Film on child prostitution featured judge before his death

By Christopher Quinn

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Judge Sanford “Sammy” Jones never got the chance to see the documentary “Playground,” which features him talking about what many in the city don’t discuss: Atlanta’s thriving teen sex trade.

Jones, a low-key but passionate fighter against the sex trafficking of minors, speaks in one segment about how easy it is for people to order a teenager by description on the Internet, fly into the busy airport and complete the transaction.

The former Fulton County chief juvenile judge died in an airplane crash May 15, shortly after film producer Libby Spears finished “Playground.” The film’s Atlanta premiere is Tuesday.

Typical for him, Jones, 56, died helping others. He flew a plane to Florida to pick up three college students he knew from church and was bringing them home. Jones reported problems over Alabama by radio, but a cause of the crash has not been determined. Two of the students survived.

Spears spoke by phone with Jones days before his death. The documentary was about to be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

“I said, ‘I can send you a DVD if you want to see it,’” Spears recalled. “But he said he would rather see it in Atlanta.”

“He never saw it. And that’s the sad part.”

Sad particularly because Jones opened doors that made the Los Angeles-based producer’s work possible. Spears began investigating the international sex trade in the Pacific Rim in 2001, but it led her back to the U.S. and Georgia. She discovered domestic teenagers are being victimized by pimps and organized criminals more than foreigners, and that Atlanta was one center for the trade. Jones introduced Spears to many in Atlanta who know about the issue.

Spears said she chose cities such as Atlanta and Portland because she wanted viewers to realize this is an American heartland issue.

A recent study by the Atlanta nonprofit Juvenile Justice Fund estimates 300 teenagers a month are pimped in the metro area.

Kaffie McCullough, who works for the nonprofit, said the trafficking of teenagers has been an ugly and often ignored fact.

“He wanted to make sure all kinds of kids had champions, and these kids were ones who had flown under the radar,” she said.

After the FBI named Atlanta in 2003 as one of the U.S. centers for the abusive trade, Mayor Shirley Franklin took notice. A city study brought the subject into the light, fueling a number of people and organizations to address it, from Gov. Sonny Perdue to local houses of worship. They began lobbying for better laws and raising money for programs to help children rescued from the underground business. Georgia first lady Mary Perdue will make introductory remarks at the Atlanta premiere.

Courtney Dalton, Jones’ 33-year-old daughter, said her father was motivated by what he had to deal with on a daily basis.

“Just seeing what he saw every day, it kept him driven,” Dalton said.

Kim Borna, the executive director of the Juvenile Justice Fund, said, “He wanted people in Atlanta to see this film, not because he is in it, but for them to know what he knew.”

“Playground” will be shown at the Woodruff Arts Center’s Symphony Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Tickets $25, students $15. VIP reception at 6 p.m., tickets $125. All money goes to Juvenile Justice Fund programs to help Atlanta teenagers. Call 404-733-5000 or visit www.playground premiereatl.com.