AR: Legislator not afraid to speak out against nonsense Halloween sex offender ban.
Sen. Trent Garner, of Arkansas, sponsored Senate Bill 10, which would make it a class D felony, punishable by up to six years in prison, for a level 3 or 4 sex offender to give candy to a minor or wear a mask or costume around a minor at any “Halloween-related” event.
More ridiculous than the bill (which ignores all studies showing there is no increase in sexual assaults during Halloween) is that it was approved Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
But not all legislators were in favor of the bill. Sen. Stephanie Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, committee vice chairman, said “We’re going over the edge, and I’m wondering what’s next… Is there an island you want to put them on?”
Those in Arkansas should urge their senators to oppose the bill.
There they go with that cookie cutter stuff again. Some law makers and some people in the general public are very ignorent on these subjects especially the ones that want to do nothing but spread hate. There’s no facts that there’s more risk on Halloween but there is facts that most offenders never re-offend ever. They really should be embarrassed by how cookie cutter their babarian laws are. People who were in high school/college relationships working a 7 year difference who had consensual relationships basically get the same treatment as some 50 year old man who forcefully raped a child. There are only tiny differences between the two once they served their time because of the cookie cutter laws and honestly the two people have nothing in common but lawmakers and the general public want to throw them both under the same nasty label. I saw where some lower tier kid the other day got threw in jail because of a social media account and to me that is straight garbage that police officers would even waste their time on something so petty and that they won’t to use our tax dollars, limited jail space, limited funds, efforts, & time for a kid that has a social media account that had no bad intention when they could be out there putting that time and efforts into violent people, stopping drugs from getting into children’s hands, anything actually helpful to our society. We want every person be a tax paying, positive community member, and asset to our communities and society. How can you expect these people to become that if you let them back into society with one hand cuffed behind their back and limit what job they can do and where they can go. There’s already so much that is unfairly taken away from their right to be a normal citizen to pursue a normal life after their time and probation is up. It’s barbarian and honestly it’s sick that law makers and the general public are okay with everything being so cookie cutter. Why couldn’t a person in their lower 20’s that enters in at a lower tier over time double his age, has a clean record since the event become a teacher, a police office, a nurse, a doctor, lawyer, or even fight for his country if he’s shown that he had one mistake, a lapse of bad judgment and that’s not who he or she really is? Why couldn’t they have the ability to be great at any of those jobs, if they’ve proven themselves over time and effort?? The sex registry, the barbarian laws, & the system itself associated around it is completely broken. We are the most extreame with our registry laws than anywhere else in the world. We said a long time ago that this country wouldn’t have a second class citizen but this country has always attempted to create second class citizen and show hate to someone. I love my country, my state, but I hate the systems we have in place, I hate the Barbarian laws that surround it. You get a job and move somewhere their going to post ads about you even if the crime was 10 years ago and you’ve been nothing but a good citizen since their going to share in every social media site embarrass your kids when they try to go to school then they get bullied so bad they don’t want to go back to school it’s barbarian. The public registry is an embarrassment tool of revenge there’s no reason why it couldn’t just be left with just sheriff departments for their knowledge in speaking of lower tier offenders especially when majority never offend again and that’s a proven fact. We don’t do this with other crimes, with drug dealers, with habitual people that get DWI’s, or any other crime. I’m all for keeping our communities safe, keeping violent people behind bars, and creating a better community but it’s not under this current system. I’m for being smarter not harder. I’m for making everyone individual that has the want to to become an asset to our communities and to society. Everyone should have the right to live a normal life after their time and probation. Everyone should be able to apply for jobs they want to better themselves, live where they want, support their kids at all their school functions especially when there’s adults around that seems like a no brainer that people are trying to get stricten with no good cause or with any facts behind it but to just be more Barbarian. The system is broken it was created with good intention and but it was created broken. Progress would be to develop rehab therapies for lower tier people let them complete those programs and allow them to re-enter society with a second chance. There’s a higher chance of someone not on the registry to commit these crimes than people that are on them especially ones that made one mistake in their 20’s and got on it. We need positive change, real change, I don’t believe giving out the Scarlett letter treatment to anyone that’s made one mistake under person to person consent that wasn’t a violent crime. Those people need a second chance at life, a chance to better themselves through every career after some time, and a chance to support their kids and live normal after their time spent if even any time at all , probation and a supportive therapy program to guide younger people through their mistakes. Look we need everyone to be assets to society, we need to have a supportive community that wants everyone to be successful, a tax payer, and contribute to our community. I pray that progress will be made in the future in the right direction and we get law makers that will make the right changes for the positive progress that’s needed even if the crowd with pitchforks chooses to not understand for selfish false fearing reasons. A public registry for non violent offenders does more harm than good. It ruins lives not help them. Other countries just allow their police staff to their registry’s and lower offenders only register for 4-5 years and are off if they kept a clean record to persue a normal life. You don’t want every citizen to be able to harass, slander, and potentially cause more crime towards an offender based just on false fear. Their going to walk into a wrong offenders yard that’s just trying to be peaceful mind his own business and get a finger pointed at his face, threatened, and that offender is going to knock that person out what’s going to happen. Majority of offenders get harassed someone I know closely has had his truck spray painted mean words on them, has had mail box trashed, and fake Facebook accounts were made to just not to harass him, but his wife, his kids, and made comments like they hope his unborn baby on the way gets raped. Disgusting things and that’s what a percent of the public uses it for and when reported nothing happens and this guy got touched up on a girl that snuck into one of his college parties that was under age was the only reason he was on the registry because that story went viral and he was honest about it when he was asked. This guy didn’t even know this girl was younger and he especially did not deserve the treatment he’s recieved. I know similar stories from several people I know and it’s disgusting. We need positive change! We need help. Again…everyone should be allowed to be an asset to society especially when their probation is complete. Thanks for taking the time to read my comment feel free to share.
Should sex offenders be allowed to use the same drinking fountains children use? Shouldn’t sex offenders be arrested for looking at children? We already limit there jobs and where they live. I thought the plan was to start charging black people with sex offense charges so we could start reinstating Jim Crowe laws!
But seriously folks, why is it a big deal sex offenders can’t wear a mask? Sex offenders can just wear body paint and make-up instead! Sex offenders could protest not being able to wear masks by going nude in the street with only body paint. Then it would be a political demonstration, a form of free speech protected by the US Constitution with precedents set by the “Top Free” movement and the “World Naked Bike Ride!” Given enough time though, Florida and Arizona with these ridiculous laws will be the new ground zero for nationwide political demonstrations! Sex offenders and supporters from all over the country may converge on Butts County with a fully nude “Fantasy Fest” themed Halloween demonstration! I may even chip in for the busses! In Illinois, if someone proposes a day care center in the wrong spot, dozens of homeowners will lose there homes. Some day, organizers will start picketing proposed sites of day care centers. The caring, nurturing day care workers won’t want to face the protests outside, so the day care center will have to hire, thick-skinned, tough guys to care for the children. Then those children will be just as hateful as their parents!