I have to give Dave Aronberg (D-Greenacres) kudos...no matter how he spins the public safety angle, at least the guy is trying.
The Florida state senator is pushing for changes in the Sunshine State's Draconian sex offender laws.
SB 1430 designates "no lingering zones"--areas such as parks, schools and libraries where those convicted of certain sex offenses would not be permitted to loiter.
Knowing that Florida has most likely defined loiter to mean anything else but what we think, the Aronberg bill seemingly implies purposeful activity would be permitted, i.e the launching of a boat off a public ramp, the checking out of a best seller.
If indeed true, that's pretty huge for Florida.
Aronberg's bill also pushes "for a statewide 1,500-foot buffer between where sex offenders live and places children gather. In doing so, his bill would repeal get-tough sex offender housing ordinances passed by more than 120 Florida communities in the past few years, including Miami Beach and New Port Richey."
That's an increase of 500 feet.
The Iowa County Attorneys Association--a group of public prosecutors that has been vocal about sex offender laws since 2002, when Iowa became the first state in the nation to enact 2,000-foot buffers between sex offenders and schools--has this to say about that.
"We have said all along that the residency restrictions and the safety zones are aimed mostly at the stranger-danger kinds of things and that while those are horrendous whenever they occur, they are a tiny percentage. We are spending all our time focusing on those while there are thousands of children being sexually abused in their own homes and at acquaintances' homes. We would like to see more effort in preventing those kinds of abuse."
So...how is the continued need for residency restrictions justified?
It's simple.
Repeal of such laws would force the Florida Legislature to admit...they were wrong all along.
7 comments:
OK I am angry. I admit that right off the bat. I am really really angry. I am sick and tired of our Legislators outright lying to us or lying by omission. I am sick of our Politicians thinking that we are too stupid to hear the truth. That we do not have the common sense necessary to make good judgements and decisions. That may be true of a small percentage of our population, but not of the majority.
This increase of the state residency restriction to 1500 ft. is a horrible idea. It will cost this State huge amounts of money. Aronberg will say it won't but it will! It has to. Someone has to enforce this. Our courts will have to hear the cases brought by people that are forced from their homes. The courts will have to hear the cases of the people who will violate their parole by living within 1500 ft. of SOMETHING they are not supposed to. We are looking at huge dollars here to do something that is a really bad idea in the first place!
The sad thing here, Ladies and Gentlemen is that Aronberg KNOWS this is a bad idea. He KNOWS that residency restrictions do NOTHING to prevent abuse and actually increase the danger. I know this because I know many people who have TOLD him this. Who have shown him the studies that confirm this. So why, you ask, is he sponsoring this bill? Why is he increasing the residency restrictions?
It is simple, for one thing, it is an election year. Any law that "appears" tough on sex offenders is a vote getter. It does not have to work, it simply has to "look good". The other reason is more political posturing. The fact is that it is important for Florida to have a common State wide residency restriction. It is important to get rid of these 2500 ft. laws. This bill will do that and this is a good thing. BUT, in order not to get powerful, rich, lobbyist RON BOOK angry at Aronberg he is throwing him the BONE of increasing the distance even though this would be very harmful. What we are saying here is to h**l with the children, getting re elected is what is important! They have been saying that for quite a few years now and it is past time for it to STOP!
Even the victim advocacy groups are begging to get these residency restrictions stopped. YOU TELL ME, how is telling a person where they can sleep at night going to stop any abuse?
The children are NOT at school at night. The children are NOT at the school bus stops at night! They are NOT at the parks at night. They are at home in THEIR beds. The ONLY thing that makes sense if the no loitering zones or safety zones. Make it a law that a former sex offender is not allowed to loiter within 300 ft of a school, school bus stop, or park. THAT means he cannot be there DURING THE DAY when the child is actually there or coming or going from there. THAT makes sense. Telling a person where he can or cannot sleep at night does NOT makes sense. It makes homeless former sex offenders. It makes desperate former sex offenders. It makes people with no support system, no homes, no jobs and NOTHING TO LOSE!
Political expediency be damned! Stop the lies and actually protect our children...they are worth more than your re election!
And just one more thing. Aronberg knows that the minute his 1500 ft. law goes into effect he has made about 400 former offenders homeless. These 400 are the men that are living in a theraputic environment in a few mobile homes and in the rare ministries that accept former sex offenders.
That does not include the 47,009 other former offenders in the State. This is so wrong headed as to be unbelievable.
Yup, it's an election year and politicians will create "solutions" to perceived problems. If Aronberg is so concerned about the distance b/w sex offenders and children why doesn't he propose s 5000 ft restriction? I hate to be cynical but I bet voters fall for it though.
Vulcan, I'm afraid you would be right.
Another Voice, tomorrow I would like to use part of your comment in my post. You are right about Ron Book--he is as much behind many of these laws as John Walsh is behind the Adam Walsh Act.
Your point about the money is a good one. For all of you out there that do not live in Florida, the State Beautiful is in a massive financial freefall...the eight year legacy of J.E.B. is finally coming home to roost, but the good thing...
...this state will be forced to purge all sorts of hateful legislation because it will no longer be affordable.
I know as well that Aronberg and many others holding office have been visited time and time again by those with the research, i.e. Jill Levenson, a voice of sanity in this insanity.
What they won't tell you is how many family members have visited them. Wives, children--private citizens who have done no wrong--forced to live as pariahs because they support their loved one have met with our esteemed lawmakers, sharing what life is like, the life of person saddled with collateral damage.
I guess those kids don't mean that much.
Nah, they won't tell you that.
It's time for this to stop.
sunny, they are getting ready to release violent criminals but will still be spending MILLIONS on this other bullshit???
Link for you:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080403/ap_on_re_us/prisoners_early_release
run with it as i know you will
I feel like becoming a pariah. Only I would do it backwards. I would say NO PEOPLE WITHIN FIVE THOUSAND FEET OF ME. How can I manage that?
There should be a fucking law.
i'm sick to DEATH of these nazis.
We could be pariahs together because I like the sound of your idea.
Your link just makes Aronberg's bill seem totally absurd.
Froggers, check out States may free inmates.
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