For Immediate Release
Friday, August 19th, 2022
Contact: Josselyn Berry, Jberry@azdem.org
Advocate for Domestic Violence Survivors and Rape Crisis Advocate Calls on RGA to Pull Offensive, Misleading Ad From Airwaves
PHOENIX–The RGA has fully entered Kari conspiracy land with its latest ad featuring a Q-Anon and Stop the Steal-linked fake advocate, as reported by the Arizona Mirror. In the ad, Traci Hansen calls herself an “advocate for human trafficking victims” but has “no ties to legitimate groups that combat human trafficking.” The ad is an absurd attack on Katie Hobbs, who has years of actual experience as a social worker and domestic violence advocate.
Kat Stratford, a single parent and a survivor of sexual and domestic violence saw the RGA ad and was appalled they would promote a Q-Anon disciple with “no ties to legitimate groups that combat human trafficking.” In 2014, Stratford was certified as a Rape Crisis Advocate by the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault, and has advocated for policies and reforms to help survivors in the aftermath of significant trauma.
“I was simply floored that the RGA chose to use a fake advocate to attack Katie Hobbs. As a survivor and advocate myself, I can tell you how dangerous it is that people like Traci Hansen push conspiracy theories that endanger the people they claim to protect and undermine the very important work real advocates are doing to stop human trafficking,” Stratford said. “The damage done by Traci and her allies causes delays in emergency services to real victims of human trafficking crimes, and they promote violence against elected officials named in their misinformation campaigns. I’m calling on the RGA to remove this false, misleading, and dangerous ad promoting Q-Anon conspiracy theories.”
Hansen fundraised for an organization that has “embraced Q-Anon” and she also attended a “QAnon-adjacent” rally organized by local conspiracy theorist Adel Belgaied, who was one of the “Stop the Steal” organizers. Only a few days ago, Kari Lake appeared in a photo with Belgaied at a Turning Point Action event. This builds on Lake’s long history of embracing the dangerous QAnon conspiracy movement.
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