4.20.09

I LOVE BLACK BLAZERS....


I'm currently at Caribou waiting for the cleaning people to finish shampooing the carpet in my apartment~
hmm, this place is nice and cozy...
they have free unlimited Wi Fi~~
sorry Jess but...this place is a million times better starbucks (haha).
not to mention the fact that they have better variety in frozen drinks...well in drinks overall...plus the workers are incredibly cheerful...
muhaha i know Jess is gonna kill me for promoting them...
man...seriously though i like the feeling of blogging here...
i feel really cool...bad ass but sophisticated at the same time...
plus....there are a bunch of young business men coming in and out for their coffee and you guys know i cant complain about that muheheh.
right now im drinking the light white berry and its awesome...
on my left, there are two middle aged business partners working on some proposal and spreadsheet. On my right, there are two young Japanese couple reading Japanese comics...
so funny
hmmm
on a more serious note...

im thinking about going to this event tonight

Discuss trafficking in Chicago
By now, you might be hungry for solutions, or just hungry in general, so come join us at Mad River for food, drinks, and a discussion about the situation in our city. We have invited local experts who know the challenges we face, so this is your chance to ask any questions that you have, and to finally meet the faces behind Traffick Free. $5 at the door gets you all the pizza you can eat, so bring a friend, grab a seat, and come help us figure out how to make Chicago traffick-free by 2020.

Erin is a social worker for The Salvation Army's initiative against human trafficking, STOP-IT. The main components of her job are outreach and training. The STOP-IT initiative provides training to various professional and community groups about all aspects related to trafficking and provides direct outreach to potential victims of trafficking and organizations who may already be providing services to those victims in the Chicagoland area.

Tracy works with survivors of human trafficking by ensuring access to housing, medical care, interpretation, counseling and other needed services. She also offers training in human trafficking identification to community providers and works an advocate for NIJC clients. She completed her Master’s degree in Social Work from Dominican University in May 2008. In addition to a concentration on human trafficking at the university, she spent 10 weeks in Quito, Ecuador working with the anti-trafficking organization, Fundación Nuestros Jóvenes where she trained parents, worked with at-risk families, and involved the local communities to prevent trafficking. Prior to pursuing her Master’s degree, Tracy spent a year in Honduras, promoting education and literacy.

Christopher Keleher, an associate with Querrey & Harrow, concentrates his practice in appellate litigation. He also has experience in commercial litigation and insurance coverage.

Mr. Keleher has written briefs and presented arguments to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Appellate Court of Illinois. He also drafted a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States. Beyond the appellate realm, Mr. Keleher assists the trial attorneys in writing motions for summary judgment and motions to dismiss.

He recently worked on the complaint filed against Craig's List by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, and will bring a legal perspective to the panel

Sgt. Carla Grubisic supervises the six police officers within the Chicago Police Department who conduct human trafficking investigations. They are part of the Chicago Regional Human Trafficking Task Force (CTTF), a collaboration of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies; state agencies; and non-governmental organizations.

The overall mission of the CTTF is to identify and assist victims of human trafficking and to proactively investigate, identify, apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of human trafficking. There are currently 41 task forces across the United States funded by federal grants via the Bureau of Justice, and the Chicago Police Department received their grant in October 2005.

Geoffrey Heeren handles a wide variety of immigration cases, ranging from applications for immigration benefits on behalf of victims of abuse and trafficking to cases in the federal courts of appeal on behalf of asylum seekers. Geoffrey’s immigrant clients are the victims of torture, human trafficking, gender-related crimes, and domestic violence, and are often physically or mentally ill. Some of Geoffrey’s recent federal litigation concerns the constitutionality of holding this vulnerable population in prolonged immigration detention. Geoffrey graduated from New York University School of Law and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago