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Jason and Angel Pittman
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ATLANTA – It was questions – starting with one and leading to hundreds – that uncovered a human labor camp in northeast Florida, where the rights of homeless from some of the South’s major cities were being exploited.
The initial question was a simple one. Steven Porter, then working for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missions partner Touching Miami with Love (TML), asked a few homeless men how work was going.
The answer was an eye-opening account of an East Palatka cabbage and potato farm, where hired homeless workers could purchase overpriced illegal drugs, cigarettes and alcohol on credit from the camp store. The credit had to be worked off, leaving many workers trapped in servitude and ever-increasing debt. By preying on the addictions and fears of homeless workers, camp leadership lowered labor costs and boosted farm profits.
Labor camp leadership lured the homeless of Miami and other major Southern cities as its workers. A van would pull up to homeless shelters, and camp leaders would mainly target African American men with promises of earning minimum wage as farm laborers. As an added bonus, room and board were included for a minimal fee.
"Once you step foot on the van, they start handing out an endless supply of crack, so you’re indebted before you get to the camp," Porter said.
"It directly affected the population TML works with in Miami," said Jason Pittman, one of CBF’s Global Missions field personnel who serves as TML executive director. Camp leaders "were luring them, and once they got them out there, they wouldn’t let them leave. The ones who did get away would end up back in Miami."
Porter’s simple question sparked a search. He and other TML workers tried to find others willing to talk about their experience at the camp.
"I must have asked ‘Ever pick cabbage in Palatka?’ a thousand times, and that’s not an exaggeration," Porter said.
TML turned to South Florida Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, a partner organization in halting labor exploitation among the homeless. Their connection with Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers boosted the case to the attention of U.S. Department of Justice. TML worked closely with federal prosecutor Susan French to locate and keep track of homeless witnesses – a more difficult task than it seems since witnesses feared a violent backlash from their former camp crew leaders, Porter said. TML also helped a witness get to trial in order to testify.
"We played an important role [in the investigation], but we didn’t play the only role," Porter said of TML.
The investigation would involve a raid and four additional federal agencies before a federal jury in August found camp operators Ron Evans Sr. and his wife Jequita Evans guilty on more than 50 counts. With sentencing forthcoming, the charges carry fines of up to several million dollars and life in prison.
The conviction is a victory for the community, particularly the homeless, who used their voice to advocate for their own rights, Porter said.
"We sort of take it for granted that the social justice structures that protect us work at all levels of class in our country, and that’s simply not the case," said Porter, who resigned as TML’s executive director in 2005 and is now working toward a doctorate at Boston University. "This was just one particular case. There are more skeletons in the closet."
TML continues some involvement in labor and wage issues for the homeless population. Fighting for worker’s rights is just one way of advocating for people whose voice is often not heard, Pittman said, and in the Palatka case, one unjust system was halted.
"Sometimes we get the opportunity to really make a difference," Pittman said. "It’s kind of a rare that we get to really be part of [bringing down] systemic injustice. Most of the time we’re on the relief side."
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.