C i t y P a g e s

Samuel Curtis Johnson III, the billionaire executive whose family has owned the SC Johnson Company since the 19th century, is being charged in Wisconsin’s Racine County with repeatedly sexually molesting his stepdaughter over several years.

The girl, now 15, says Johnson touched her inappropriately on 15 or 20 occasions, starting when she was in the sixth grade.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Village Voice Media, which owns this newspaper, owns the classified site Backpage.com. In addition to used cars, jobs, and couches, readers can also find adult ads on Backpage; for this reason, Women’s Funding Network and their allies have often called attention to the site, sometimes going so far as to call for its closure.

Certainly we have a stake in this discussion. And we do not object to those who suggest an apparent conflict of interest. We sat quietly and did not respond as the WFN held symposiums across America—from Seattle to Miami—denouncing Backpage. Indeed, we were never asked for response.

But then we looked at the “science” and the media’s willingness to regurgitate, without question, these incredible statistics. In the interest of a more informed discussion, we decided to write.

For background articles go to: www.villagevoice.com/sex-trafficking