Weekly Update #113

Dear Members and Advocates,

I begin this week with a mea culpa. In last week’s update I wrote about the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the impact a Supreme Court Justice has on shaping rights and liberties in this country. I praised the decisions in Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade and Obergefell v. Hodges, without considering that there are some among our members who disagree with the outcome of those cases. I should not have implied that my personal views are those of the entire organization. If last week’s update offended anyone, I am sorry.

 Just as we remind the public that people on the registry are not homogeneous, neither is our membership. There are those among us who have differing beliefs, points of view and perspectives. We welcome them all. The last thing we want to do is alienate anybody, just like we don’t want to be alienated from anyplace ourselves.  We are all united in a common cause and, as our motto says, With Unity Comes Change.  All of us need to avoid divisive topics and stay unified. To that end; anybody who wants to contribute a submission to our website or an update to share in our weekly email, please send it in to [email protected]. Whether it’s a success story, something going on in your community or anything that you think other registrants should know about, the sharing and dissemination of information and resources among ourselves is one of the most valuable benefits of being a part of FAC. Just remember, whether in posts, comments on our website or in these weekly updates, we need to keep opinions on religion, politics and certain other controversial topics out of the discussion. I will endeavor to do a better job of that myself.

 So, getting back on track we have some good news to report. We are incredibly excited to share that we met our fundraising goal in the Non-Registrant Collateral Consequences Challenge! Last month, a generous member agreed to match contributions through September 30^th. Many of you stepped up and we did it! Not only can we move forward with that challenge, but there’s more good news… we also met a fundraising goal in our Out-of-State Challenge! We are now much closer to bringing that case also! Sincere appreciation to the members who sponsored the matching contributions and all those who contributed to enable us to take advantage of the match.

Depositions in the Ex Post Facto Plus challenge have been taking place and they will continue for the next two weeks. Thanks to Zoom and other technology, the Coronavirus hasn’t slowed down the case. Even though trial has been postponed two months from November of this year to February, with the way 2020 has gone on so many fronts, we prefer to think it’s a good thing this case will be heard in 2021 and great that two additional cases will join this one in the coming year!

Finally, there are fewer than two weeks left in the comments period for the proposed changes to SORNA. According to the Federal Register, there are 485 comments posted through the web portal and we’re confident that many more were mailed in. We even know of individuals who are incarcerated who have submitted their comments. If you don’t want the Federal Government to impose additional restrictions (in addition to your state restrictions), now is your last chance to speak out. Visit https://beta.regulations.gov/docket/DOJ-OAG-2020-0003 and let the Justice Department know that SORNA is failed policy.

Between COVID and the election there is a lot of chaos going on around us, but let’s not get distracted and focus on the one thing we can all agree on; the registry needs to be abolished!

 Sincerely,

The Florida Action Committee

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Reminders:

Oct 1 Thursday at 8:00pm ET Monthly Membership call.  Guest Dr. Lisa Anne Zilney, PhD, Topic: Guilt by Association: Labeling Research. Dr. Zilney works to educate the public about collateral consequences of sex offense laws on registrants and their families;.  She will also discuss her recent book “Impacts of Sex Crime Laws on the Female Partners of Convicted Offenders: Never Free of Collateral Consequences.”  To join the conference, dial 319-527-3487.  If unable to connect, text “Call Me” to 319-527-3487.  You will receive a call-back and be connected to the meeting.

Oct 6 Tuesday at 7:00pm ET-Hillsborough County member call.  Dial 319-527-3487.  Meet your County Coordinators and let them know your concerns.  They want to hear from you.  Keep your Hillsborough team connected and working together.  With Unity Comes Change.

Oct 8 Thursday at 8:00pm ET New Member Orientation Call. Dial 319-527-3487.  Learn more about the FAC organization, resources, and volunteer opportunities. All members are welcome to call. If unable to connect, text “Call Me” to 319-527-3487.  You will receive a call-back and be connected to the meeting.

SOME HEADLINES FROM THE WEEK

Have sex offense laws ‘jumped the shark’?

The phrase “jump the shark”, according to the Urban Dictionary, is the point at which something loses its touch and begins to grasp at straws. It was coined by Jon Hein, who wrote a book citing examples of television shows that reached a peak and then began to go…

UPDATED: Prosecutors drop prostitution charges against Patriots owner Robert Kraft

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft won’t be facing trial on charges that he paid for sex on consecutive days at a Jupiter, Florida, massage parlor. According to court papers filed on Thursday, Florida prosecutors are dropping the prostitution charges against…

Wakulla County to pay $160,000 to settle lawsuit with City Walk Urban Mission

A federal court in Tallahassee has ruled that City Walk Urban Mission can again operate in Wakulla County and can open up three other transition homes within the county. Tuesday, the court approved a settlement between the organization and the county. The county…

ACSOL: Proposed SORNA Regulations Would Add Uncertainty to Registrants’ Lives

Below are highlights of ACSOL’s breakdown of the proposed SORNA changes:   Section 72.3 – Federal law, that is SORNA, will apply to all individuals convicted of a sex offense regardless of when the offense occurred and whether the state where the offense occurred…

 MEMBER CALL 

General Membership Call – First Thursday of each month at 8pm ET
New Member Orientation – Second Thursday of each month at 8pm ET.

All Guests must identify their First name and County.  No Last Names.  Unknown callers will be blocked.

Listen by Phone: 
Two options are offered due to various member phone plans.

OPTION 1:  Dial (319) 527-3487   No Access code required.

OPTION 2:  Dial 605-472-5311 then Enter Show ID: 739392#  (long distance rates may apply)

NEW:  If you have any trouble connecting to the call, text “CALL ME” to 319-527-3487 from your mobile phone.  FreeConferenceCall.com will call you back and connect you to the conference.

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Florida Action Committee
www.floridaactioncommittee.org
[email protected]
(904) 438-8322