Tito’s Credo: #SaveOurChildren… and how it doesn’t.

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This is the first installment in a series of articles about the conspiracy theories Mayor Pro Tem Ortiz believes and promotes, and how they could impact the citizens he was elected to represent. 

The cipher on this shirt means, “Where we go one, we go all.” I don’t know exactly what that means, and neither does Tito.

It’s no secret that Tito Ortiz is a QAnon devotee. He’s shared their disinformation on his public InstagramTwitter, and Parler accounts, and sold QAnon merchandise from his store, Punishment Athletics. For the very few among you who may still be blissfully unaware of QAnon, I’ll save you a couple of clicks and link you to the Wikipedia page.

Many conspiracy theories have become associated with Q Anon, but one that broke into mainstream consciousness this summer was ‘Save The Children,’ which, after some confused it with the century-old, London-based organization of the same name, was revised to ‘Save Our Children.’ Q Anon holds that there is a secret cabal of pedophiles (mostly Democrats, of course) who are secretly plotting against President Trump, and they use these outright lies to advocate for racist and xenophobic policies like the border wall. The threat to our children is largely imagined: most victims of human trafficking are taken from families in poor countries, and very few are abducted from neighborhoods like Huntington Beach. According to the FBI, fewer than 350 children are abducted by strangers in the United States every year.

You might have seen this ‘Save Our Children’ hashtag cross your social media feeds, posted by well-meaning mothers or conservative friends, and that social media push inspired nationwide rallies in July and August.

In Huntington Beach, one such event was organized by Tito Ortiz’s longtime girlfriend, Amber Nichole Miller.

Amber was so inspired by this movement, she felt compelled to get more involved. She donated much of her wealth to reputable anti-trafficking organizations with great track records, and used her modest celebrity to platform experts in the field. 

Just kidding.  What she really did was set up a website, and start selling t-shirts! ,


(I already own a couple of t-shirts with children’s handprints on them, thanks.)

Actually, there are two websites: Save Our Children Initiative and The SOCIAL Foundation. SOC Initiative is mostly a storefront for clothing, accessories, and paid “membership” to a private Instagram account with a whopping 18 followers (Facebook has cracked down on QAnon activities, and Amber keeps violating their Terms of Use, so they had to go private). The SOCIAL Foundation focuses more on information about human trafficking, and opportunities to “GET INVOLVED!,” which, according to their website, means either hosting your own rally or giving them money. 

Note the WWG1WGA sign in the background… Is that guy “going one” or “going all”, I can’t tell?

It’s not clear how they’re using the money they do receive. On their SOC Initiative store pages, they indicate proceeds will go “towards the creation of global rehabilitation centres,” and “outreach support programs” for victims, but in Amber’s bio on the SOCIAL Foundation website, and a video on her personal Instagram account, she implies their main goals are actually awareness, education, and prevention. Their donation page simply states, “Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and improve conditions. Your generosity will fund our mission.” 

The SOCIAL Foundation has been actively fundraising since their first July 30 rally at the pier, but only filed for incorporation as a non-profit on November 10, a week after Amber’s boyfriend was elected to HB City Council. Her LinkedIn page says she founded the SOC Initiative in 2019.

These inconsistencies have led a number of concerned citizens to suspect that Amber, and possibly Tito, are involved in some sort of charity fraud — but this is, for now, purely speculation. It’s impossible to confirm or deny these rumors because Miller refuses to publish her organization’s financial records, and both SOC Initiative and The SOCIAL Foundation are so new they don’t yet have profiles on Better Business Bureau, or any other charity rating site.

All I’m gonna say about this image is… at least her hand is there. Even if she doesn’t have fraud trouble, she’s got optics trouble.

Despite having no professional experience in law enforcement, Miller and her Canadian business partner Alana Oliva-Connelly made an effort to educate themselves about the basics of human trafficking, and they proudly display certificates from a non-profit called Operation Underground Railroad.  (Let’s speak plainly:  a “Certification of Completion” is just a “Participation Trophy” for grownups.)

Operation Underground Railroad was founded by Tim Ballard, a devout Mormon who claims God told him to “find the lost children.” OUR was recently scrutinized for their lack of financial transparency and lying about their operations, and received criticism for sensationalizing their rescues. Still, Ballard was appointed to an anti-trafficking advisory council by Donald Trump in 2019. 

Much like the SOC Initiative/SOCIAL Foundation and President Trump, O.U.R. refuses to denounce QAnon, and welcomes financial and volunteer support from Q faithfuls. Over 90 anti-trafficking organizations signed this open letter denouncing QAnon conspiracy theories, but both Miller’s and Ballard’s organizations are conspicuously missing from the list. 

Tim Ballard, Trump’s anti-trafficking man.

Miller recently used her knowledge from Ballard’s “Break the Chain” crash course to create a short “instructional” video about what to do when you suspect you’re in danger of being abducted. This was in response to a Northern California “mommy blogger” who went viral after telling followers that her children were scoped by traffickers in a Petaluma Michael’s!   (It was later revealed that mommy blogger had simply  racially profiled an innocent Latino couple.)

Amber’s takeaway message to her Instagram followers is that, when they feel uncomfortable in a situation, they “need to stop being nice.”

And the brown man was wearing a Black Lives Matter hoodie… it was SO SCARY!

So… IS this a grift? And what does any of this have to do with Tito Watch? 

Well for one thing, Tito has just been appointed council liaison to the Children’s Needs Task Force. This task force works with schools, non-profits, and the police to create a safe environment for HB’s kids; traditionally that has involved uncontroversial activities, like toy drives or fundraisers for youth sports leagues. 

If Miller offers ‘Save Our Children’ courses to K-12 students through The SOCIAL Foundation, her boyfriend’s position on that task force would create opportunities for her organization to receive free publicity and possibly payments from the city, along with the opportunity to introduce impressionable young minds to the world of QAnon. 

It’s not a laughing matter, but I hope someday we all appreciate the irony of needing to save our children from “Save Our Children.” 

Previously in this series:
And Our Tito Watch Begins…
Tito Tries a Council Meeting!
Tito and Facial Coverings: A Dark Surf City Comedy


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