supposed to be done. I started following the program, the steps, and everything, and and um now I'm here. Now I'm here. So now I'm living a different world and a different life. There's no one that can tell me anything about the streets. I done did, I done been there, I done walked them streets, I done lived in them streets, I done hustled in them streets. I've done it all in them streets. And I had to fight for myself in them streets. So when I tell my little clients, because I have clients with kids, and I love working with my kids, like I said, and I tell them, I got your back. I got your back. I will come for you. I I am not scared, I have your back. Everything is in the wording. There's certain codes and certain words that you need to say to get through and get past a lot of stuff. So they trust that. My clients trust me, they trust that.

SPEAKER_02 45:40

And they know you've been there. You've been there.

SPEAKER_00 45:42

Yeah, and they know I'm not playing. I don't give a shit. Excuse me. I don't care. I'm going to find what I need to find. I'm going to do what I need to do. I'm going to save someone, some kind of way. Even if it's just giving you the information that I never had. But I have it now because I created it. I created the information.

SPEAKER_02 46:08

You uh started a house for women?

SPEAKER_00 46:11

I did. Reconnection to Life Women's Center. Um, we served women returning to the community from the penal system. And it was really, it it turned out really nice. I loved it. And um I worked with the again, um, probation and parole office. It was in Alabama, you know, um re-entry center. I have and and women would come and they stayed there and they followed the rules. You get some that didn't follow rules, but the majority of them did. Um, then I opened up the second house, and um that turned that was really well. Everything went really good there, and it lasted six years until my PTSD popped up at me. Until I was triggered and things started popping up. Because see, I never got help for anything. I never went to counseling, I never uh saw a psychiatrist, I never got any help from being left from dead from my ex-husband, from domestic violence. I never got help from human trafficking, being sold to the highest bidder. I never got the correct help that I needed for the drugs and alcohol. I never got any help.

SPEAKER_03 47:24

I kept moving. I covered it up.

SPEAKER_00 47:29

And all along there was a little girl inside of me screaming to come out, screaming for help.

SPEAKER_02 47:37

And I never had to be a little bit more. Well, a lot of these look a lot of these doctors don't know how to help because they never suffered like you did. I mean, the the biggest suffering they may have had was they break a fingernail playing tennis at the at the country club. Come on, that's their that's their that's their suffering. But you you have the experience, and we need more people like you out there helping people. And uh I think you're a great inspiration to me, to me and and everyone. Uh in your uh other books, uh you they have you got a lot of good great points on how to prevent going, you know, how to safeguard yourself, your children, I like that. Uh tell us about your books.

SPEAKER_00 48:30

Uh my first book, um, I was in a fever position crying and going through and feeling pain and just everything was hitting me. And I remember my sister, she's a um, she's a doctor now, but I remember my sister telling me, Why don't you write about it? Write a book, journal, take it out. And I did. We hired a um publisher, and I wrote the book. The title of the book is Mommy Ain't Teach Me That. And it's at Barnes and Nobles.

SPEAKER_01 48:56

Very good. I read it, and it's it's uh Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 49:03

Yes, it's mommy Teach Me That. And um and you know, and I thought about it later. I'm like, dang, I'm missing a lot of pieces in there, but that's okay. That's okay. That's where it's supposed to, that's I wrote it. And it's uh also on Amazon. Again, it's mom isn't Mama Ain't Teach Me That. Then my other book I wrote was Um Human Trafficking Prep Prevention for Children. And I try to set that up with like a workbook as well for uh groups, for uh centers, uh, for someone to use the journal. And I always tell my clients and someone, I always tell people, male, female, kids, boys, girls, they they they take them all. But I always tell them if you can't grab anything else when you try to leave, grab a book. Because whoever's behind you, whoever's trying to stop you, they're not gonna care if you get a book. They care if you get keys, they care if you get money. You know, they care if you get your cell phone. But if you grab that book and you can go somewhere for help, you can go somewhere and figure out how what's in that book that that can help you, you'll be safe. You'll be safe. So um that that's another good one. Thank you as well for that. And another one is um, I called you and you didn't come. It's a law enforcement, I believe that's the name, I can't remember right now, but it's a law enforcement, it's based on the law enforcement and how they do things and how how um the victims suffered a little bit, and that's also worked by. And my um my best friend, he's in that book because he was he's a police officer, and he was very dear to me and what I was doing, and very dear to the streets, and always took domestic violence calls and different calls like that. So I also put him in there to honor him because I knew that um I needed to do something for the law enforcement to understand and learn more on who's suffering and how they're suffering and why they're suffering. Now, them two books, really all books you can find on my website in communitycounseling.com. I in community counseling, just like in and out, in communitycounseling.com.

SPEAKER_02 51:26

Very good, very good.

SPEAKER_00 51:28

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 51:28

Yeah. And uh your first book, you had uh 12 guiding principles for recovery. Yes. I I read those. Those are very very good. Very good principles. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 51:43

Thank you. I came up with them. I I um that's that's something else that people we we forget. We that's like going back to the basics. You know, every is the world has changed so much, but the answers are still in the beginning of the story. Go back to the basics and find out what you missed. And I wanted people to go back to the basics, start from the beginning. You cannot suffer and then say, I'm gonna be a millionaire tomorrow. Maybe somebody can suffer. Yeah, you it you cannot suffer and be locked down and and going through what I've gone through and think you're okay. You gotta have something to hold on to, you have to have something to believe in, you have to have something to guide you through that process. I didn't have that, so I wanted to create that for the next person. That's it helped me, so I know it'll help you.

SPEAKER_02 52:44

Very good. Very good books. I recommend them to anybody and everybody. Whether you're going through what you went through, or you know somebody that's going through it, or you just want to have the information just in case. I highly recommend the three books.

SPEAKER_03 53:02

Perfect. I thank you for that. You have anything else you want to add? No, I think I'm good. I put everything else in that I needed to.

SPEAKER_02 53:15

That's great information. Uh very uh impressed with where you started and where you're at now. We need we need a lot more people like you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:30

Thank you. I would like to share. Let me share my contact information with you all.

SPEAKER_02 53:35

Okay, please do.

SPEAKER_00 53:38

If you need a speaker, if you need a trainer, if you need someone to talk to, if you need workshop, if you just need to vent, you can reach Renee Jones at incommunitycounseling at gmail.com. Or you can call 352-549-4866. 352-549-4866. So also on my website, any information, anything that you have, I'm here. I'm here to listen. I'm here to help, I'm here to guide. Most of all, I would like to come out to your state, to your city, to your conference, to your event to share my experience, strength, and hope. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 54:35

Thank you very much. You're welcome. That's it for our show for today.

SPEAKER_02 54:46

Thank you for joining in. I hope you were able to learn something today that may help you understand what is going on around you, allowing you to be aware of the dangers to yourself and perhaps a loved one, and maybe inspire you to get involved in the fight to stop human trafficking. Please follow me on Facebook, subscribe to my podcast, email me at David JStory.com with your questions or comments. Music by ToonReel.com. And please remember, always watch your six and others too.