Las Vegas march seeks to raise awareness of child sex trafficking crisis

Former Congresswoman Linda Smith is out to make sure what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in the shadows.

Smith is the founder and president of Shared Hope International, an organization that helps focus attention on the worldwide crisis of human sex trafficking.

A rally and march to bring attention to the issue is set for 6 p.m. today at City Impact Center at 950 E. Sahara Ave. The faith-based march will cover some three miles and will reach the edge of the Strip.

"My belief is, just like the domestic violence movement, there was publicity through cases," Smith said Thursday. "We made sure people knew what happened behind closed doors. As long as people, in general, didn't know, they didn't cry out for change."

She believes that once the public is fully aware of human trafficking as a domestic as well as international crisis, they will take action.

"Unfortunately, we have found this very, very high level of children being sold (in Las Vegas)," she said. "I believe the good people of Las Vegas, when they know, they're just not going to tolerate it."

Other rallies were held recently in Seattle and the Portland, Ore., area.

As a congresswoman from Washington, Smith helped develop the World Summit on Human Trafficking in 2003 and has been "rescuing" girls since the 1990s.

SAM'S SOUND: The personal memories and tributes continue to flow in after this week's column on the death of legendary Las Vegas lounge sax man Sam Butera.

Candee Gyll recalled Butera's bouncing sax and gentlemanly ways at the Tropicana, where the former Las Vegas resident once worked the front door.

"I worked as a 'doorman' at the Tropicana Hotel from the late '70s through the middle '80s, and he was our band leader," she writes. "I was a little, blonde 22-year-old and wasn't familiar with his sound. Boy that changed when I passed our showroom one night and felt that energy. ... I may be older and wiser (and no longer blonde) but my love of his sound still lives."

Ken Jarvis recalls first catching Sam's act way back in New Orleans when he played at the Dream Room Lounge. He liked his sax, of course, but loved his sense of humor even more.

"He was a funny guy," Jarvis writes, telling a favorite Butera joke I'll refrain from repeating in a family newspaper. (Hey, I'm no prude. Check out my blog Friday at lvrj.com, and I'll include it there.)

Meanwhile, a celebration of Sam's remarkable life is set for noon Saturday at St. Viator Catholic Church, 2461 E. Flamingo Road.

TOPLESS/TAXI WAR: Behind the scenes, for weeks IRS criminal investigation agents have been looking into the multimillion-dollar cash-for-customers business going on between local strip clubs and hundreds of cab and limousine drivers.

Now the IRS is taking its inquiry to the next level by sending out "request for production of information" letters to some local clubs.

One missive dated June 10 states in part, "This letter is a request for you to provide any and all records, documents, and other information in your possession, or within your control, relating to payments made to cab and limo drivers from (club name redacted) for the years 2004 to the present."

ON THE BOULEVARD: The Web site greenlivingnevada.com has kicked off its first issue online. It "represents a joint effort to seek out and bring to light those things that we -- everyday, busy, realistic people -- can do and those practices we can implement in an effort to live healthier, more productive and less wasteful lives." That's a lofty goal in the land of conspicuous consumption.

BOULEVARD II: It's hardly surprising that rebuffed Las Vegas City Council candidate Glenn Trowbridge has requested a recount after losing by 10 votes to Stavros Anthony. Wouldn't you? ... There's continued speculation downtown that Mayor Oscar Goodman is still considering a run for governor. It's hard to imagine, but then some folks never imagined Jim Gibbons would become governor.

BOULEVARD III: The office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says their man is "on Twitter." With due respect to the esteemed senior senator, he's not all that exciting in person. How wild and crazy is he expected to get on Twitter?

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith/.