Liberator In Action: Charles Bernsen
When we think of truck stops, we picture big rigs lined up outside, road trip souvenirs inside, and truck drivers at the counter scarfing down burgers and chili-drenched fries. What we don’t imagine is that something special is happening behind closed doors—as it did at a Petro truck stop in Florence, South Carolina, where manager Charles Bernsen was about to become someone’s saving grace and liberator.
It was just another day at this truck stop when employees noticed something unusual: a young woman was pacing the floor while looking over her shoulder nervously. She seemed anxious and repeatedly entered the bathroom. When they alerted Bernsen, he invited the young woman, Nikki, into his office, sat her down, and quietly listened to her story. She’d escaped the nearby hotel where she was being held and trafficked. Mostly, she feared her captor might find her. Bernsen immediately called the National Human Trafficking Hotline and, in that moment, set her on a path to liberation.
Bernsen, along with nearly 18,000 other employees of TravelCenters of America have been trained by Truckers Against Trafficking to spot potential illicit activity as it’s happening, identify potential victims of trafficking, and take immediate steps to report the crime.
Truckers Against Trafficking, is an organization dedicated to ending human trafficking on the highways of America. Through their training programs, workers in the transportation industry learn to become the eyes and ears of the highway that help combat this insidious crime, just as Charles Bernsen did.
True liberators don’t always show up with noise or recognition. Often they find their heart when spontaneously facing a tragic injustice. Today we recognize Charles Bernsen as our liberator in action for his quick response in liberating a victim of human trafficking. We also applaud TravelCenters of America for ensuring their employees are trained and equipped to report these crimes, and we commend all those at Truckers Against Trafficking for the great work they do in equipping ordinary people with the necessary tools to become everyday heroes as they liberate victims of trafficking along America’s highways.
Meet Charles Bernsen and the now-liberated Nikki as they reunite in the video below.