ROLE: Art Direction, Design, Concept, Research, Execution, PR

 

Portland Police Bureau needed a way to let victims of human trafficking know that Police want to help them but there were four major obstacles standing in the way. There is a language barrier between victims and people who can help them (1), they do not trust police or understand that they have rights (2), there are no statistics on this issue, and because there are no statistics (3) there is no available funding (4).

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The Red Means Help campaign reaches out to victims in their own languages. It lets them know that the Portland Police want to help and that they have rights. Most importantly it offers them a nonverbal tool to break their silence: show any red object to an officer for help. By showing red to an officer it instantly creates statistics and therefore leads to future funding.

 

We chose to launch our primary executions using public transportation. We know from victim interviews that they often use public transportation. Additionally, there is no way for handlers to block the messaging. The RMH campaign was featured on three major news channels in the Portland area. It is currently being formed into a non-profit, providing comprehensive resources for victims.

 

CW: Jamie Morrissey, Charles Spicer, Matthew Bailey