There are really no federal funds to compete over, this is a politicians game to garner votes and favor. Crime has been paying for politicians since the 1970s, even though the slogans that we see on mass media would have you thinking otherwise. Tough on Crime started in the Nixon era and started a real trend, so much so that Reagan started the War on Drugs that has done little for us than make us the “Incarceration Nation” of the world.

The problem is only getting more and more visible now that there are so many on the registry, in our prisons and jails, that our workforce is now starting to suffer for it. With unemployment at a low in most parts of the country, but with an overpopulation problem as well, there should be more than enough workers to cover the opportunities available.

This is far bigger than just the registry, the registry is just so much more visible than the other even more egregious examples.

I understand what you’re saying. For now, people should focus on donating whatever they can do the legal efforts of these organization since they’re spearheading this, even if it’s $10-20. Let collective power work for you. These people have dedicated a part of their lives to fighting this injustice, so we need to use our last dollars, after basic bills paid for, to fund the legal efforts.

MJ – I hear you – I really do. I am struggling as well and so is my son. However, I realized that if each and every person donated just one dollar every month, or every 2 weeks – that is a dollar that FAC did not have before to fight for us. 1 dollar. They will take it – I know they will.
Sometimes those that want to contribute do not because they think it has to be a good chunk of change – but just like everyone is talking about banding together to fight the same thing applies to donating.

You’re right Joe. In between the 3 jobs that I work Mon-Sat that don’t even pay all of my bills, and the $1500 I’m having to pay my lawyer just to get off probation early and the weekly classes that I have to pay $25 for and the polygraphs I have to take at a cost of $200 a pop and the monthly probation fees I have to pay, I will gladly pull some money out of my ass and give it to whatever XYZ organization is out there trying to fight for my cause. And you said 3-4 families 20-30 years ago are the cause of a lot of this. And you’re correct. Hell, TWO people here in Florida are the cause of most if it also. But here’s the problem. They were smart…….and stinking rich. The cause they were fighting for was EXTREMELY sympathetic and could garner instant support by playing on the emotions and fears of the general public (parents and guardians mostly). Thus, the path they had to take to get what they want was paved with super-greased skids all the way to the White House and State Houses. Our cause??? I mean, c’mon. If 270 homeless RSOs living under a bridge is not enough to garner sympathy for our plight, then I don’t know what is? Maybe we need to parade as many children of RSOs out there for all the world to see how these stupid laws are and keeping them from their moms and dads. I mean, our fight is kind of like us standing on the beach holding a sandbag, trying to stop an incoming tsunami. Even if all 900,000 of us stood on the beach holding sandbags, we’re still all gonna get washed away. I always thought maybe a “Million Man March” type storm of Washington with RSOs and their families would work, but when most of us are on probation and stuck even inside our own counties or can’t travel outside the state because of stupid registration laws, how in the hell are we gonna get up there? Most of us can’t even go to our own state capitals right now!!

So, I feel your sentiment Joe. And I want to fight like hell just as much as the next person. But what’s the strategy? Most organizations are fighting this law here, and that law here with very little money and limited resources. The members that they serve (RSOs) and their families, simply don’t have the money needed to afford high-powered attorneys or file expensive lawsuits and challenges. So I ask honestly, what are we left to do?? And even if we do get any sort of traction on pushing back any laws, how long is it gonna take to overturn?? How old will I be when I finally get some relief from this bullsh*t?? It’s like, well damn, I’ve already lived 25, 30, 40 years under this BS, why does it matter if I’m not gonna be “free” from it until I’m 70-80 years old?? So yeah Joe, when you stop and think about all of these factors, how can you not be hopeless and depressed and sit here and complain about it? The almighty govt has UNLIMITED power, money, resources, and law-making, constitution-shredding ability against us, that again, it’s like fighting a tsunami with sandbags.

So what’s your strategy my man? How can stop the tsunami? Because right now, I don’t even have enough money for HALF a sandbag.

roughly 23k are in the community

But we still don’t know how many Florida registrants actually live in Florida. 😉

What would be interesting is to see how many RSO’s have moved to Vermont and NOT had to register because of the 10 year rule for most people. Vermont is not only one of the few states (if not the only one) where you don’t even have to register and then ask to be removed if you qualify, but also one where they will tell you up front if you don’t have to register. In Massachusetts, you still have to move there to be “classified” in order to see if you can petition to have your time reduced from 20 to 10 years. In places like Colorado and Oregon (under the upcoming January 1919 law) you still have to petition to be removed, even if it is claimed to be almost automatic. Of course, we know about the numerous states that treat out of staters differently than their own registrants with things like the “whichever is longer” scheme.

At the VERY least, everyone should donate money towards legal efforts of the 3 major organizations ALCSOL, FAC, NARSOL, instead of sitting and feeling sorry for themselves and complaining about the ‘hopelessness’. Oh please. Pathetic. At least donate money to help fight for the cause. This country has turned people into Victims of all types, not Fighters. Victims will remain victims for life if they think of themselves that way. People should be feeling ANGRY and Outraged, not moping around and keeping their head down as much as possible. It’s the 3-4 families of real victims of abductions and murders that launched most of these laws after losing their children. Look at what a FEW families can do when they get outraged, although they over did it. They didn’t mope around feeling sorry for themselves, which way too many people on these article commentary sections sound like.

We need a million marchers on the capitol steps!

Nope. But how does that happen? Guess we can have the Million RSO March on Washington. We need a national group to organize it.