Allison Mack and NXIVM

Alexis Gutierrez, Writer

Actress Allison Mack, most known for her role as Chloe in Smallville has been arrested on April 20, under allegations of sex trafficking. She has been recruiting women and young actresses to join a “self-help” group named ‘Jness’.

The group ‘Jness’ is a subgroup of the organization, NXIVM, which has recently had contradicting responses from their members since the founder of the organization, Keith Raniere, was arrested in March under similar allegations as Allison Mack, with an additional forced labor conspiracy charge.

NXIVM pronounced (nex-e-um) is a individual assistance organization founded in 1998 By Keith Ranere, the mission on their website states, “NXIVM is a community guided by humanitarian principles that seek to empower people and answer important questions about what it means to be human…NXIVM helps people realize the potential that exists within them.”

Emily Rodriguez, 11, student and self-professed superfan of concluded show, “Smallville”, shares her opinion on Allison Mack’s involvement in NXIVM.

“It’s so disappointing that she was recruiting people to be in this group, especially because she’s a celebrity and people tend to trust celebs because they see them on screen they think they actually know these people on screen,” Rodriguez said.

Raniere has been said to start a secret subgroup society inside the NXIVM organization, this group is called “DOS”, to join this group women had to release testimonies that could differentiate their livelihoods and proceed to follow a list of requests and obligations for Raniere.

Juan Gonzalez, 12, vice president of Downey High’s Stop the Traffik club speaks on the problem of sex trafficking.

“I’m really saddened to see someone in such a high position be a participant in such a serious crime,” Gonzalez said. “As our society advances and learns about this huge problem of sex trafficking, I hope it destroys the apathy of sex trafficking.”

One women, Sarah Edmondson, has confined in the New York Times telling them her experience inside the “DOS” group, according to Edmondson, the people in “DOS” were Raniere’s slaves as they called Raniere “Vanguard” and “Master”. Edmondson has also conferred to New York Times that she has been branded with Ranieres initials along with many other women in “DOS”.

Shirley Marquez member of Downey High’s Stop the Traffik club talks about the unexpected places sex trafficking happens in.

“It just goes to show that human trafficking occurs everywhere and places you wouldn’t really think to look at,” Marquez said. “It coming to light is another way to bring awareness to this and show that’s it’s not over we still have to fight, even in the 21st century.”

Members of NXIVM take personal workshops like NXIVM “Executive Success Program” which, according to the NXIVM website “provides coaching, executive training, as well as personal and professional development programs that employ Mr. Raniere’s revolutionary methodology.”