by Travis Mateer
This week I touched on the fact my role as a journalist is under legal scrutiny. While I think about the consequences of citizens doing journalistic work, Montana might want to grapple with a different question: can Christians do anti-trafficking work?
In Missoula a Christian family, led by Lowell Hocchalter, is deeply involved in pretending to fight human trafficking, a claim I’ve been covering critically for well over a year. If continuing to cover this topic wasn’t so fraught with risk for me, I’d consider examining the Christians getting money from Governor Gianforte to do this work in Billings.
From the link (emphasis mine):
The seed that eventually blossomed into the HER Campaign began in 2016 during a family trip. While taking a break on a cross-state drive with her husband and children, Britney Higgs had a vision that she credits to her faith. Her experience in Iraq, combined with conversations she’d had with a friend regarding sex trafficking in India and Nepal, spurred her interest in wanting to create a safe house for survivors in Montana. Without even knowing how to launch a safe house, she shared that vision with her husband, and the nonprofit was founded less than a year later.
…
Sammy and Britney Higgs acknowledge having no professional training in social work or therapy, and have partnered with Billings health organizations to fulfill those needs for sex trafficking survivors. What the couple does offer, Sammy Higgs said, is support and a model for a healthy relationship. The first woman the couple brought into their home stayed for about 10 months, and received assistance from them for a year-and-a-half.
Faith is so amazing that people who have it don’t ever have to worry about being competent or experienced in the fields they are called to work in because they have GOD! I’ve seen this dynamic up close, and it can be quite troubling.
If these Christians in Billings had an inkling that Lowell Hochhalter’s family is a dangerous joke when it comes to doing legitimate work, would they do something about it? I don’t know, that might compromise the money they’re getting from our Governor, who is DEEPLY involved in the Hochhalter scheme. Here’s more from the article (emphasis mine):
A recent grant for the Gianforte Family Foundation allowed the HER Campaign to purchase the emergency shelter property the couple had been leasing for the past two years. On November 28, the non-profit will host a benefit at the Billings Depot. Those interested in attending can find more information at https://hercampaign.org/
Yep, when you get a grant from the Gianforte Family Foundation, being critical of another grant recipient is probably NOT a very smart thing to do, so I expect these Billings Christians to do what smart people do, which is keep your mouth shut about corruption so you can keep playing the corrupt game.
At the beginning of 2022 Montana’s Governor was all excited to partner with Town Pump and the LifeGuard Group. From the link:
The Governor’s Office announced the partnership among the state, Town Pump and the LifeGuard Group in a news release on Monday — the last day of Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The LifeGuard Group is a nonprofit based in Missoula that works to stop trafficking. Earlier in January, the governor, attorney general, law enforcement agencies, and community groups hosted a roundtable to troubleshoot curbing human trafficking in the state.
“All of us there agreed – awareness is critical to stopping these despicable crimes and supporting victims,” Gov. Greg Gianforte said about the event in Monday’s news release. “I encourage all Montana convenience stores, gas stations, hotels, restaurants, clinics, and schools to join Town Pump and others who are committed to ending human trafficking in our state.”
I would love to say more in this post, but I don’t play corrupt games with cowardly players, so the stuff I know that I don’t publish on my blog is going in my book.
Now, here are the links to the week’s posts.
Yes, James Edward Taylor, Artists CAN See The Future (November 20th, 2023)
Have Fun With Your New Era, Missoula (November 21st, 2020)
A Compassionate Outgoing Mayor Talks Homelessness And…Accountability For Bad Behavior? (November 22nd, 2023)
Are You Thankful For Citizen Journalists? (November 24th, 2023)
If you appreciate my work, Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF) is one way to help support it, or you can make a donation at my about page.
Thanks for reading!