Oceanside Sex

I just found this story about my new hometown! It's a few years old but it intrigued me. Enjoy!

Oceanside mayor demands redress from TV's Oprah

By: PAUL SISSON - Staff Writer | Monday, December 12, 2005 9:59 PM PST ∞
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OCEANSIDE ---- Mayor Jim Wood has asked television star Oprah Winfrey to recant her "irresponsible portrayal of Oceanside as a hub of 'child sex slavery'."

In a letter dated Nov. 14, Wood takes exception to an installment of the Oprah Winfrey Show that aired Nov. 2. The show, which focused on worldwide human trafficking and prostitution, featured an interview with Florida-based television reporter Michele Gillian, who reportedly went undercover and discovered a brothel made of bamboo reeds in Oceanside where young girls were "forced to have sex on dirt floors with as many as 40 men a day," according to Oprah's official Web site.

"I am offended that it has been portrayed that the City of Oceanside is the hub of this terrible activity," wrote Wood, who could not be reached Monday for comment.

The mayor added in his letter that the city's police department examined the video footage used in Gillian's report and found it to be from January 2000 and December 2001.

"The narrator in the film footage indicates that the location is in Vista, California," Wood wrote.

North County has recently found itself in the national spotlight due to its ongoing problems with migrant sex trafficking.

An article in the January 2004 issue of the New York Times Magazine portrayed Vista as a hub for crime rings that force young girls into prostitution. Reports in the North County Times and other publications have detailed the efforts of the San Diego County Sheriff's Office to bust the illegal camps, including one on the banks of the San Luis Rey River. Reports indicated the camp was in unincorporated San Diego County, not Oceanside.

Neither Winfrey nor anyone from her show could be reached for comment Monday.

The mayor expressed his displeasure that the outdoor brothel footage from five years ago would be juxtaposed with present-day footage of Oceanside.

"In place of the location, your staff has placed current footage of City of Oceanside monuments, homes and beach front views, while you state 'in places like Oceanside, police discovered an outdoor brothel,'" Wood wrote. "On your program you introduced the footage without mention of the time and date. The viewer is left with the impression that the footage is current and the problem is ongoing."

Contact staff writer Paul Sisson at (760) 901-4087 or psisson@nctimes.com
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6 comment(s)[-]Go to Top
Don
[-] wrote on Dec 13, 2005 12:43 PM:
You Go, Mayor Jim Wood, Congratulations on having the fortitude to take on "Her Highness" and Company. All too often the news media and "entertainment" tend to forget to "Just Get The Facts, Mam." in their constant quest for the outrageous
Hopeful
[-] wrote on Dec 13, 2005 12:43 PM:
Present day footage might not show brothels, but it will show the drug dealers and homeless people living in the wooded areas along the bike path. My friends and I are too nervous to ride alone - what a shame. Perhaps Oprah's out of date report will be the catalyst for a much needed clean up this area.
Sony Gal
[-] wrote on Dec 13, 2005 1:08 PM:
If the beef people in Taxas didn't get a sorry from Oprah, does Jim Wood seriously think that he'll get one from the billion dollar star? NO!!!!
Jon
[-] wrote on Dec 13, 2005 9:50 PM:
Get over it Jim!!! Don't take the media so seriously. In any event it might slow the mass migration to the coast, just a little.
Debra
[-] wrote on Dec 14, 2005 8:35 AM:
Oceanside - Please Don't Recant! Hooray for you on bringing what so many in Oceanside know into the public eye. Shame on Jim Woods, the Mayor, for denying it. As a former police office he is well aware of what goes on in Oceanside. If you should speak to him about it ask him to comment on "Uncle Don" the porno king in town who shot a porn movie in opening up at same city hall and fountains that you showed on your show - featuring six local Marines and one young girl. Ask him to comment on "the bush" or the back gate at Pendleton. The "public" outcry denying these allegations are from the city officials local businesses that have been promised riches to change laws, side deals and try to turn Oceanside into a Del Mar or La Jolla. Their fear is these comments will thwart all their efforts. The real residents of Oceanside live there for many reasons - one is that it is one of the last small coastal towns in Southern California where you can get an ice cream cone and watch the sunset, build a bonfire on the beach, find a parking spot or listen to a concert right at the beach. It's such a shame that the powers of Oceanside are sacrificing the charm of the city to get rich quick when they could turn downtown into something wonderful and profitable but they just don't know how. Your comments have all of them scared and good for you! There is a horrendous problem with homeless youth, prostitution and youth abuse in downtown Oceanside. There are 102 registered sex offenders in the downtown corridor - that's registered only. But the city officials do nothing to fix the problem. It's the ostrich effect - it you ignore it, it doesn�t exist. I've fought this for years here - bringing awareness to the area, feeding and clothing the kids, cleaning their wounds, listening to their stories and it was so go to hear your comments and see the Mayor and City Officials sweat it - at least for a day or two. Thank you Oprah!
A local
[-] wrote on Dec 14, 2005 4:14 PM:
NIce job Jim. OCEANSIDE!! 76O!! dont mess with us.