August 21, 2024 – Contact: Amy-Marie Merrell, Co-Executive Director The Cupcake Girls, [email protected]
Las Vegas, Nevada – On August 21st, 2024, the Las Vegas Red Umbrella Collective, a local mutual aid network that provides resources to sex workers and victims of sex trafficking, attended a further competency hearing in honor of Larissa Garcia, a local young mother who was engaged in the sex trade industry, who was violently strangled and killed by a client, Jason Kendall. Jason Kendall was ruled incompetent and sent to Rawson-Neal Hospital until ruled competent to stand trial.
Las Vegas is a city built on the backs of sex workers. This makes it even more imperative for the larger community to recognize the uniquely compounded epidemic of violence facing the sex worker community in our Valley. Las Vegas RUC and The Cupcake Girls will invite community organizations, members, and leaders to come together to respond to the incredibly horrific precedent this case presents to our most vulnerable. Unfortunately, not only are we not seeing support for sex workers during this epidemic, but we’re seeing harmful legislation intentionally oppressing sex workers more than ever before. This moment should serve as a wake-up call and catalyst for the community to ensure more meaningful protections for sex workers, and we invite our community to join us in pushing for meaningful societal and political change.
We invite the media to come on August 23, 2024, and witness as we work to ensure activation against stigma, discrimination, and injustice.
What: A Space for Mourning, Remembrance, and Activation
Hosted By: Las Vegas Red Umbrella Collective + The Cupcake Girls
When: August 23, 2024 – 3:30pm PT
Contact for location or any additional information: [email protected]
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ABOUT LAS VEGAS RED UMBRELLA COLLECTIVE- The mission of the Las Vegas Red Umbrella Collective is to empower and support sex workers in the Las Vegas area by advocating for their rights, providing mutual aid, and fostering community.
We believe that sex work is work and that all individuals engaged in sex work deserve respect, dignity, and legal protection. Through our grassroots organizing efforts, we aim to challenge harmful stereotypes and stigmas surrounding sex work, and work towards decriminalization and recognition of sex work as a legitimate profession.
Our collective is committed to creating a safe and supportive space for sex workers to share experiences, access resources, and build community. We prioritize the leadership of sex workers, recognizing their expertise and lived experiences as essential to our movement. At the heart of our organization is a commitment to building a community that centers the voices and experiences of sex workers. We believe that sex workers are experts in their own lives and should have a central role in shaping policies and practices that affect them.
Through collective organizing, advocacy, and mutual aid, we work to create a world where sex workers are free to work without fear of violence, stigma, or discrimination, and where their rights are fully recognized and protected.
Contact for the Las Vegas Red Umbrella Collective: [email protected]
ABOUT THE CUPCAKE GIRLS– The Cupcake Girls provides confidential support to those in the sex industry, as well as trauma-informed outreach, advocacy, holistic resources, and referral services to provide prevention and aftercare to those affected by sex trafficking.
We provide nonjudgmental support to empower our program participants in their pursuits through respect, resources, and relationships.
The Cupcake Girls envisions a world where sex trafficking is eradicated and consensual sex workers are safe and empowered. Our team of leaders, mentors, advocates, volunteers, and resource partners provide diverse support with an emphasis on empowering our program participants in their pursuits and becoming mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, financially, and relationally balanced and thriving.
Our team at The Cupcake Girls strives for nuance, compassion, and innovation every day by working with hundreds of volunteers and community partners to provide excellent care while maintaining holistic balance to ensure longevity and health within The Cupcake Girls.
Contact for The Cupcake Girls: [email protected]
– amy-marie
