GA: Butts County criticized for ‘No Trick Or Treat’ signs placed in yards of registered sex offenders
JACKSON, Ga. — Thousands of kids will hit the streets for trick or treat in just days.
In Butts County, Sheriff Gary Long said deputies in his county are putting preventative measures in place to keep kids safe. They have started placing ‘No Trick Or Treat’ yard signs in front of registered sex offenders homes in their county.
“This Halloween, my office has placed signs in front of every registered sex offender’s house to notify the public that it’s a house to avoid,” Long said in a Facebook post.
Could this effort to protect children put other families at risk? The warning feels like a target to some.
“There have been threats made. Hot heads saying just take a gun to their heads, it will solve it all,” said one Butts County mom, who didn’t want to be identified.
Georgia state law prohibits registered sex offenders from placing Halloween decorations on their property. The signs have the universal “no” symbol over a trick or treat bag underneath the message “NO TRICK-OR-TREAT AT THIS ADDRESS!!”
“That poster that is causing that hysteria is posted at my property and I have not done anything wrong,” she said.
The woman said her husband is on the sex offender registry list for a relationship he had with an underage woman when he was 20 years old.
“There’s so many levels,” she said. “There’s such a gray area of this one did this, and this one did that, but yet they happen to be treated all the same.”
The idea to put yard signs in front of registered sex offenders homes came after organizers decided not to have an annual trick-or-treating event.
“The big challenge that we face here in Butts County, for years and years and years and years they’ve always done Halloween on the square and on Halloween night we would have anywhere from 2,500 to 4,000 children,” the sheriff told 11Alive
Vickie Henry, president of Women Against Registry, said the yard signs can lead to harassment.
“They are not the threat that people perceive them to be,” she said. “And those signs are just going to make things worse.”
There are more than 50 sex offenders in Butts County, according to Sheriff Long. The Georgia Bureau of Investigations’ website shows close to 31,500 registered sex offenders in the state.
“There are some sex offenders that are not happy,” Long said. “But I’m not in the business of making them happy. I’m in the business of keeping safe communities and making sure that our children are protected.”
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Sheriff Long
If you want to do something that protects children put up signs that tell something truthful instead of perpetuating lies and bigotry and divisive conflict. Why show your ignorance in such a blatant way. Get the facts. Then do something about it.
This is just nasty. The only problems I have ever heard of on Halloween night is car/pedestrian accidents, and scumbags who put foreign objects in the treats. Even if a registered offender thought about assaulting a child (re-offense rates are extremely low) it would not happen in the crowded situation of multitudes of children trick-or-treating, especially when so many are accompanied by parents. Just another publicity stunt aimed at a nonexistent problem, which has the potential of inciting vigilantism.
Oops…the sign just burst into flames…I don’t know what happened. That’s never happened before.
Again, The Government creating a fear that ISN’T THERE !! That Sheriff or any other Sheriff CANT name one INCIDENT where a child was “Harmed By A Sex Offender” on Halloween !!!. This is just a “Scare Tatic” to “Fire Up The Public” again because now (most) People are starting to see that “The Registery” is a JOKE !! And SO MANY People are being added to The Registery on a DAILY BASIS that people are beginning to “Personally know people who are listed on The Registery” !! And they are realizing that (Most) people on The Registery aren’t “Evil Monster’s” out looking for a child to scoop up and harm !!. Sounds to me like this “Sheriff” is worried about the “Re-election” !!!! He’s desperate to “Make Himself look Good” to the public !! Only he’s hurting his self !!!. People are starting to realize that “ANYONE INCLUDING THEMSELVES” can end up on “The Registery” !!!. Fact is (According to the Laws) EVERYONE IS A SEX OFFENDER !! THEY JUST WEREN’T OR HAVEN’T BEEN CAUGHT (YET) !!!!. And before anyone says Different !!, Know this !! In ALL of the Southern States, Oral or Anal Sex is ILLEGAL !! Using the bathroom outside (even in the woods) is ILLEGAL !. And I could go even more “Technical” but I won’t !! Just know that 99% of the Adult Population (and Many Teens) have Committed a (if not many) Sex Crimes, That would/could get you “Listed on The Sex Offender Registery” !!. Yes there are BAD People that Deserve to be “On a List” because they harmed a Young Child !!. But The Registery has GONE CRAZY and doesn’t help or Stop ANYTHING from happening !! It’s a FALSE SENSE OF SAFETY !! That causes more HARM than Good !!!.
This sheriff is not only sipping the coolade, he’s gulping it. How can we let such a ‘knowledge-less’ individual have any authority at all much less the authority of a sheriff? I control what goes on my property and a sign of such would never be placed there. Sounds as though this sheriff fits the mold of the typical TV backwoods sheriff.
My answer, since this is not something mandated by state law then when the cops drive off take the sign, put it in the garbage and call your lawyer just in case. This is the kind of dumbass stuff that feeds an already violent society.
As I’ve put on other posts, I think it better to take a picture of the sign, call the GBI and state patrol and demand trespassing charges be pressed against the sheriff. Then look into a civil case against him for trespass under color of law (Long falsely claims OCGA 42-1-12(i)(5) gives him the authority).