As a person required to register, I cringe every time I’m asked for my drivers license to make a purchase. Will they notice the statute number on the bottom? Will they know what it means? Will it become uncomfortable for me to continue shopping here? Etc., Etc.
Now, more than worrying about the statute on the bottom of the license, I just discovered they can scan my license and get the same information! Will the software trigger an alert? Will their screen start flashing something in red?
I always thought that it would be ok for police to have access to that information when they pull someone over, but why does the clerk at Walgreens need to know my status? That’s what the following story from Fox4 in Naples, FL asks.
Dont give a company that discriminates against us a single dime
Greetings! I have been an RSO in Oregon for 14 years now. I’d like to share a few things about my experience here.
In Oregon…..
They do not mark your license or license plates or forehead with any caveats indicating we’re an RSO.
Annual registration only and its easy to find a discreet location to register. $80 per year.
Our online registry is only searchable for predatory SO’s only. No red dots on a map. And as far as I can tell the national registry only directs to the state registries. The public can’t see anyone leveled under a 7.
New legislation allows an RSO to petition for relief from registry after only 5 years being off supervision for a level one offender. The only prerequisite is that the offender must be first reclassified under the new 1-3 level system instead of the old 1-7 level system which they will do at their leisure so I learned. They have until 2022 to reclassify Oregon’s 30,000 offenders.
I have not been hassled one time by law enforcement or the general public. Everyone has been very respectful. As far as I can tell even law enforcement doesn’t know whether I’m an RSO or not when pulled over. They can only see my charges. I’ve been pulled over a few times and have never had a bad experience.
So here’s a few ideas for RSO’s who are having a hard time looking for work.
I have yet to apply for a job that would put my past in the hands of would be vigilantes. No way. I have been self employed for over 30 years and I love it. I work as a contractor and sell online. I sell Christmas trees and buy and sell anything of value. There is no reason we can’t make a good living.
Here’s what I did. I got a free tax identification number from the IRS and the name of the business I chose sounds like the name of a real person. Bob Smith Enterprises. Whatever…you can choose whatever you want. Then I went to Bank of America and opened a bank account. They will put your photograph on that bank card. So now you have a Bank account and a bank card with your picture on it that has your new name on it Bob Smith. Totally legal. It’s a business name. I then got business cards and an email address that all validated that name. That became my new identity and none of my customers or people I came in contact with can search me. I will not give them the ammunition they need to destroy me. And no one has ever questioned it. From there I got a PayPal account and my entire online business is run under this name. Nobody knows who I am and nobody cares. You can make more money working for yourself so why waste your time applying for jobs at Burger King where potentially it’s going to be a hostile environment for you.
I buy and sell cars. I turn them so quickly that the title is never even in my name. I just passed the paper along. With your new business account you can now put your personal vehicle into the business name so if you’re worried about law-enforcement running your license plate it’s only going to pull up the name of the business. Not you. Simple. Easy. Legal.
I have traveled all over the United States and I have yet to register in another state. I won’t do it. I’m traveling and if I am not there for more than what they require for registration, I will not register. In Hawaii you can stay for 10 days without registering. A week is enough for me. You can totally live life normally following the rules. Besides that, if you get pulled over traveling in another state wouldn’t they have to prove that you have been there longer than is allowed? Pay with cash. Don’t leave a paper trail. They don’t know how long you were there or if you’re just passing through.
My online business, which is so simple it would blow your mind, is more than enough to sustain me.
To be completely honest, the first five years after my conviction I lived with my mom and dad who didn’t require me to pay anything but I did. I put my money into my business week after week after week until I had enough to buy a piece of land and build A house. Yes, I had to max out a few credit cards to finish it but it’s done. It’s mine. I refuse to apply for rental housing as again I’d be putting myself in the path of vigilanteeism. If you’re allowed in at all. Plus I don’t pay rent.
another good option is to get an RV or towable trailer. I have one and it’s very nice and I have lived in it for extended periods of time working and recreating. Thousand trails is a great campground that asks no questions and is very cheap. With two memberships you can stay at thousand trails for less than $100 a month. All utilities included.
Some of you may be stuck in your state until your supervision is over and I understand that but there is no reason in this land of opportunity that you cannot provide an amazing living for yourself. You can buy and sell anything for a profit. I bought a broken down mini Cooper with a blown head gasket for $1000 and sold it in three days for $3000. Anything has value. Stop looking at the world the way you always have.
I love my country but who would pay taxes to a government that treats its citizens this way. Who would pay the salary of a congressman or legislator who is working hard to destroy the lives of its constituents? Just throwing that out there. Lol
I have yet to try international travel but I am working on it. I’m doing as much research and homework as I can so that I can have a pleasurable experience without incident. Thanks for all the comments about your International travel experiences.
Be strong. Be stronger. You can do this. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your story Timbertex, but for those reading your comment, “I have traveled all over the United States and I have yet to register in another state. I won’t do it.” is something you need to be cautious of.
I completely understand and I am by no means trying to encourage anyone to not follow the rules. But before I go anywhere I do my research and I know what the rules are in that area. I follow the rules and my point is that we can still have a fulfilled life including travel while still following the rules.
International travel is challenging. If the US sends a green notice and the receiving country denies one entry, a “fulfilled life including travel” is not completely possible.
In Washington you dont pay to register.
I could tell discrimination stories all day about the unfair and heartbreaking treatment of registrants in Florida , but I have to say, that I have accompanied my Grandson to the DMV numerous times for lost IDs and other things. Except for one time, he/we were treated very kindly and with the utmost respect. Wish it was always like that.
I’m rather surprised that few people have connected the dots as far as Disney is concerned. It opened in 1971, which began a major transformation to Central Florida and the tourism industry. Today, Florida’s economy is centered around tourism. No surprise there. So, it is in Disney’s best interest, as well as the best interest of other theme parks around, to keep up public perception of being the happiest place on Earth. That is why our elected politicians push for such tough laws against sex offenders in this state. Just look at the amounts of money contributed to certain “tough on crime” politicals. Just as Geppetto pulled the strings of his doll Pinocchio, so too does Disney pull the strings of their politicians and law enforcement.
Just one more comment: it should be of no surprise to anyone that the reason judge’s order convicted sex offenders to refrain from entering any theme park while under probationary supervision is because Disney’s influence. It had absolutely nothing to do with danger to the public. And I am unaware of any empirical evidence that shows registered sex offenders are dangerous to children at theme parks. I follow local Central Florida news regularrly, and from what I’ve seen in the rare occasion where a child is harmed, the offender was not on the registry.
This is why I like shopping at small mom and pop stores for stuff like in the video post. They don’t care who you are. They just want your business $$ and most of them sell at whole sale price – far cheaper than Walgreens or stores alike – at least where I’m at it is like that.
But once you’re a regular customer at those small stores I go to, they already know you and sell to you with their eyes closed – at times even when you’re walking through the door, they already have in hand what you usually get – whether its a brand of cigs you usually get or anything else, so you can pay immediately and on your way. These small stores, their biggest fear is having some person with a mask come in and hold up the place at gun point at the register.
Less than a year ago, i ran into this issue in California. I purchased a car about a year prior and had trouble getting paperwork ready for registering it into my name. The registration was just paid for two years for Oregon plates so I was basically driving on those plates. The vehicle was not registered yet to me, but I carried a bill of sale from the previous owner and insurance.
I got pulled over in my hometown and warned to transfer the vehicle into my name. (How did they know?)
Then when I was in another town, i got pulled over again out on the highway. Again, i was told to change the vehicle into my name. (How the hell did they know?)
Then I went into the DMV to start the process of changing the vehicle into my name (Costs money and requires emissions testing, which I didn’t think it’d pass, which is why i delayed). I was asked to sit down and wait after they looked up my papers.
Shortly after, two officers came into the DMV and talked with me about the car. It was quickly determined that the reason the cops were called in was because there was an “NCIC hit” on the vehicle. Normally, these NCIC hits are reserved for stolen vehicles, vehicles used in crimes, etc.
It was determined that the NCIC “hit” was because of my status as a sex offender. Apparently the Department of Justice (don’t know if it is specifically California, the US DOJ) is now requiring adding NCIC flags on all vehicles associated in some way to a “sex offender”.
As a result, i was pulled over twice and interrogated by police at the DMV. To this day, i cannot get anything done without the DMV making a phone call to the CHP, yes, the CHP to clear this up each and every time I deal with vehicle paperwork for any reason.
This is our reality, folks. Last time i was at the DMV was a couple months ago and I immediately said, ah, you’ll find an NCIC hit on this vehicle, you can opt to simply ignore it. The woman looked at me strangely, saw the hit, called CHP then after says, “I’m really sorry, this is so wrong. Don’t worry, whatever you need today you’ll get”.
The vehicle is finally in my name, which was next to impossible without this NCIC hit, thanks to a missing signature on the bill of sale. So there is a silver lining here, at least in my case.
Many many years ago, I use to reside in California (1972-1978). They were many light years ahead of my home state to which Mom & Dad moved from. As a, soon to been a teenager, I first noticed in some of their newer stores, a new technology began to emerge and be entegrated into the market place: the ‘Bar Code. ‘I can remember clearly some people declaring this new innocent Technology will one day used against the American people. Well, that day has arrived, and it is just the beginning. In the quote of Stalin himself: “We will defeat (change) you, without firing one shot. “Stalin is long dead, but his words proved prophetic. Our politicians, courts and law enforcement are now inacting and practing these unjust laws. But what even makes it more scarier, Congress and the States justiy using computer technology to tract and brand, what they deemed to be the most undesirables of society- Sex offenders. It does not matter how one percieves his/her crime being an innocently event or minor conviction. It’s how the establishment percieves it! And believe me, that hate every person convicted for a sex crime, from the least to the worst. In their eyes, one size fits all. However, simpletons (most Americans) cannot understand, the supporting of and placing a person and all his/her personal info- address, I.D. photo and sex conviction etc.- on a national Sex Offense Registry which invites every American citizen to target, brand, and stigmatize these people, will only pave the future road for the Rise Of One World Government. To be Continued?
If you’re at a Wal-Mart or any other retailer and they ask for your driver’s license, just don’t give it to them. Unless you’re purchasing alcohol, tobacco or a controlled substance at a pharmacy, they have no legal right or obligation to scan your driver’s license. I highly doubt they will refuse to sell to you. After all, many people don’t have driver’s licenses in the first place. You may have to pay in cash, but if that’s the case then so be it.
Many retailers ask for your telephone number for the express purpose of evading the “Do Not Call List” restrictions. I always tell them that my phone number is none of their business and finish up the transaction. Sure, I get a dirty look. But I don’t get calls from their marketing department at dinner time.
Fox 4’s guest implies that it is nobody’s business whether a customer ever has been a sexual offender.
And the Fox 4 reporter encourages viewers, when asked for a scan of ID, to cancel the transaction and go elsewhere.
This is sensible advice and sensible reporting on the part of Fox 4.
I once knew an individual who had “Sex Offender” stamped on his license for having committed a crime on the computer, though he was no longer a threat (this was in another state). He had to show his ID from time to time to make purchases, but the only unusual reaction he ever got was, “I’m so sorry they make you do that!” (He did NOT present it at Disney theme parks, as you can imagine).
Craziness.
I was adjudicated under the 1994 guidelines. Back then the registry was for law enforcement used only. In fact, the order that designated me a predator is only one page. The first paragraph designated me and the second paragraph (the judge did not want to designated me but my public pretender would not argue against it even at the prodding of the judge) states no community or public notification. Now the new law requires that it be on the face of my drivers licence! In fact, governor Scott said it was because he wanted people to know. Well, that goes against the court order. Every county I’ve lived in acknowledge the order. When I register, there is a red banner across the screen that says that I’m not subject to community or public notification. Yet, I am on the public list at the FDLE website. I’ve been to the actual FDLE office in Tallahassee three times. They say that they are erring on the side of caution. Hell, if I err the other way, I go to jail. There is NO accountability for their actions. I showed them the court order and they said I needed to hire a lawyer. I told them I can’t hire an attorney because they have me on the damn list and I can’t get a decent job to even keep up with my child support, much less hire an attorney.
(Big sigh)
Someday, I hope I’ll have the money to fight this crap. Or maybe the ex post facto will help me. I believe that knowingly defying a court order should come with monetary penalties to me and my family. Maybe along the lines of lost income and more, who knows. I tried Morgan & Morgan thinking maybe they could see the dollar signs. They’d be more than happy to represent me after I get a ruling that the state has been wrong. I tried to show that they know their wrong because parts of the state acknowledge the order. That alone shows there is something. Alas, I ramble.
I just keep my head down and try to make sure my child is affected as little as possible in all of this. Having this on my dl doesn’t help. Whenever possible, I show my federal i.d. to the public.
About 6 years ago, Nancy Grace made a Big Deal on her TV show , about sex offenders getting Viagra, and how we should be banned from any sexual performance drugs,If you had to register as a sex offender…
She spent about a week touting it , as far as I know It never went anywhere…
To date I have never been carded at any Pharmacy,they just want your insurance card and prescription
As far as pharmacies go, they are checking drivers licenses on certain purchase and on some prescriptions. I have been asked several times for ID when picking up my meds. Although I only have the statute on the bottom of my liscense, I still cringe every time they ask or it.
This identification on drivers licenses is exactly how my husband wound up trespassed and banned from Disney World. It was the most humiliating experience, for not only him, but our teenage son who had no idea about his dad’s history(a story we were going to sit down and tell him when we felt he was old enough to clearly understand). We were escorted to our camp site, observed as we packed our things and then followed to the end of Disney property. We questioned their security about the fact that (supposedly) they had this “no offenders allowed” policy since 2013, but yet we had visited twice since that time(both times required my husband’s ID). They said they’d trained their staff in how to identify offenders by the codes printed on the driver’s license. I of course asked do they screen everybody, that got zero response. It’s literally a Scarlet letter, and of course, like every other offender law on the books in this state, overkill.
I have the statute on my driver’s license. I get nervous a bit every time I have to show my license somewhere. Let it be a bank, hospital, or any other establishment for whatever reason. I always subtly look at the person’s eyes to see where they look on my license and thank goodness its over in 2 seconds and they return it to me with a friendly smile. I had to take my mom to the hospital a few months ago and the security there was taking IDs for visitors and scanning them before entering the hospital and I don’t know if there was an alert that only they can see, but he gave me back my license and I went on through with my mother. Of course, I was a bit nervous and naturally my heart was pumping a bit as there was a line there full of people and thought I was going to be rejected and humiliated. I kept my cool on the outside though. But this is no way to live I tell you. It sucks.
Disney has become this whole other entity than the Disney I grew up with back then. I wonder if the other parks such as Universal parks in Orlando have such policies too. I haven’t heard of any registered citizens with incidents like they have at Disney with other parks.
Universal is publicly traded. Dat and night when it comes to implementing discriminatory policy.
I was at Universal last April and June. Sacred to death I would get denied. They looked at my license and moved on. I purchased 4 day passes.
Disney is private, They can basically do what they want.
Disney is a public company. NYSE: DIS
I wanted to go to universal,Harry Potter exhibit, I guess that’s not going to be possible ,in August….
So many rules, and nothing posted till you show up with paid tickets in hand…
As far as I know, Universal hasn’t instilled this ludicrous policy. Looking back, the Disney fiasco would’ve been avoided if we’d just walked up and purchased one day tickets, instead of annual passes.
DO NOT buy annual passes or you will certainly be denied.
Universal does not have that policy.
I had taken my children to Disney many times and in 2017 was flagged and trespassed when I renewed our annual passes. Had stayed in the hotels and bought passes from them for years without incident.
Remember, though, you can still pay cash for a ticket and they don’t require ID. And there is no law saying we can’t go. Though if you are on probation you need to be aware of your restrictions.
My wife has had a strong desire to visit to Disney (she has never been there) and it is because of their attitude toward registrants and stories like yours that I have told her I will NEVER spend my (very) hard earned money there. This, of course, has been a disappointment for her, but my hope is, over time, my lifetime boycott of Disney (and Florida as a whole) will make a statement that, as our number grow, cannot forever be ignored. I choose to reward those companies and vacation destinations with my business who do not single out registrations for exclusion. For those on the east coast, Myrtle Beach is a day’s drive up the road and has some great amenities that rival the entertainment meccas of Orlando.
This is the case that needs to be funded and filed:
The impact of the registry on the families of former offenders.
This is a horrible story, and I am sorry that you and your family has to endure things like this. Mine does as well, as do many others I am sure.
My children are impacted by something that they had no part of, between 8-18 years before they were born. That is just wrong.
I would definitely contribute to legal fees to file. My family would be willing to be deposed and/or testify.
For all of out families sakes, this has to stop
MS – please write to [email protected] with details
I had a similar experience back in December of 2013. My wife and I had just gotten married in October of that year and we wanted to go to Disney World for our honeymoon. We had annual passes for years so there was never a problem before. Well, we had to renew our passes when we got there and because they swiped our licenses to renew them that flagged security to me. However, it didn’t show up right away. On Christmas Eve night we were going to Epcot for dinner and when I tried to use my pass it didn’t work and the gate person immediately pulled me aside. They brought me into a security room off to the side and after a few minutes, they came to me with a folder that had my mugshot in it and a basic bio and criminal record history in it. I had to wait for an hour for the police to come and issue me a trespassing citation and Disney staff told me I was banned for life from Disney. The county police officer was asking me how long it had been since I had committed my crime and I told him it had been 15 years (now 21 years). He said he didn’t think it was right to treat someone like this after so many years had past but that he was just “doing his job” which I understood. After that, I thought they were going to let me leave but since the Disney hotel I was staying in was technically in a different county I had to take a taxi back there to the hotel and wait another two hours in their lobby security room for some different officers from this county to show up to give me a different trespassing citation for that county. All this time my wife was ripping apart our hotel room to pack our stuff. We even brought a 4-foot Christmas tree with ornaments to put in the window that she had to take down quickly. Luckily those officers were pretty nice too. So because of one swipe of my license, I was banned from Disney, my honeymoon was ruined, Christmas day was of me sleeping all day because I was deeply depressed from what had happened and later that week I had to deal with the aftermath of the disappointment and sadness that I could clearly see on my newly married wife’s face.
I am so sorry you went through this, sounds like your experience was as bad as ours was. I will admit, both the guy who had to break the news to us and the two security guards who watched us break our campsite down were very polite, and it was obvious they weren’t happy with the task they were given. My main thing is,if they want to ban people for their criminal past, fine, whatever, if you don’t want my money, that’s your loss. But, have that information available, so people in our unfortunate situation don’t have to waste our time, money and dignity. All Disney would have to do is put it on their website, if you’re a RSO, don’t come here, you will be tresspassed etc. Instead, it’s the vague “we reserve the right to deny entry” nonsense.
i got news for you; are you paying higher insurance rates cause your a SO? as soon as insurance company run your Dr. lic. number they know you are a felon. 99% of insurance company’s use credit scores to help determine their rates and i’m sure this info of a branded lic. will increase it.
No, a person’s status as a sexual offender has no effect on their credit score. I was dropped by USAA about 10 years ago for being a sex offender and have been with Progressive ever since, with no problems at all. I even put that little device they use to track your driving for three months in my car and have been getting a 30% discount on my auto insurance premiums ever since.
I share your feelings and fears as well. These situations always trigger my anxiety and I avoid any place that regularly requires my license.
I assumed this is what Disney World was doing to screen for registrants since everyone was being turned away at the gate but not screened out at booking.
Pretty much, and what a great con, they ambush you at the gate with their security and the Orange county sheriff with a tresspass notice.