discuss trafficking in chicago
Mad River Bar and Grille
2909 N Sheffield Ave.
7PM-10PM
$5 at the door for unlimited pizza
madriverchicago.com
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.
CONFIRMED PANELISTS:
Erin Knowles
Outreach Worker
The Salvation Army, STOP-IT
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 O'Dowd
Immigrant Services Advocate
Heartland Alliance's National Immigrant Justice Center
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
Querrey & Harrow Associate
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
Chicago Regional Human Trafficking Task Force
Vice Control Section / Prostitution Unit
Chicago Police Department
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
Senior Attorney
Immigration Project of the Legal Assistance Foundation (LAF) of Metropolitan Chicago
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
