SB 234 – WE NEED PRESENCE IN TALLAHASSEE!!!
For those who didn’t watch the Senate Judiciary Meeting today, SB234 made it through. Senator Book gave her pitch, never mentioning the change in definition to “part of a day” and NOBODY showed up to oppose it. The next stop is the Senate Rules Committee and we NEED, NEED, NEED people to show up to speak out in opposition. We MUST put our objections on the record.
Anybody in or near Tallahassee who would be willing to speak out against this bill, please contact [email protected]. We need to do a better job at the next stop.
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When we speak out, protest, or “show up,” it elicits almost zero sympathy. All you get is blank stares and hand-wringing. So you see, do to inherent human tribalism, there will always be outrage against us… not FOR us.
I used to think we’re all guilty by association. Wrong. It’s all HATE by association. We’re all generalized as undesirables and deplorables. The general public actually believes that ALL sex offenders give victims a sense of control over their own personal tragedies. There is no point in trying to reach out and engage these people in civil discourse. There mind is made up. You simply cannot deprogram hate.
RIFF RAFF:
If your face is on the sex offender registry then there is no worse place for your face to be. Getting your picture on the news should be a walk in the park. Derek can tell you about counter protesters. There were none in Denver. You’re not putting forth “reasons”. You are putting forth excuses for inaction. I, and a lot of other people, are wasting our time trying to help you. If you cannot find the time to help yourself, then I cannot find the time to help you.
Were you helping him
In the first place?
Detroit, I am writing this 2nd response in case the 1st one does not get posted, Detroit,, what is the reason there is so much lack of support of sex offenders??
Please explain,, why is there so much lack of support?
What do you think Detroit?
Hello Detroit
I have sat on this all day wanting to write you concerning you post to RIFF RAFF.
Sir that was very unkind what you said to him.
I personally don’t think you really understand the plight of those on the registry .
He was not giving excuses. He was giving the facts. I commend him for being open, transparent and vulnerable to speak the truth.
Unless you have walked in the shoes of a registered citizen or their families, friends you can’t truly understand the hurt, fear, shame, guilt, they bear.
You say that having your picture should be a cake walk, Really, will not to those who have had it happen to them. The pain that it causes to their families, the possible loss of a job, being asked to move, with no where to go. It isn’t only the registered citizen who is impacted, their families experience similar pain and ostracization. Even though some of our offenses have been committed decades ago, it is a family affair, even to grown family members scattered throughout the nation. Having your face scattered on the newspapers and 6:00 news does not help them or the cause. It increases the pain.
No sir you are wrong; RIFF RAFF had courage to tell it like it is.
I ask the question of you as was asked before, “Where have you helped him?”
I don’t like writing as this it is not my favorite past time, but write I must.
FAC is right, for a Rally is not what we need. It is exactly what they said, good solid representation at the meetings, and not by a registered citizen unless they are able to and have their family’s blessing. Remember, it is a family affair.
We have some of the best folks working for the cause through FAC. One woman, I’ll just call “A” is tireless, and an amazing woman who is not just concerned for her person on the registry but for all. I honestly do not know how she does what she does for FAC while caring for her aged mother.
You say FAC dropped the ball? Really? When?
I have been around the block several times, in the 80 years of my life, and I am on the registry. And I know the hurt and stigma it brings.
I just say be kind.
Respectfully
Beb:
Thanks for speaking up. Registrants in Florida need someone in Tally because that’s where the state capitol is. I believe an annual Rally in Tally can get more persons involved and push change faster in Florida. If you have the time and energy for such an endeavor you should contact Derek at oncefallen.com to learn about his experiences in doing these rallies.
I disagree with FAC’s assertion that no one will show up. This is the negative thinking that is holding this movement down.
For those who lack the transportation and time, rallies can be held in Miami and Tampa. If you think that no one will show up at your rally, then no one will. Registrants in Florida just need someone to organize the first rally. If the registry is as burdensome as some make it out to be, knock on the doors of registrants and ask why they are sitting on their hands doing nothing. Their addresses are published. If they refuse to participate then the registry isn’t that important to them.
Miami metro has a population greater than the entire state of Colorado. Rest assured, if Derek can get a dozen people to show up in Denver, registrants can get a dozen people to show up in Miami, Tampa or Tallahassee. Derek and I traveled hundreds of miles to attend the Denver rally. Miami metro residents have, at the most, 30 miles to travel to a Miami rally. If you can’t get a dozen people to show up at a rally, the registry clearly is not affecting registrant’s lives that much.
@Detroit: I would garner that most registrants are under some supervision that would prevent travel without a travel permit. The rest are probably just sick of the whole thing and have some qualms about involving themselves. Maybe there’s a motivation factor, but I feel that there are enough of us to have an effect on the law through voting and lawsuits. I am one of the lucky ones: Adjudication withheld and I can vote. Family members should be more in tune with whom to vote for that has a direct impact on their loved ones. Lawsuits even in counties can have every registrant in the county attached, it’s a matter of having them on standby. Most registrants aren’t in a position to contribute, but if all registrants were able to work, through the power of incorporation, they would have money and such a corporation could produce something to make a profit that could contribute to the overall well-being of the employed registrants and make larger donations/funding toward lawsuits. Registrants have lots of skills that can come in handy in such an endeavor. People need purpose and by people mean registrants. Keep it professional.
Ben
Thank you for your logic and professional thinking.
You are going to confuse Beb and others. What we need right now is someone who can show up to the committee hearing to voice opposition to SB 234 for the record. I believe FAC left Beb contact instructions below.
A rally is off-topic here.
Agreed – one articulate person showing up at the meeting to explain the issue with the bill is so much more valuable than a dozen marching with signs.
FAC:
Derek got about a dozen people to show up at his Denver rally. Florida has 4 times the population of Colorado so it is practical to expect 4 dozen people to show up in Tallahassee. If you can’t get a dozen people to show up at a rally, especially in Tally metro, the registry is not that burdensome.
A lot of interpretations of this bill on this website seem to be going beyond what’s actually in this bill. If you have an attorney that has the time to digest this bill and give his opinion as to how this bill will be applied and publish it on this site, I believe that will allay a lot of fears.
The take away from this bill is to be better prepared for the next so there’s not so much panic. I appreciate the FAC volunteer’s efforts on behalf of registrants but there must be more participation to be successful. I still believe a Rally in Tally is a good way to get people involved.
We’ve been doing this for a LONG time. We know the metrics, average response rates, who shows up, who will contribute, who just complains. It’s not our first rodeo.
No matter the outcome, Constitutionally nobody sentenced before Oct 21, 2021 would be forced to comply, nobody would before the fact
Really?
Mark you would need to change Would to should. What is right and just is one thing but since when did the government, law makers, judges and law enforcement do what is right, legally, morally or constitutionally as far as registrants are concerned.
Heck, they retro actived the HELL out of the registry requirements so what makes you think they will not apply this with a blanket of Ex post facto love upon us?
My charges are from 1991. I did not get to plea bargin using the registry which if I had been able to, would not have gotten as much time because I would have fought like my freedom depended on it. I did the time they gave me and was ready to move on and rebuild my life. THEN the registry was applied in 1997 and all bets were off.
@mark: I was sentenced in 1991, before the registry existed, released from supervision in 2008 for a crime I didn’t even commit. Let’s have a little discussion regarding the constitution…
Mark
I pled on 06/04/1997 for a supposed attempted act, unknowingly of the consequences & facts of the issue & under distress by local law enforcement with complicated circumstances The Registry in Florida didnt start until October 1997. I served no prison time & was off probation in 2002 yet im on the registry. Unless you are a Floridian especially North Florida you truly don’t know what the Judiciary system is capable of in North Florida.
Hopeless, you have the opportunity to petition to get off the registry next year. You don’t realize how blessed (given the circumstances) you are.
Sailtime:
Derek has already held a couple of rallies in support of registrants. Neither turned into a January 6th rally. I actually attended his Denver rally and it was about a dozen people holding up signs.
Derek held his Rally in Tally in 2016. This apparently was a one off rally to expose the truth about Lauren Book. FAC shot itself in the foot by not supporting this rally. Derek’s Denver rally attracted about a dozen people. Florida has 4 times the population as Colorado so this event should have attracted about 4 dozen people. What Derek got out of the rally was a couple of news stories.
Had FAC supported the Rally in Tally and turned it into an annual event they probably would have at least 100 participants if not 200 by now. Remember there are 73,000 persons on Florida’s registry, 30,000 of whom live in Florida and are not incarcerated. If you get only 1% to show up that’s 300 registrants. About 1/2 the people (if not more) at Derek’s Denver rally were not on the registry. If each of these 300 registrants had only one family or friend show up, you would have 600 participants. Let’s face it, if you can’t get 1% of registrants to participate, then the registry isn’t as onerous as people make it out to be.
Derek traveled from Ohio to Florida to protest. I traveled from northern Michigan to Denver to participate in Derek’s protest. Tallahassee is only a 4 hour drive from Tampa and a 7 hour drive from Miami. My trip from northern Michigan to Denver is about 20 hours or about 3 times the trip from southern Florida to Tallahassee and I am not even on the registry. I have never been on the registry or affected by it. What this tells me is that I have a distorted perception of the registry. If you can’t get 1% of people on the registry to participate then either my perception of the registry is distorted or more than 99% of registrants are quite content to be on the registry.
A lot of people seem happy that I try to help out. I feel like a white person at a black lives matter rally. Many people on this site and others seem to take the position that I have no right advocating on their behalf and that I should butt out. I am involved in various causes and most certainly would be content to butt out and direct my attention to other causes where my time is appreciated and respected.
If FAC had turned Derek’s Rally in Tally into an annual event I believe they would have over 100 participants by this point. Someone would have surfaced by now who would be a viable spokesperson against this bill. FAC is looking for a spokesman in the middle of the battle. You don’t prepare for a fight in the middle of the battle. It’s like organizing a fire department while your house is on fire.
The good news is that there are many more battles ahead to prepare for. FAC has laid the foundation in Florida to fight the registry. Now it’s up to registrants to build on that foundation. An annual Rally in Tally would be a good start. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t even get a dozen people to show up at your first event. In time you will have several hundred participants and the press can’t ignore you then. The most important thing is that you have to show up and persevere. Once this thing gets going, you will have several people who will be able to work as spokespersons. The reality is that registrants in Florida are simply unprepared for this fight. I believe an annual Rally in Tally would get more people involved on the ground so you are better prepared for the next fight. I know a lot of people are frustrated with FAC. You have to remember they’re not getting paid for their efforts and a lot of their volunteers aren’t even on the registry. What FAC is lacking in is sufficient participation. They probably don’t have the time to do a Rally in Tally but if someone could step up and take on this task I believe you will see more participation in Florida. If you can’t even get 1% of registrants to participate, you have to consider if you’re wasting your time.
Here’s the problem… people don’t show up.
Detroit, There are a few reasons that Registrant’s do not show up, the main on is we are scared, having our picture taken and along with our full name and address be plastered on numerous news papers, front page even, if the rally’s get big enough think of the counter protestors that will show up, victim’s as well as many victims supporters holding sign’s saying things like stop the child molesters, stop the rapists/ once a sex offender always a sex offender. Think about it Detroit, If rally’s get big enough you are right, the media will take notice and things will most definitely go in a direction that will not benefit the registered,, most of us including myself are scared and rightly so,
@Detroit: The only registrants that would show in Tallahassee live in Florida. It’s 8 hours from Miami, 2 hours from Jacksonville. If a rally were to be successful, there would need to be a registration process just to make sure it’s worthwhile to book an event. I live in Tally and I still can’t make it to most of these things because I work during those days and hours it would matter.