All – Halloween 2019 is behind us. Here are some stories that came out recently pointing out the irrational and completely false hysteria that surrounds Halloween and persons on the registry:
“Yet sex crimes do not spike on Halloween, and “stranger danger” is a largely mythical threat. Almost all sex crimes committed by strangers on Halloween are committed by first time offenders. In fact, registered sex offenders are rarely repeat offenders; the only offense with a lower recidivism rate is murder. And in 2008, Department of Justice research indicated that Megan’s Law has had no measurable effect on recidivism. Children are far more likely to be struck by a car on Halloween than be assaulted. In fact, children are ten times likelier to be struck by a car on Halloween than on any other day”
http://bostonreview.net/law-justice/christine-hume-halloween-and-stranger-danger
“Halloween is spooky for kids, maybe, but it’s downright terrifying for parents who take all the fearmongering to heart… This tactic is on display every year at Halloween, a day when the risk of sex crimes to children is no higher than it is any other day of the year, which is something you wouldn’t know if you listened to law enforcement talk about it.”
I am wondering… Anyone have any idea what the outcome of these 2 arrests were? I just looked online and there does not see to be any additional information on the FDLE site. Just wondering.
Yes, Helloween is behind us, but in Jacksonville, ANY and ALL celebrations on ANY day, are verboten, even for religious purposes:
“(a)(1) It is unlawful for any Sexual Offender or Sexual Predator to participate in any practice or event, including, but not limited to, any event related to a nationally or locally recognized holiday or seasonal event, if such practice or event is primarily targeted toward non-familial children.
(a)(3)(iv) Not place or allow any display, including but not limited to displays for any nationally or locally recognized holiday or seasonal event or practice, to be visible from the exterior of any Sexual Offender’s or Sexual Predator’s residence, including a vehicle or vessel, or on any property which is leased, rented, owned or occupied by such person, if such display is primarily targeted to entice, attract, or lure a child onto any residence or property, or onto or nearer to any vehicle or vessel rented, owned or occupied by such person. Enforcement of this section shall not be limited to the actual calendar date of any given nationally or locally recognized holiday or seasonal event or practice.
(b)(4) Display is defined as any decoration including, but not be limited to, lighting, figurines, posters, artwork, crystals, bales of hay, scarecrows, etc. which is visible to the public in plain view and is primarily targeted toward children.
(5) Practices means to carry out or perform any particular activity or method that may celebrate or recognize a particular season, customs or beliefs. "
https://library.municode.com/fl/jacksonville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITXIXPUSA_CH685SEOFSEPRRE_S685.104PRACSEOFSEPREX
From what I read here, there is no restriction if one wants to decorate their home for Christmas. That is for the benefit of the resident and not the public, including children. I like a well maintained yard. What if a kid in the neighborhood is a “nice yard geek”? Does that mean I cannot maintain my yard in a well kept condition? This is just an example of how stupid some of these ordinances are. When I was a kid I took pride in maintaining the yard of our family home. I was impressed by other nice looking yards.
One of the biggest problems with the wording of this ordinance is LE’s interpretations of:
“if such practice or event is primarily targeted toward non-familial children”
“if such display is primarily targeted to entice, attract, or lure a child”
“is primarily targeted toward children”
As Andrea noted in this thread:
https://floridaactioncommittee.org/jacksonville-police-2-men-arrested-for-sexual-offender-violations-on-halloween/
The cops will automatically assume you are targeting kids since they made her take down the outside decorations and make her tree invisible from the outside.
I was looking for sex offenses committed by registrants this past Thursday while kids were out trick-or-treating but could not find any. What I did find sadly was the 7-year-old girl shot accidentally by gang members in a dispute in Chicago, and a 5-year-old boy in Greenwood, South Carolina who is in a coma after being hit by a car while trick-or-treating. Neither the gang member nor the driver of the car in South Carolina was a registrant. If law enforcement had been where most of them know they should have been, these above two tragic events might not have occurred.
This is all further documentation for this outstanding Boston Review article. I think law enforcement in Chicago and Greenwood need to read this Boston Review article and hear about what really happened Halloween night in their cities. I am a little nervous about writing to law enforcement agencies. I once trusted all law enforcement officials, but that trust is being eroded slowly for me. Maybe their newspapers will listen or possibly their elected government officials. For those who believe in the power of prayer, I covet your prayers in this matter.
How do we know that a registered sex offender has never harmed a trick-or-treater?
Because if they did, we would never hear the end of it.
I think it was Guy Hamilton-Smith who pointed this out.
Appreciate your observations and insights as always, SarahF.
https://reason.com/video/three-ways-parents-are-ruining-halloween/
A good take on this from Reason.com
The next county over from the one featured in the above report had this happen on Halloween:
https://www.wyff4.com/article/5-year-old-greenwood-boy-in-coma-driver-arrested-after-child-hit-while-trick-or-treating-on-halloween-police-say/29669139
I wrote a letter to PPP here in SC about this issue but it did not seem to affect their decision making on how they operated this year…another wasted opportunity on their part to educate the public and another child needlessly injured as a result.
I guess they would rather make parents FEEL safer about their Halloween activities than actually helping them BE safer.
James, I did not read your comments before posting my above comments. You live in South Carolina. What is PPP? To whom do you suggest I send my letter? Is The Observer your most widely read newspaper? To whom would it be most beneficial to send a letter: your mayor, ward pro tem, or ward representatives? Or was the child hit outside the city limits?
A child being hit by a car while trick-or-treating is not part of the agenda and doesn’t fit the mold for the local politicians who have rested their ‘success’ on a false, fake premise.
https://theappeal.org/arizona-prosecutor-commissions-report-that-argues-against-leniency-for-teens-who-commit-crimes/
I want people to read this closely. If what this prosecutor is saying is true in all respects, than technically a teen can consent. I mean after all, if they can be held accountable as an adult, than they should be able to consent as one as well.
One need only to remember that Maricopa is the county that had Joe Arpaio as sheriff for 34 years. Enough said.
Terento, you wrote that given what the prosecutor wrote, a teen technically “can consent”, and “they should” be able to consent. What they can consent to is a matter of law. What they should be able to consent to is a matter of opinion. Even if you were correct about what should be, there is rarely any symmetry in criminal law.
Tereto, it is interesting that part of the support for their argument is “…teenagers are expected to be as mature as adults, including the fact that 17-year-olds (with parental consent) can enlist in the U. S. military, and in many other countries, military enlistment at even younger ages is mandatory. ‘This reflects that there is a cultural expectation of maturity before 18,’ the report claims.”
As I previously stated at this website, one prominent figure in Northeast Florida once stated that prosecutors have power second only to God. I also read recently that some people, once given power, have no idea how to responsibly handle it. This story is surely “case in point”.
I have never understood why our country takes 18-year-olds in the military, yet they are not allowed to drink alcohol until age 21 because the frontal lobe is not considered fully developed until age 21 (some are now saying even later). We ask young men and women to fight in wars where people are killed, yet they are not allowed to drink alcohol. I am not advocating that these young people should be drinking, but I have never seen the logic in this way of thinking.
Then there is the fact that this commission is advocating that juveniles be treated as adults because other countries enlist at ages even younger than 18. It breaks my heart when I see these young people in other countries carrying rifles as they prepare to engage in battle. I cannot believe that these prosecutors would use these other countries as examples for us to follow.
Prosecutors are gaining far too much power in this country.
Yes Tereto. I copied a quote from an attorney, possibly posted at this FAC website, that stated: “Kids cannot consent to sex, but they can ‘consent’ to being sex offenders.” This has been a useful quote for me to use in my comments at some websites. I think it says it all.
In Duval, a guy failed to post his sign or turn out his lights. Another took his daughter out trick-or-treating and failed to prevent his family from decorating or handing out candy.
Both these guys have been offense-free for over 20 years. One committed his offense when he was 18 and is now a 43-year-old family man. The other committed his offense in 1989 (that’s not a typo).
Both were arrested.
Please send details to [email protected] ASAP
Done!
This guy’s comments are worth listening to as many can relate to his extreme frustration. As I watched the news last night, listening to all of this, I would have thought that Northeast Florida apparently has no serious crime — no murders, no robberies, no carjackings, no gang problems. Because the news media cannot find any registrants who are assaulting children, they are forced to cover the story of a man who turned on his porch light and another man who wanted to take his daughter trick-or-treating.
Some of the comments on this article were disturbing to me. Hopefully none of these people is registered to vote.
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/jso-sex-offenders-dressed-in-costumes-gave-out-candy
Duval Co arrest 2 offenders as they are labeled. One had light on at home and another was celebrating with family there and was never told about this so called law/ violation. But It made the new and was the first topic. Cultures and times have change. This system is so broken but why fix it if works for the LE. These laws etc all need over hauled. They not working correctly and violates our rights. Whats next Thanksgiving, Xmas, New Years. If a label so dangerous less have DUI, Murder, Drug registries. Oh and registry for bad cops. What label(s) or Holidays are next? Things need to change before someone naps on other and them who’d to blame???
As I have posted and referenced many times, Duval’s ordinance has restrictions for ALL holidays for registrants on or off supervision.
https://library.municode.com/fl/jacksonville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITXIXPUSA_CH685SEOFSEPRRE_S685.104PRACSEOFSEPREX
“(c) Penalties. With regard to enforcement of this section, the City and the Sheriff’s Office may pursue any enforcement action or legal remedy available under the controlling state law and any legal remedy available to the City, to include, but not limited to, injunctive relief, arrest, a fine not exceeding $500.00 for each occurrence, or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 60 days or by both a fine and imprisonment for each occurrence, unless prohibited by law.”
Please excuse the expression, but ‘what the hell’ are the bureaucratic ‘weenies’ in Duval County trying to prove? Have they managed to ignore any and all studies that point out that what they are doing is a detriment to their communities. Has the wrath of the Book’s so infiltrated an otherwise wonderful area to live in? Can’t give gifts to your own children!! How senseless!! May these tyrants receive the punishment due them. Just another example that most politicians will do and say and enforce anything that will make them look good in the eyes of an ignorant public.
I live in Louisiana and we are not allowed to give gifts to minors at Christmas, and this includes your own children. My 4 children have not received a Christmas gift from me in over 8 years due to this law. It also applies to Easter, Valentines Day, etc.
That is so sad. How does this “protect” anyone?
Mig,
And they get away with imposing such horseshit because no one challenges them.
Wait a minute… how the hell would they know if you give your own children gifts at Christmas? (and liberals want big government, go figure). Does this apply to their birthdays as well? This is lunacy! If a bunch of registrants put their money together, you’ve got a class action suit.
And you could always f*ck with the court by saying it wasn’t You that gave them the gifts, it was Santa Clause. LOL. I’d do it. Just to piss them off and make a circus of their shananigans.
For me, it was a Halloween spent without an LE coming by my. Nobody from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Nobody from FDLE. Nobody from federal probation, even tho I am on probation. Could it be that some in LE know it’s a waste of time?
I have noticed in a lot of the news articles, when they give the actual number of registrants visited, they are never getting to everyone. In fact, they are skipping a lot of registrants. So when the sheriffs imply that everyone is being visited, they really are not. It almost looks to me as though it is a random process they go by or maybe they go to everyone in the same neighborhood because they are already there but run out of time getting to other neighborhoods — but glad you missed out on the “visit”. I am sure that many in law enforcement know it is a waste of time and nothing more than a publicity stunt.
They’ve skipped me repeatedly for a few years. Sorry to know about the troubles others face. We all have to keep fighting
Sarah, I enjoy reading your commentaries. You are an asset to FAC.
Agreed!!! Sarah is a tremendous asset!