Lake County Registrants Under the Microscope
The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Law enforcement authorities in Lake County are examining sex-offender registries for possible suspects. Only it’s not a sex crime they are using the list for, but vandalism and arson.
Earlier this week, someone set fire to 10 vehicles parked outside a medical center in Lake County. It is assumed that the same person spray painted a message on the side of the wall. Police believe the incident is related to another graffiti incident last month where an anti-sex offender-registry message was scrawled. Now people required to register in Lake county are suspects in the police investigation.
It goes without saying that FAC does not condone graffiti/vandalism/arson, so even though we are very critical of the registry, especially the fact that it’s a one-size-fits-all shaming tool that lists everyone forever regardless of present dangerousness, there are better ways to voice opposition.
Our hope is that the registrants in Lake County are not all harassed during this investigation and that this isolated incident does not spur a series of bills in the forthcoming legislative session preventing persons required to register from buying lighters or paint.
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It is sad to know the person doing it is jeopardizing their lives but it is good to see someone is actually standing up..keep pushing people to where they have nothing left to loose and eventually even a coward will fight..this man will be a martyr which is sad, but hopefully it sparks enough unrest that others who have nothing left to loose will pick up the torch as well. Same as black rights, womens rights, prohibition ect….The government wont do the right thing until they are given a reason to be scared if they dont..only two things that motivate the corrupt government power and the threat to loss of power.. Martin Luther Kings speeches didnt give blacks rights.. The threat of Farakan and the Black Panthers burning the country down did.
Boston Tea Party in 2018 It not about the tea. It is now about unfair Registry. Talks are useless. Now for Action. People and their families are getting tired of being treated like $hit. No jobs,housing, unfair and extended life sentences,homeless. I for one don’t think violence is the answer neither did our forefathers. However, being oppressed lead to American revolution and break away from Britain
Who is to say that it wasn’t someone trying to get all sex offenders put in prison that did it. They can find when we are all sentenced and what our crimes are by checking the registry it would be very easy to frame anyone on the registry with all of our laundry out there and there are so many people that hate us and want to see us go away. How better to do that than light something on fire and leave a paper trail back to us? wouldn’t be surprised if it was the police themselves
Its axiomatic that for one person to look good, another person must look bad. So, the vandalism may not have been done by someone on or even associated with the registry. It could have been done by someone else who is using the registry as a way to take focus off themselves and on sex offenders instead. We on the registry are of course assumed guilty until proven innocent. Let’s hope the authorities find the correct suspect and he/she is not a registered citizen or even associated with the registry.
A couple of things to point out:
Given the circumstances, the registry is, in fact, the only logical place to begin investigation of these particular offenses. It’s perfectly reasonable to conclude that the person who did them is either a registrant or a friend/family member of one. That said, this would be the only investigation that I am aware of (out of God-knows how many millions of others) where the registry would be instrumental.
Even if it turns out the perp in this case was a registrant, it was the REGISTRY – not his status as a registrant or the conviction that led to it – that resulted in these acts of arson and vandalism. Had the registry not existed, these particular crimes would not have occurred.
The registry is absolutely useless in investigating sex crime, given that over 95% of new offenses are committed by unregistered individuals. Even on the rare occasions where registrants do commit other crimes (sexual or not), the registry has never played a part in the ensuing investigation; the accused’s status as a registrant is never known until after arrest.
I don’t know if FAC will involve itself in this situation or not. But if it does, I urge them to not be defensive. Point out that these crimes would not have occurred if the registry was non-existent, and give it no credence as a “useful tool” in investigating crime in general, let alone sex crime (ostensibly one of its purposes).
And finally, whether the locals or the state seeks to bar registrants from buying lighters and/or paint is a valid concern. It is Florida, after all. It would seem logical to to note that those with previous convictions for arson and/or vandalism (presumably) won’t be included in any such proposal.
“Required to register from buying lighters and paint” may sound ridiculous but in today’s atmosphere it’s not beyond possibilities. As frustrating as it may be at times, RSO’s need to set the standards for upright citizenship. The greatest harm we can do to the critics is set the example that they can find no fault in…no matter how hard they try.