We Say Never Forget

We say "Never Forget" But that's not enough. Please read this and share it:

The events on the day of 9/11/01 were significant in many ways in my life. My father was missing for almost 20 hours after it happened because he had no way to contact us and he was supposed to be on site that day. I watched what he went through every day after to keep his union members safe. I volunteered to help feed the rescue workers for months after.

The day defined me from the perspective that I no longer planned anything without understanding how I would be safe if something similar happened. Everything from concerts to trips to the mall now had a layer of planning up to and including a go bag in my car, MRE's and water supplies at my home, personal safety devices on my person, and training in the event that I should ever face a situation where I had to save my own life or others.

Fast forward to the present day. As many of you know I'm just finishing my 2nd master's degree in my field of Hospitality Management. What most people don't understand is why I pursued my first which is a master's of administrative science with a certification in global emergency management administration. As an event planner despite only planning a few large-scale events it became apparent to me that my industry as a whole is greatly lacking emergency management systems in situations such as fairs, festivals, concerts, marathons, etc.

My industry has been unprepared and has killed large sums of people due to the lack of concern for safety in emergent situations since the Titanic. The onus for safety should NOT be solely on first responders with respect to private events. There is a duty and responsibility to keep people safe and sadly private companies fail to take action until laws are enforced or industry organizations make them a standard policy and practice.

Unfortunately, the hospitality industry still isn't there yet. But that is part of why I am pursuing my education and working towards a final degree as a doctor of education (Ed.D.)

What is important to know with respect to terrorism?

Terrorism is rooted in hate that is fueled by basic needs. (Maslow's hierarchy - food, shelter, water, safety) In fact, the global terrorism map mirrors the world hunger map. Anywhere there are food deficiencies terrorism is at its highest. People who have what they need for basic levels of security rarely resort to violent means.

The violence of terrorism begins in the home as a form of domestic violence. Domestic violence is a learned behavior passed down from generation to generation.FBI statistics show that 68% of active shooters have an affiliation with DV. This means they came from a DV situation at home or have committed an act of DV prior to their suicide by police aka active shooter event. Active shooters are the most prominent form of domestic terrorism we currently face in the US.

The United Nations Security Council's report on funding for foreign terrorism lists human trafficking as the 2nd leading contributor to foreign forms of terrorism. 79% of which is sex-based trafficking. 92% of the victims who are used in sex trafficking are brought into it by a parent, spouse, guardian, caretaker, or partner. The act of trafficking a loved one for sex is also a form of domestic violence. This means that at its core DV is also a major component of foreign terrorism's ability to thrive and survive in our world.

My plans are to help the situation to finish my education and work with local and federal lawmakers to develop two systems of laws, training, and national support networks.

1. Child Protection and Permanency: We need a formal national network so that required reporters have a standard system where all their information can be shared and assessed. This needs to be coupled with federal regulations and standards for training and reporting as well as federal laws to make it criminal not to report suspected child abuse. As it stands each state has federal guidelines but there is no national standard for information sharing on abuse victims or their abusers unless there is a criminal conviction.
2. Hotel & Lodging Trafficking Standards: We need federal laws and standardized training for all hotelier employees with respect to how to identify, report, and deter trafficking at their location. To support that initiative's success there needs to be a national (eventually international) reporting system for the lodging industry to obtain training, report situations, and receive guidance and coaching. We also need federal laws and fines as well as licensing restrictions for any business owners who are not adhering to the protocols provided once they have been put in place.

What can you do?

Jeffrey Epstein didn't make millions of dollars by himself. It's been almost 3 years since he was brought to justice and his records were seized by the government. Who are his customers? Why haven't criminal investigations been announced and pursued? Why have our current lawmakers sat by and not done anything to bring people to justice? You can make sure you question your politicians as to why we've not witnessed any progress.

Please ensure that anyone who is an impediment to these potential systems I am proposing is out of office within the next 4 years so I am not met with obstacles as I move forward. i.e. Vote! Vote for people who are working with Ashton Kutcher's organization We Are Thorn. Which is a nonprofit dedicated to finding and rescuing sex trafficking victims. Vote for people who have actively campaigned for the rights and safety of minor children and trafficking victims.

Vote out politicians who have voted to lower the age of consent and marriage. Vote out politicians who have taken steps to lessen child sex offense sentences and restrictions.

Ladies and gentlemen I don't disagree that we all need to get "Woke." But I'm asking you to become woke about issues that are disenfranchising our world on a daily basis.

Maybe I'm wrong but in 2020 murders went up by an average of 16% in each state. If we as Americans were locked in our homes for 9 months that year, who were we killing? A year when people lost income, jobs, investments, and their basic sense of security.

Maybe it's time to stop focusing on banning plastic straws to save the environment and start focusing on protecting the future shepherds who will inherit the earth.

I could build my career by planning large-scale events with mitigation for emergency situations like acts of terrorism. But I'd rather help to stop it at its root cause before it happens. But I can't do it without your support.

Thank you for reading and sharing. God bless us, everyone. Jayme Luzzi, MAS