TOMS shoes...Style your Soul..Dallas

Last weekend I did an event with TOMS shoes in Dallas, thanks to my boy and fellow Veritas Artist Collective member Zach Saucedo. We custom painted TOMS for a ton of customers along with some of DFW's top artists; Shane Pennington, Joshua Stone, Frankie Garcia, J Taylor, Brandon Mike and others. DJ Sober was rockin old school beats the whole afternoon on an incredible day. I always enjoy any time I get to spend with Zach Saucedo. Zach, Sean Ellis and I along with HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) artists recently created designs for CTC Internationals L.I.F.E bags that debuted at Summit Series DC this week. Some of the top Business, Political, Entrepreneurial, Philanthropic minds will be in attendance with the bags hanging from their shoulders including Bill Clinton, Russell Simmons, Yosi Sergeant, Mark Cuban, Scott Harrison, Ann Veneman, Kristen Bell, Blake Mycoskie etc etc, you get the point. Anyways heres a cool link to whats happening there POLITICO and here are some pictures from the TOMS event and the LIFE bags....

Can't get enough of these two..

So..my brove-n-law introduced this little crew to me..and I can't stop listening to them and their solo projects..here you go..for your eyes and ears.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vEStDd6HVY] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meT2eqgDjiM] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hFT853OYfg] Solo [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhDGdT33K0k] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Reb5IwMHzoE]

Sex Trafficking Campaign

I am currently working on a project for a friend who is starting a campaign to raise awareness to the major epidemic of sex trafficking in India and Nepal. The campaign will be run primarily through media/TV in India with some pretty powerful support from celebrities and activists. I am absolutely honored to be helping and assisting where my skills and gifts can be utilized to bring this horrific human action, sex trafficking. Here are a few of the statistics that were presented to me from the group I am assisting, they are overwhelming and heartbreaking. Every year, 10,000 Nepali girls* are deceitfully trafficked into India (by false marriages and false job offers) and forced into sexual slavery in Indian brothels. The average age of these girls is 15 years old. Some are as young as seven.

An estimated 400,000 children are victims of sexual exploitation and commodification within India every year.*

200,000 women working within India as prostitutes were originally trafficked from Nepal, even if now "compliant" prostitutes.

An estimated 10 million women are working as prostitutes within India, at least half of which were trafficked or forced into this line of work when they started.

The trafficking of women to and around India alone is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar a year industry.*

*according to UNICEF

Once trapped, the girls are told that they have to pay back the price that the brothel-owner paid to have them trafficked, and that they cannot leave until this is paid. They are literally prisoners of the brothel, unable to leave or contact anyone, or in some cases, speak to anyone. In some cases, trafficked girls are kept in cages, sometimes packed together with a number of other girls, forced to defecate in the same area which they eat.

When these innocent girls try to protest or refuse, they are severely beaten and tortured. Cigarettes are put out on their bodies, belts are used to beat them, broken bottles to cut them. The methods of torture go on. They are often locked in a windowless room for days, and gang-raped repeatedly until they are "broken," and consent to work as prostitutes. They are powerless to refuse.

They are forced to have sex with several men every day. They are violated in almost every way imaginable. They end up with HIV and are abandoned. Socially ostracized and unable to return to their villages, many become traffickers themselves.

Sex trafficking involves the following crimes:

• Kidnapping • Deception • Imprisonment • Torture • Rape • Murder

It is the greatest injustice in the world.

A big part of the reason that this injustice is able to continue is because it is kept in the dark. Society's ignorance of the true face of trafficking leads to indifference toward its victims. Their cries are unheard in the dark chambers of Indian brothels.

Societal indifference makes trafficking easy. In Nepal and India, there is little public outcry or protest against the corruption, bribery, and ignoring of the law that must occur to make such a horrible crime against such innocent victims possible.

Society's ignorance and indifference makes trafficking easy in the following ways: • Laws are not strong enough • Existing laws are enforced loosely • Corrupt officials take bribes to avoid enforcing the laws • It is easy, and relatively risk-free to traffic young girls • There is much trafficking

One of the activists that will be supporting this campaign is Sunitha Krishnan, who is one of the most influential activists in the fight against human trafficking. You can find more information about Dr. Krishnan by watching her Ted Talks youtube video at [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeOumyTMCI8]

As more information and the ideas/projects begin to take more shape I will continue to update. SAMO4PREZ

SAMO4SXSW

Hey peoples..I would love for you to come check out my new work this week at SXSW it will be up @SPACE March 12-17th open from 7am-12am!...The show is in the old Photography Gallery behind Parkside restaurant on 6th and San Jacinto Downtown Austin, the space will be open all week long for people to hang out and relax, surf the internet, have drinks etc during SXSW with a private VIP showing on Monday the 15th 5-7pm (your are welcome to come out). Stop by anytime during the week to see the show! The show is being hosted by Blogcatalog.

The afterparty, hosted by CauseParty.org (Soles for Haiti), will feature great music, free food prepared by Chef Clive Berkman and free drinks including craft beer samples by brewer Jeff Bell.

Please bring a pair of shoes and/or money to donate to the people in Haiti!

Here is a little video I did with the space, directions etc etc and a little jazzy rhythm I created

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPOfYEtL5TA]