Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Man who walked 1,000 miles to D.C. keeps going
Aims to raise awareness about human trafficking
Broward bailiff Roger DeHart walked with determination last year.
From the Broward courthouse to the front steps of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., DeHart, 48, logged 1,065 miles on foot during his “No More Miles” walk, meeting and greeting supporters along the way who had heard about his mission to raise awareness about human trafficking.
DeHart raised $7,000 for his charity, First S.T.O.P, which stands for “Saving Teens and Others from Predators.” And now DeHart is ready to put on his walking shoes again. This time, DeHart is taking a walk along the west coast, from Crescent City to the University of California campus in San Diego.
This journey is shorter than the first, only about 900 miles. But the purpose is the same.
“California is number one in human trafficking,” DeHart said, citing statistics from the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Florida came in third in 2018 with 367 reported cases.
Texas reported 455 cases in 2018. California: 760.
Nationwide, sex trafficking accounts for the majority of cases, with labor and domestic work trailing.
DeHart was alerted to human trafficking as an issue more than a decade ago, standing in the courtroom for the trial of a drug dealer who boasted of multiple girlfriends. The man was accused of paying another man to sleep with one of his girlfriends.
“He was grooming her for a life of prostitution,” DeHart said. “The woman was just a prop to him, and he walked around like he deserved respect. I stood there helpless.”
The subject haunted him until he decided in 2017 to do something about it. He was inspired by his late father’s activism. Ronald DeHart was a key founder of Men of Tomorrow, a program run by the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity to provide scholarships to academically deserving students from Broward’s public schools.
Ultimately, Roger DeHart started his nonprofit and planned his awareness raising campaigns.
At a meeting of the Broward Human Trafficking Coalition, DeHart listened to one woman tell about how her daughter had fallen into a life of prostitution.
There was no broken home, no sudden health crisis, no financial problems sinking the
family, the woman’s mother told DeHart. Just a teenage girl targeted by a charismatic pimp.
DeHart shared stories like that during his east coast walk last year, and he expects to do it again in California.
“The walk on the west coast is beautiful,” said DeHart, who expects to see miles of beaches, coastal cities and towns and the Golden Gate Bridge during his trek. “As beautiful as it is, that’s how much awareness I want to raise. Because underneath that beauty is a story we’re not telling enough of.”
DeHart has two children, 13 and 14. Keeping them informed about the dangers that lurk in the dark corners of society without instilling paranoia is a challenge he
says every parent must face.
“This has to be a subject we talk about without hesitation, without fear, but with sensitivity to our children,” he said.
The California “No More Miles” walk is scheduled to begin Aug. 1.
The website for First S.T.O.P. is www.firststops.org. DeHart raised less than he expected to in 2018. Some of last year’s funds went to a safe house in Georgia, while some paid for his expenses during the walk. If this year’s walk raises more money, DeHart plans to use it to fund South Florida educational programs to fight human trafficking.