Latest news with #NickSchultz
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Men who buy sex don't deserve California's protection
These buyers, the ones who made the demand for human flesh profitable, have operated with near impunity, shielded by stigma that falls harder on victims than perpetrators. AB 379, originally authored by Assemblymember Maggy Krell, D-Sacramento, and now authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz, D-Burbank, is a historic opportunity to change that. Don't shield men who buy sex Standing in the way are opponents attempting to weaponize the federal government's cruel deportation sweeps and legitimate public fear to weaken this vital legislation. They claim that AB 379's loitering provision should be removed because it would create a new deportable offense. That argument is legally doubtful. Following its recommendation would shield sex buyers statewide at the expense of victims of the sex trade. It also would deprive California of an important tool for getting a handle on the sex trafficking industry. That is not safety nor is it justice. That would be an abdication of lawmakers' responsibility totheir constituents. Opinion: I work with sex trafficking victims. Here's how Diddy's trial could help them. Let us be clear: AB 379 does not target undocumented people or victims in the sex trade. It purposefully targets those who knowingly and willfully seek out vulnerable human beings, some of whom are immigrants themselves, for exploitation through paid rape. It is unconscionable to use the trauma of immigrant families as a political shield for sex buyers - many of whom are affluent White men. And yet, that's what's happening. We were badly abused as victims of sex trafficking This is the truth that the public and our elected officials must face: The sex trade is not "empowerment." On the street, it is almost all the result of trafficking. It is violence, and the buyers are not harmless "johns" - they are predators who rely on the silence of society and the shame of survivors to keep operating freely. Buyers call us names like "meat," "holes," "property," "whore," "slut," "worthless," "slave" and much worse than can be comfortably described here for the everyday reader. We've been choked and strangled, degraded, urinated on, burned, beaten and stabbed. We've been robbed, raped with physical body parts and objects, spit on and laughed at. We've been thrown out of moving vehicles naked and scared, and we've been left for dead on multiple occasions of severe assault. Opinion: A sex trafficking survivor nearly died trying to get out. How she turned her life around. We've been told we were "lucky" anyone would pay for us. We've been told that they could do anything to us and no one would care, that they could kill us and no one would come looking. We were children. Or barely adults. And every name we were called sank into our skin like a scar we still carry. Failing to hold buyers accountable only worsens these harms and creates more demand and need for supply. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. AB379's reinstatement of the loitering piece for the buyer is not radical. It is justice for everyone being trafficked and abandoned on our streets. To every state senator still on the fence: We are not asking for pity. We are demanding protection, accountability and truth. We're asking you not to forget us just because the politics are complicated. We survived the buyers who raped and abused us, insulted us, filmed us, and discarded us like garbage. Now we are surviving a political process that threatens to discard us yet again. Please don't let that happen. We've come too far. Stay strong, stand with survivors and pass AB 379 intact, and with the survivor-led accountability it was built to deliver. Marjorie Saylor, Ashley Faison-Maddox and Christina Rangel are survivor leaders with lived experience of sex trafficking in California.
USA Today
7 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
We survived sex trafficking. Don't protect men who exploit women like us.
California must crack down on predatory sex buyers to stop trafficking. Survivors like us have fought for accountability that reaches not just our traffickers but also men who used us like objects. In May, the California Capitol erupted in acrimonious debate over Assembly Bill 379, a proposal to make purchasing a 16- or 17-year-old for sex punishable as a felony. Now, opponents are trying to weaken a separate, equally important piece of that bill, to make it a misdemeanor to loiter with the intent to purchase commercial sex. California must crack down on predatory sex buyers to stop sex trafficking. For decades, survivors like us have fought for accountability that reaches not just our traffickers, but also the men who bought and used us like objects. These buyers, the ones who made the demand for human flesh profitable, have operated with near impunity, shielded by stigma that falls harder on victims than perpetrators. AB 379, originally authored by Assemblymember Maggy Krell, D-Sacramento, and now authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz, D-Burbank, is a historic opportunity to change that. Don't shield men who buy sex Standing in the way are opponents attempting to weaponize the federal government's cruel deportation sweeps and legitimate public fear to weaken this vital legislation. They claim that AB 379's loitering provision should be removed because it would create a new deportable offense. That argument is legally doubtful. Following its recommendation would shield sex buyers statewide at the expense of victims of the sex trade. It also would deprive California of an important tool for getting a handle on the sex trafficking industry. That is not safety nor is it justice. That would be an abdication of lawmakers' responsibility totheir constituents. Opinion: I work with sex trafficking victims. Here's how Diddy's trial could help them. Let us be clear: AB 379 does not target undocumented people or victims in the sex trade. It purposefully targets those who knowingly and willfully seek out vulnerable human beings, some of whom are immigrants themselves, for exploitation through paid rape. It is unconscionable to use the trauma of immigrant families as a political shield for sex buyers − many of whom are affluent White men. And yet, that's what's happening. We were badly abused as victims of sex trafficking This is the truth that the public and our elected officials must face: The sex trade is not 'empowerment.' On the street, it is almost all the result of trafficking. It is violence, and the buyers are not harmless 'johns' ‒ they are predators who rely on the silence of society and the shame of survivors to keep operating freely. Buyers call us names like 'meat,' 'holes,' 'property,' 'whore,' 'slut,' 'worthless,' 'slave" and much worse than can be comfortably described here for the everyday reader. We've been choked and strangled, degraded, urinated on, burned, beaten and stabbed. We've been robbed, raped with physical body parts and objects, spit on and laughed at. We've been thrown out of moving vehicles naked and scared, and we've been left for dead on multiple occasions of severe assault. Opinion: A sex trafficking survivor nearly died trying to get out. How she turned her life around. We've been told we were 'lucky' anyone would pay for us. We've been told that they could do anything to us and no one would care, that they could kill us and no one would come looking. We were children. Or barely adults. And every name we were called sank into our skin like a scar we still carry. Failing to hold buyers accountable only worsens these harms and creates more demand and need for supply. AB379's reinstatement of the loitering piece for the buyer is not radical. It is justice for everyone being trafficked and abandoned on our streets. To every state senator still on the fence: We are not asking for pity. We are demanding protection, accountability and truth. We're asking you not to forget us just because the politics are complicated. We survived the buyers who raped and abused us, insulted us, filmed us, and discarded us like garbage. Now we are surviving a political process that threatens to discard us yet again. Please don't let that happen. We've come too far. Stay strong, stand with survivors and pass AB 379 intact, and with the survivor-led accountability it was built to deliver. Marjorie Saylor, Ashley Faison-Maddox and Christina Rangel are survivor leaders with lived experience of sex trafficking in California.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alec Baldwin's ‘Rust' premieres at iconic Redfield drive-in with SD wranglers in spotlight
A group of Hollywood horse and animal experts from Redfield, South Dakota are bringing their work back home on May 16-17 when the film 'Rust' plays at the Pheasant City Drive-In Theatre in Wrangling, a Redfield-based business has worked on dozens of Hollywood films and TV shows - and last year, they were a part of the just-released western 'Rust.' Stan Schultz started the wrangling business, years ago, and his son, Nick Schultz, continues to provide the expertise film crews need when doing period pieces, like 'Rust.' 'As wranglers, we provide the director and his or her team with stock, stunts, period-specific saddles and tack – whatever they need for a historically accurate film,' said Nick Schultz, who served as head wrangler with a team of about a dozen others on 'Rust.' 'This was among the biggest productions we'd been a part of,' he said. For this production, Nick Schultz and his team brought 34 horses and nearly a zoo-full of other critters for the work. 'Typically we'll supply 15-20 horses, and you need to have all the saddles, bridles and everything else,' he said. 'Filming this one was a real collaboration with the director, the cast and everyone. We were all on the same page: we wanted to make the best possible movie we could.' More: South Dakota is one of the best states in the country, according to US News and World Report The making of 'Rust' is almost a cinematic story itself. The film began production in 2021 in New Mexico, and in October of that year, an incident on set led to the shooting of the director, Joel Souza, and the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. Hutchins' wound, fired from a prop gun that was supposed to only have blanks in it, was fatal. The film's star, Alec Baldwin, fired the shot that led to the death. The event was investigated, and the armorer for the film, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2024. Charges initially brought against Baldwin were dropped. Hutchins' husband, Matthew Hutchins, encouraged Souza and his team to complete the film. The production moved to California, and later to Montana, where Nick Schultz and his wranglers met and worked with Baldwin and the other members of the cast. More: South Dakota native brings Hollywood film to St. Cloud 'We were not there when the incident occurred, but for us, we just wanted to do our best in every scene to give the cast and crew our very best,' Nick Schultz said. 'We felt that was the best way we could honor that gal and her family.' Wranglers work with donkeys, pigeons, chickens and horses, but for 'Rust' a special animal was needed: a puppy that looked like the one that was originally in the film about three years earlier, so that footage from both eras could seamlessly come together. 'I have many friends in veterinary and other fields, and I reached out to friends to find a dog with he same facial coloring, because the puppy has a key part in the film,' Nick Schultz said. He found a puppy to fit the bill, her name is Ruby. She did great on camera, and those weeks together led to something special – if not too surprising. 'She's my dog now,' Nick Schultz said. 'She'll be a part of the event at the drive-in. I just fell in love with her over those weeks of staying with me. Ruby was so young, but so smart – everyone fell in love with her.' Just a mile north of Redfield, Pheasant City is among the last 300 or so drive-in theaters in the U.S. When you remember that in the 1950s, more than 4,500 of these entertainment complexes existed, it's inspiring that a local one continues to show films. 'Our place is a piece of American history,' said Stacey Marlow, who owns and operates the drive-in with her husband, Dave Marlow. 'This is our 12th year, and this opportunity to show this film – and make it special – is a real treat.' The couple love movies, and they love hosting families for a unique entertainment experience not far from town. 'We get a lot of visitors from all over, and many people come down from Aberdeen or Watertown,' Stacey Marlow said. 'Sometimes it's people who are doing something they remember from growing up.' The drive-in is family friendly with a robust concessions stand. Rosa and Clark Davis, Stacey Marlow's parents, work the ticket line and make sure everyone feels at home. Nick Schultz said he loves going for the gathering nature of the nights at Pheasant City Drive-In. The event for "Rust" will be slightly different. Nick Schultz and some of his team, including his father, Stan Schultz, will be at the drive-in, in costume, with horses, a coach and other regalia. 'It's an experience,' he said. 'You have kids running around playing, the sun is setting, old music is in the air, the concessions stand is busy, cars lining up and everyone coming to just have a night at the movies.' Although the movie was not shot in South Dakota, many animals hail from the state as do the wranglers, who you might get a glimpse of on the screen. 'If you come, you'll see Nick in the movie, as he was part of the sheriff's posse that plays a key role in the conclusion of the film,' Marlow said. 'I don't want to spoil it. You'll have to come see a local talent on the big screen. We look forward to hosting you.' When: May 16-17 Where: Pheasant City Drive-In Theatre, 17230 Highway 281, Redfield, South Dakota Tickets: $7 for ages 12 and up; age 11 and under are free. Ticket booth opens at 7 p.m. Information: This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: 'Rust' comes to Redfield: South Dakota wranglers bring Hollywood home
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
California Democratic Assemblymembers to support AB 379
( — In a reversal, democratic Assemblymembers will support Assembly Bill 379, the controversial bill regarding the solicitation of sex from 16- and 17-year-olds, Public Safety Chair Asm. Nick Schultz's office announced Tuesday. Schultz and Asm. Stephanie Nguyen worked with Asm. Maggy Krell, the original author of the bill, on a version that makes it a felony to purchase sex from 16 and 17-year-olds, except when the buyer is within 3 years of the age of the victim. In such cases, the crime remains a misdemeanor. Video: Child sex trafficking bill advances amid controversy (April 29) According to Schultz's office, the bill also funds survivor services and a grant program 'to assist district attorneys in streamlining prosecution of human trafficking crimes.' 'Human trafficking and child exploitation are serious problems in California deserving of tough and nuanced legislative solutions,' Schultz said. 'I am grateful for the leadership of Speaker Rivas, Assemblymember Nguyen and others who have worked tirelessly the last few days to secure a Democratic solution that strengthens California's existing laws and penalties. This is a bill we can all be proud of, and I look forward to closely working together with all of our co-authors to deliver a safer California for everyone, especially our children.' The bill has been a source of controversy in the legislature in recent weeks. The bill failed to pass twice in the Assembly, gaining little Democratic support beyond Krell. The bill only gained enough votes to pass when the primary provision, making it a felony to solicit sex from all minors, was removed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40 News.
New York Post
30-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Calif. lawmakers block bid to make paying for sex with 16- and 17-year-olds a felony
California lawmakers gutted a bill Tuesday that would have made paying for sex with 16- and 17-year-olds a felony charge. Under current state law, creeps who buy sex from minors under 16 face extra fines, jail time, and either a misdemeanor or felony charge. A new bill meant to protect sex trafficking victims, AB 379, would have upped that age to 18, but Democratic committee members demanded the clause be cut before they let the bill move forward in the California State Assembly. Advertisement Nick Schultz is chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, which blocked a key piece of AB 379. Facebook / Nick Schultz The bill's author, Democrat Maggy Krell, who spent two decades overseeing human trafficking cases for the state, called the move a 'disgrace.' 'I've been doing this for 20 years, and I'm not going to quit now. And I am going to bring this part of this bill back every year until I get the books to protect children. That's what I'm going to do,' she told KCRA 3. Krell added that she still supports the current version AB 379, which imposes harsher penalties on 'loitering with intent to purchase sex' — i.e., prowling street corners for hookups — and establishes a fund for sex trafficking victims. Democrat Assemblymember Maggy Krell wrote the bill. Assemblymember Maggy Krell Advertisement Last year, Republican lawmakers pushed for a similar bill to crack down on Johns prowling for underage streetwalkers. They managed to cut a deal with Democrats to lower the felony age cutoff from 18 to 16. Democrat Nick Shultz, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said the watering-down of AB 379 was a direct result of that previous deal. 'My perspective as chair, there was a carefully crafted deal last year,' Shultz told KCRA 3. 'We're not saying 'no,' but what we're saying is, if we're going to be thoughtful policy makers, we really need to dive deep into this issue.'
