Miami-Dade county is considering amending Section 21-286 of the County Code – prohibiting overnight camping, eliminating a safeguard to protect against arrest, when applied to registered sex offenders or predators.
Currently, the County Code prevents overnight camping on County property. If an individual does not leave the property, they will be arrested for trespassing.
However, the Code also provides that a “Homeless person” shall first be offered an opportunity to go to a homeless shelter.
County officials, realizing that homeless shelters won’t take registrants, have found that “the requirement to offer homeless persons violating the prohibition an opportunity to go to a homeless shelter has proven unworkable, unduly burdensome on law enforcement, and has rendered the prohibition meaningless when the homeless person is a sexual predator, sexual offender or is otherwise ineligible to stay at homeless shelters.”
In other words… there’s no place for these individuals to go, so probation directs them to go sleep by the tracks – but if they sleep by the tracks they are told by police to leave. They face arrest if they don’t stay there, yet they face arrest if they do.
The proposed change to the ordinance has been added as “Agenda Item 4(a)” to the Board of County Commissioners to be heard on 11/7/2017. Information on the meeting is:
| Date/Time: | November 07, 2017 9:30 a.m. – | |
| Address: | 111 NW 1st Street 2nd Floor Commission Chambers Miami, FL 33128 |
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| Contact Person: | Daysha McBride | |
| Phone Number: | 305-375-1293 | |
And the proposed ordinance can be found here:
Overnight Camping Amendment – Bovo 11.7.2017 (002)
Please continue to monitor this post for a call to action.
As my neighbor’s wife told me…her husband is a good friend and a retired NYPD lieutenant…I would be better off if I had murdered someone rather than touch my daughter inappropriately 18 years ago. Oh, and by the way, my daughter and I reconciled years ago but the bureaucrats still want to ‘punish’ me with refusal to recommend early release from probation…what the heck, I’m worth $360 a month to them…and in the process punish the victim, my daughter. We live in a system that has found that punishment and no restoration is profitable.
Just a sneaky way to get rid of them to another county…
Would it be worth contacting some one from
The United Nations Office?
It’s worth contacting any human rights organization that will listen.
Our government won’t listen to Human Rights Watch which after being shown a mountain of evidence agreed with us, but if it was about another countries human rights violations congress would be passing resolution after resolution
I live in San Diego Ca. we had this same problem here- the ACLU filed a motion in federal court-the judge ruled that a homeless person would be allowed to sleep in a public place from 9.00 pm to 5.30 am safe from police harassment.
Contact the
ACLU IN SAN DIEGO- GET A COPY OF THEIR MOTION-FILE IT IN FED/COURT IN MIAMI
So let me guess, let’s just keep challenging this in court and wait years for any changes to be made, in the meantime, all 270 of these RSO’s will get arrested just for breathing because they have no where to live. Sounds like a prime opportunity for some resistance. If this ordinance goes through, I say every one of those 270 people should stand their ground, chain themselves to the fences by the railroad tracks, chain themselves together, and force the police to come and arrest them. This is beyond insane. WHERE THE HELL IS THE ACLU???!!! Oh I forgot, this doesn’t have anything to do with taking down the Ten Commandments off public property, so they don’t want to to get involved. This country and it’s justice system and it’s extremely corrupt government, is a joke. We as the people of the US, have LOST our beloved country because we sat back and let lobbyists, corporations, corrupt legislators, good ole boys, and progressives take over this country while we all sat back and did nothing about it all the while having the attitude “oh well, if it doesn’t affect me or my family, it doesn’t matter.” Well folks, here we are. Welcome to the Prison States of America. And if you don’t have millions of dollars in your bank account to do anything about it, you’re f**ked. Which is about oh, 95% of us probably.
You have no clue what you are talking about. The ACLU is representing these people in a pending lawsuit. Does v. Miami-Dade.
And how long has the lawsuit been “pending”??? How long will that take???? In the meantime, those people will go to jail either way because the ordinance will go in effect and as you say, they’ll be damned if they move, damned if they don’t.
The lawsuit was filed in 2014. It was dismissed by the District Court and appealed to the 11th Circuit.
The 11th Circuit reversed it, remanding it back to the District Court where an amended complaint was filed less than a month ago (see: https://floridaactioncommittee.org/amended-complaint-filed-miami-dade-sorr-challenge/)
The answer to that complaint was filed last week.
Trial in this case is scheduled for the two-week period commencing Monday, March 19, 2018
We must never forget that today’s justice system is a joke. The bureaucrats may eventually be held accountable but only after the damage is done. When so many lives are at stake the case should be rushed to the front of the line…or do the justice folks even consider that these lives matter?
I don’t agree with MJ’s acertion that nothing is being done but I do understand his frustration with the injustice system. Seems like legislators can crank one of these life sucking laws out every week then it takes years to get them thrown out and it seems like we are winning challenges in other states but none of those are paying off here we need a victory for the sake of morale
ron book is a Coward.
I dare say that if you take away the Federal funds the states receive from the District of Criminals (a/k/a Washington D.C.), the registries would probably begin to fade away. It is and has always been about the money; never about public safety. Florida is but a lap dog to the feds, bowing to every whim just to get morsels at the trough. Here’s the kicker. Has anyone every reviewed Florida’s CAFR? It is a report that is not generally broadcast to the general public. The State invests in the secondary markets (e.g. Wall Street) and rakes in $$ BILLIONS $$ that goes into a slush fund separate from the general budget. And the State can do with these slush funds whatsoever it chooses including installing marble bathrooms in the Capitol such as what Marco Rubio allegedly did after he was first elected. (Gotta love that word: allegedly) The blip is that, while continuing to raise taxes and fees for services (including charging people a fee to register), the career criminals in Tallahassee fail to let the public in on this slush fund, and the people of Florida are none the wiser.
Additionally, if you conduct some research, you may discover that a bond is created on every inmate, and perhaps every court case, and the State trades those bonds on the financial markets, as well, and rakes in a windfall.
Can’t believe what I’m reading. What on earth will happen to these people if this goes through?
They will be given two choices; (1) stay where they are and get arrested, or (2) leave that compliant area and get arrested.
Whichever moron came up with this, “unduly burdensome on law enforcement,” obviously didn’t consider the massive burden on law enforcement in housing these folks in already overcrowded jails!
My suspicion is that it was instituted by the same man who caused this in the first place. This is the quote from Ron Book in a posting on this site on August 22.
“The goal tonight is to inform all of the people that are living out here that this is not going to continue,” said Book. “At some point, sooner than later, we’re going to dismantle this place and close it down.”
I guess this is his solution to the problem, rather than to rethink the cause of the problem.
It’s obvious to all who are involved in this.
Please tell me there is a preemptive strike planned before these people are forced to suffer anymore indignity. I actually believe the city is trying to literally run ex- offenders out of town
That is why there is all these stupid restricting laws. It is design to run us out of the State.
The lawyers and ACLU are watching so they can get a petition for an injunction on this…..right??
I asked a question….this is the same response I got just before they enacted the new identifier laws…are our lawyers looking into this for the Dade people???
There is a current case pending in the Southern District of Florida in which the ACLU represents FAC and the plaintiff registrants.
I’m not sure what you mean by “our lawyers”, we have no lawyers on staff or retainer. Legal aid organizations or attorneys we hire (through member donations) represent us in certain cases.
So what about the legislators, police officers, teachers and other government officials who are sex offenders themselves. I see all the time on the news. Will this ordinance apply to them.
Florida appears to be the worst of the worst offenders when it comes to public SERVANTS trying to see who can out do each other in trampling all over even the most basic human rights. It is as if they are in competition to destroy every last strand of dignity these folks have left, if any at all. The fallacy in America is believing our rights come from men and their governments. Our rights come from God…those pieces of paper called constitutions and Bill of Rights are in place simply to preserve and protect our natural rights from encroachment by government. These folks have the God-given right to food, shelter and clothing here on God’s property called earth.
JS, you are so correct. What we see today is what happens when a nation lead by Godless bureaucrats disposes of its foundation principles. Today we see that ‘stupidity is in bloom all around’.
I am sorry but this shit along with the passport shit have caused me to give up any hope that anything is going to get better. We are being attacked at the state and federal level.
They say you can’t beat city hall. It is said for a reason. They make the rules…the little guy has to follow their rules or is arrested and put in prison.
By making it impossible to exist without breaking said laws Florida has created a catch-22 situation for the registered citizen.
Who benefits from this…let’s see shall we:
Politicians who use the boogeyman feature of lies about “sex offenders” which is a made up totally MEANINGLESS label as a pawn to manipulate the public (especially parents too lazy to get facts) with fear to get laws that benefit them passed.
Law enforcement who use these impossible follow laws to appear that they are actually working when nothing could be further from the truth. They are simply arresting the same people over and over again because they have made it impossible for these poor individuals to exist without breaking some law or another. This gives the illusion that number 1 those labeled as constantly breaking the law and need to be monitored and segregated from the good people AND 2 gives those in law enforcement something to justify their jobs and the illusion they are actually needed…when did harassing homeless people become something noble.
The prison industry is the biggest winner as they have a steady source of poor souls to house in cages and torture.
Who does NOT benefit. Everyone else…from the false sense of security law enforcement is providing with the lie that “strange danger” is a real thing. Parents who trust their leaders and believe the lies told to them and trust law enforcement.
Children who law enforcement actually put at increased risk with the entire LIE they have carefully created and work tirelessly to maintain at all costs (reality being one of them) to keep the LIE appearing to be true.
Freedom – this is the biggest loser in this insane state. Everyone loses here they just don’t see it yet because they trust their government. Those days are long gone (if they ever really existed).
If this inhuman treatment is not stopped then it is clear that the police state has not only won the battle but won the entire war!
Well said sir. You hit the nail on the head. Yet for some reason, we think that we can still “fight city hall” and get some sort of vindication in this god awful, hickified, good ole boy of a state. All the while the judges, prosecutors, and LEO’s are looking at are efforts and probably thinking that it’s “cute.” In the meantime, nothing changes, and the suffering of anyone unfortunate enough to get caught in their sex crime web continues. I’m with you. What’s the point?? The police state has indeed won the whole damn thing. And I’m sorry, but anything other than violent resistance to these “laws” is not going to work. (See Antifa, BLM, etc..) But nobody wants to hear that and actually, vehemently discourages it if you dare to mention it. I’m fed up. I’m done. Keep being “submissive” to the “laws” and politely try and fight them in the system and see where it gets you.
And other than fighting city hall (albeit doing it legally) what choice is there? Rebellion? In order for a rebellion to work it must have the support of a majority. Do you think RSOs have that? i say no. Can you imagine the headlines? Unfortunately fighting city hall is the only way – or do not fight at all. Attacking those that do everything they can (without much support I might add) to help is not the way to go.
Did someone neglect to tell the legislators down there that Kafka novels are not intended as blueprints for civic planning?