SAN DIEGO -- While the adult services section was shut down on Craigslist on Friday, local activists said it was a grassroots effort that turned the tide.

Controversy followed it the moment the popular classified ads website Craigslist put up its Adult Services section.

"These ads were simply the dark side of the Internet," said Richard Blumenthal, one of the 17 attorneys general involved that urged Craigslist to replace the section.

Nikki Junker of Lakeside said she's keenly aware of that dark side.

"I was just elated because it's just a huge win for us," said Junker.

When she was 18, Junker was caught up in human sex trafficking. Five years later, she and others have established a website called MoreThanPurpose.org, which is devoted to putting an end to human sex trafficking. She said Craigslist founder Craig Newmark was reluctant to help.

"I straight asked him in an e-mail. I said, 'why don't you just take it down? You know people are being prostituted on there... Why not take it down? Is it because of the $32 million a year that you're making?’" said Junker.

The section on Craigslist continued to flourish until pressure was brought to bear.

"The message here really is put people above profits," said Blumenthal.

Junker said that message began with a grassroots campaign.

"It was our voice," she said. "We spoke up and they listened."