guesteditorial
A Need to Do Whatever it Takes By DAVID YAMAMOTO Tillamook County Commissioner This is the most difficult discussion I have ever had to conduct. I never, ever, would have thought that this topic would need to be breached here in Tillamook County. I am concerned about the reaction of Tillamook County residents to this discussion, but I am determined to be a part of the solution…and I hope you will all do the same. The issue is labeled CSEC, Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. Our Juvenile Dept. Director, Star Felty, came to me a few months ago and told me she had been contacted by multiple community partners about this problem. I told her it was not possible this was happening here. Star went on to explain the problem like this…we have a population of at-risk youth, including those who are homeless and from unstable homes in Tillamook County and many of these kids couch surf. They are looking to get basic needs like food, shelter, clothing, and money. There is also a small adult population that is ready to take advantage of these vulnerable children. I was stunned. I started my inquiry by talking to many people here in Tillamook County… Sheriff’s Office, Police Chiefs, District Attorney, Circuit Court, School District Administrators, Health Department, Adventist Health, Tillamook Family Counseling, Women’s Resource Center and many others. I quickly concluded that we have a problem, and the only tools we currently have to confront this problem is with law enforcement and the courts. I feel that while these are important tools, they should not be the only or even primary methods of addressing this problem. Tillamook County needs additional resources such as services and programs to help our children. Another big gap for Tillamook County is the lack of youth-specific nonprofits. Often, we are asking these kids to cooperate with law enforcement or the courts without having anything to offer in terms of programs or services in return. I then switched my focus to other Oregon Counties and had many conversations with Commissioners from across the State. When I was talking to other small, rural counties, their initial reaction, like my own, was one of denial. As I explained the CSEC issue of at-risk and homeless youth couch surfing, I could see the wheels turning in their heads and many of them have responded to me
expressing dismay at what they too were finding. All were interested in seeking solutions. My conversations with larger counties were different. Most have established services and programs and they are addressing the problem as best they can. They have limited but critical support from the State…something not being offered to small, rural counties due to staffing and budgetary constraints. This rural/urban divide does not sit well with me. Let me briefly describe the issues I see. First and foremost, we must remember we are dealing with children’s lives and this is clearly child abuse. It is equally important Photo by Tim Hirsch to understand that these children TILLAMOOK COUNTY COMMISSIONER are victims, but many don’t even David Yamamoto. self-identify as victims of sexual abuse. This is just life as they know man Services. it. This meeting was focused on deterFor whatever reason, many of these mining, first of all, if Tillamook County kids are homeless and lack any form of really had this problem, and if so, finddirection, although there are instances of ing solutions that could be rolled out as familial, generational sexual abuse occurquickly as possible I was elated with the ring. conversation and focus of all attendees. There are drug abuse issues often We agreed we indeed have a serious initiated by the offender as a method to problem. control these children. Mental health isI am especially thankful for the sues are also common. While these issues participation of Amanda Swanson, State are often thought of as prevalent with Trafficking Coordinator, Oregon Departgirls, I am told we will find almost half of ment of Justice. She was instrumental is these cases involve boys. starting Tillamook County down the path We are talking about children youngtowards solutions. er than 18 years old. This age should not There are certain behaviors exhibited be a magic number, after which we are no by kids involved with this problem, and longer concerned about them. If abuse started before or after their 18th birthday, we should be able to offer help into their mid 20s. We all need to understand that no matter what we are able to do in Tillamook County to support our youth, we will not be able to help every child. These kids must want to find a way out and herein lies a big part of the probPan-Fried Oysters lem. Many of these children are coerced in their early teens and this is the only from Yaquina Bay lifestyle they are familiar with. This is all Every Fri. thru Sun. just heart breaking, however, I do think we can, as a community, coordinate a Dory-Caught response to this issue. To gain further insight into what was Ling and Rock Cod occurring in Tillamook County, I called a (subject to availability) meeting in late January and was thrilled with the turnout of 35 local people key to finding solutions for Tillamook County, including State agencies such as Department of Justice and Department of Hu-
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DOJ offers free training classes to law enforcement, schools, health care providers and other organizations to assist in early identification of these kids. Early intervention is key to helping break this cycle for our children. This initial training has already been scheduled for Tillamook County. Ms. Swanson also identified grant opportunities for funding a task force coordinator and potential secondary grant funding for an advocate to work directly with the kids. We are now in the process of putting together a Tillamook County Task Force to coordinate grant funding opportunities and provide direction as we move forward with coordinating a response to this problem. This is a heart-wrenching discussion to have in Tillamook County, but we must not look the other way. Understand that our community is far from unique in Oregon or anywhere in the United States or the World. There are many places where this discussion is simply not occurring because of the difficulty of this topic. I also want you to know that I just completed a session of Van Moe’s “Let’s Talk” program where one of the topics I discussed was this issue of CSEC I am told that this episode will be live on janescottvideoproductions.com as this editorial piece is being published. I want to thank all of those in attendance at our January meeting for having the courage to be there and openly discuss these difficult issues in Tillamook County. I feel strongly that we are on the path towards finding the solutions we need.
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Page 5 • Pacific City SUN • March 15, 2019
