Palatka, FL, United States
Ron Evans recruited workers from homeless shelters in New Orleans, Tampa, and Miami, among other cities, promising them good jobs and housing. The victims then came to Evans’ labor camps in Palatka, FL and Newton Grove, NC. Evans then deducted money for rent, food, crack cocaine, and alcohol from the workers’ pay. In Palatka, the camp was surrounded by a chain link fence topped with barbed wire. Ron Evans worked for the grower Frank Johns, who in 2004 served as Chairman of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (a lobbying organization within the Florida agricultural industry).
Location
United States · Palatka, FL · 2005 (location generalized to protect survivors)
Response & intervention
In 2007 Evans was sentenced to 30 years in prison for drug conspiracy, financial re-structering, and witness tampering. Jequita Evans was sentenced to 20 years, and Ron Evans Jr. was sentenced to 10 years.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and the local homeless outreach organization Touching Miami With Love began investigating the case in 2003 and reported it to federal authorities. The raid was lead by the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General, as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division. The U.S. Marshal and the Putnam County Sheriff’s office also contributed. In total, 50 laborers were found.
After the raid, some of the victims were taken into custody to serve as witnesses in the case, while some were transferred to local shelters and hotels, and some chose to stay at the labor camp.
See "intervention" section.
Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don't have a verifiable source on file yet — use “Report a problem” below to add one.