Join us for the
STOP Human Trafficking Event
Saturday, January 13, 2024
1:00 To 4:00 PM PST
A FREE Live Event, Walk and Speakers’ Panel
Columbus Hall,
36 S. Figueroa St. Mall, Ventura 93001
(by Mission Park)
Visit our Affiliates’ tables! They are great, local resources
for information, assistance and volunteer opportunities!
1:00 PM FREE Check In
1:30 PM Walk
2:30 PM Speakers’ Panel
Event Speakers
Dawn Schiller, M.A., Expert Consultant & Survivor
Dawn Schiller is an expert survivor-leader in the anti-trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault movements. Abused and trafficked on the streets of Hollywood in her teens by the infamous porn actor, John Holmes, she survived the gruesome Wonderland Avenue murders in 1981 and ultimately turned him into the police. The movie, “Wonderland” depicts her story, portrayed by Kate Bosworth and Val Kilmer as John Holmes. She recently worked with NBC Universal on a docu-drama surrounding the Wonderland murders due for release in 2018.
Her subsequent years of struggle to survivorship, education and service to others offer valuable first-hand insight to community advocates. Today, she is a national speaker, educator, consultant, and author.
Christan Perez, Client Services Program Manager, Interface Children and Family Services
Christan has worked in social, wellness, and human services for 16 years, having worked in both Ventura and San Diego Counties. She began her career in social services as a case manager for “At Risk” Youth, and now oversees the human intervention services with Interface Children Family Services which includes a shelter for adult survivors, 24-hour response team, community based services, and the Ventura County Victim Services Task Force. Christan’s professional ventures have provided her the opportunity and experience of working directly with victims and survivors of human trafficking, and raising awareness to the issue in our community. From working in homeless outreach sites, to psychiatric care facilities, and drop-in centers, Christan has become well versed with the Peer Advocacy Model, Stages of Change, and the personal and professional perception that all persons were created equally. She believes everyone deserve the opportunity to be heard, and supported in reaching each own’s identified successes, free of judgement and stigmatization.
Christan strongly believes that a community free of stigma will better support the survivors in accessing the resources and benefits made available to them. Without these services, and support, victims of human trafficking continue to run the risk of further victimization.
Dr. Allison Santi-Richard, Emergency Medicine physician, Los Robles Hospital
Dr. Allison Santi is an Emergency Physician who works at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks California. Originally from Michigan, she attended medical school at Wayne State University in Detroit then came to California for residency in Emergency Medicine at UCLA/Olive View in Los Angeles. During medical school, she spent 2 months at Okhaldhunga Hospital in Nepal assisting staff, and provided trainings across the Detroit area for schools regarding health, nutrition, drugs and alcohol as well as education regarding sexually transmitted infections. Following graduation, she worked at Los Angeles County in the Emergency Department as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Keck school of Medicine at USC. During this time, she worked with Community Partners International providing medical training and program implementation and development for Internally Displaced Persons from Myanmar, including a comprehensive tuberculosis and filariasis treatment program, as well as a trauma training program along the Thailand border. As the Assistant Director of the International Medicine group, she also traveled to Ghana and Chile as well, participating in medical conferences. She currently maintains her faculty position at Keck School of Medicine as an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor or Emergency Medicine.
Starting in 2015 she began a collaboration with the Ventura Coalition for Human Trafficking, Forever Found, CAST Los Angeles, and Interface Child and Family services and has been providing education regarding Human Trafficking primarily to health care providers including physicians, nurses, midlevel providers and first responders throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties. She is also a part of the speakers bureau for HEAL trafficking, a multidisciplinary group of health care professionals providing training regarding Human Trafficking.
Dr. Anthony Walls, MD, Co-founder and Health Director of Healthcare for Justice
Dr. Anthony Walls is the medical director and co-founder of Healthcare for Justice (HFJ), a non-profit clinic located at the Ventura County Family Justice Center that provides comprehensive primary health care to victims and survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence in Ventura County free of charge. He has been working closely with this patient population in Ventura County since 2015 that helped inspire and lead to the creation of the HFJ and opening its doors in 2019.
He also works as a hospitalist at Ventura County Medical Center and Santa Paula Hospital.
Dr. Walls graduated from the Boston University if Medicine in 2012, He Performed his Residency at the Ventura Medical Center, and received a Santa Paula Maternal-Child Health Fellowship in 2015-2016.
Alia Azariah, Survivor, Aftercare Development Director for Safe House
Alia is a survivor of underage sex trafficking and adult sexual exploitation. She serves as a member of the California State Commercial Sexual Exploitation of a Child (CSEC) Advisory Board. In this capacity, she endeavors to influence the policies and procedures involved in the identification and care of today’s survivors.
Det. Kellyn King, Detective, Simi Valley Police Department, Detective Bureau – Major Crimes Division
Det. King is assigned to investigate crimes against children, sex crimes, domestic violence, and human trafficking. When she first started as a detective two years ago, she had the privilege of hearing a live experience expert share their experience regarding human trafficking and was profoundly impacted by what she heard.
Since then, Kellyn has been motivated to educate herself and others on human trafficking, as well as becoming more pro-active with the at-risk youth in the community.
She truly believes that collaborating with organizations within the anti-trafficking industry is crucial to having successful investigations, dispersing knowledge though out communities, and supporting victims during their recovery.
Sandy Esparza, Survivor, Community Outreach and Trainer, Zoe International
Sandy is a servant leader powered by faith, gratitude, and a zest for life. She’s a former foster youth, and an overcomer of child trafficking and exploitation in the commercial sex industry as a young adult.
The challenges she’s endured have fueled her passion to be an active and bold vessel in the fight for freedom. Sandy is a fierce warrior and displays her passion through public speaking, survivor advocacy, outreach, education, encouragement, and empowerment.
She utilizes her testimony as a bridge to bring awareness to human trafficking in her career and community and aims to one day write a memoir for the purpose of bringing healing and hope to others. She currently works in Community Outreach and Training for ZOE International.
