This is a perfect example of Legislative Vigilantism. The Ministry has found a way to keep registrants compliant with all of their needs, and lawmakers come along and break it up with a nonsensical "you can't live together" law. What are Lawmakers reason, are they afraid of a Army developing, I cannot think of a logical reason to break up what this Mission is doing. This is not about code-type violations this goes to the heart of the Mission. I wonder if the law -in this case- violates religious prohibitions found within Constitutional law.4-28-2011 Oklahoma:
The measure would break up a south Oklahoma City mobile home park where more than 250 men who are registered sex offenders live.
The House approved a measure Tuesday intended to break up a south Oklahoma City mobile home park where more than 250 men who are registered sex offenders live.
David Nichols, founder, president and executive director of Hand Up Ministries, said in an interview that he would talk with his attorneys about how the measure would affect his Christian prison ministry.
“I'm sure we'll try to file an injunction first,” Nichols said. “The worst — I'll just have to move them out into tents. I'll offer to let them stay on the property if they want to because they've got to keep a job. The only way they can do that is if I help them.”
Residents are required to have jobs and to get regular treatment at the mobile home park, he said. Three sex offenders are placed in three-bedroom mobile homes at his mobile home park, 2130 SE 59. They pay $400 a month to live in the mobile homes.
Most live in 69 three-bedroom mobile homes in his 14-acre park, Nichols said. The park also has 50 travel trailers, which are set aside for new arrivals; as space becomes available, they move into an available mobile home, he said.
The House voted 72-10 to pass Senate Bill 852. It now goes to the Senate.
Rep. Colby Schwartz, R-Yukon, House author of the measure, said the Oklahoma City Police Department requested the bill to clarify an existing state law that was intended to keep convicted sex offenders from living together.
Having sex offenders live in the same dwelling also makes it difficult for police when investigating a crime to determine who possesses evidence found in the living unit, he said.
SB 852 would define a multiunit structure in which registered sex offenders are allowed to reside as a structure with multiple residential units that provide independent living facilities for living, sleeping, cooking, eating and sanitation within each individual unit.
It also would prohibit anyone to lease space to registered sex offenders in dwellings where they would reside together. It would be a misdemeanor, but after a third violation, it would be a felony.
Rep. Ben Sherrer, D-Choteau, argued against the bill, saying the prison ministry is providing living accommodations for sex offenders who often can't find decent housing.
“It does a good job serving that need,” he said.
Sex offenders are prohibited from living close to parks, schools and day care centers.
Schwartz said about 20 residents at the mobile home park are sex offenders from out of state. If his measure would become law, the ministry could build appropriate dormitories instead of charging sex offenders to live in cheap mobile homes, he said. ..Source.. by MICHAEL MCNUTT
So, how is this different if its a house with many people living there and only one is a Registered Sex Offender? Your telling me that if the cops find child porn on a PC then its automatically thr RSO? you do know that its a likely probability that the rest of the occupants are aware of this and he could be set up for the fall.
ReplyDeleteBut as an RSO, i have believed that living multiple RSO's is a bad idea. I mean, i know what im capable of, but i have no idea what is going on in their heads. Could offer support for each other, but i doubt it. More like, one brings home a victim andthey either all join in or all look the other way in fear of one goes down, they all go down. So no, "WE" should not be living in the same house outside of a controlled environment. I would alway be looking over my shoulder in fear of the others screwing me up.
As a RSO myself I find it hard to find a place that I can actually live thats within the requirements of the law but I agree that RSO's should not live together, The last thing that I need is for someone to mess things up for me and cause me to be sent back to prison.
ReplyDeleteAs a RSO for over 16 yrs. and still registering, I do not see anything wrong with the mission statement of what this man is doing for rso's. It is a transitional place (temporary). Nobody rso or not should ever just lay down and except that "this is my life". This law is to ambiguous and not very well thought through. There will always be a negative side to anything. (ie: yes multiple rso's might plot or perpetuate, but honestly this discussion was in the context of a mobile home park WITH 250 RSO's!!! The likely hood of a relapse or attack would be ludicrous.) Do I think that sex offenders should live together? I do not see that in itself a problem. It would all be dependent on individual circumstance and personal accountability. Agian, these people are in a transitional point in there lives. They are merely trying to stay out of prison and avoid police harassment, while trying to deal with the reality of finding employment and a way to make a new life for themselves.
ReplyDeleteIf the government mandates this,I believe they should provide the housing from now on, FREE OF CHARGE.
ReplyDelete