Weekly Update #116
Dear Members and Advocates,
This week’s update has one message. If you have not left comments for the DOJ Proposed Amendments to SORNA, today is the deadline. The link where you can leave comments is:
Comments are due by 11:59 PM Tuesday, 10/13/20!
As of the time of this writing there are 687 public comments submitted. There are likely more that were mailed in, but given the fact that there are approximately one million individuals on the registry, there should be tens of thousands of comments, not hundreds. We (as a population) talk about not having our voices heard, but if we don’t speak what is there to listen to?
If you take a moment to read through the comments that were posted, they overwhelmingly support our position. Position statements from other organizations, such as NARSOL, ACSOL, Oregon Voices, WAR, Once Fallen, as well as FAC’s own comments are sources of information and resources to help you craft your own response. Or you can simply and respectfully share your personal story on how registration has impacted your family and ask that SORNA be reconsidered.
You have the information, we just need the numbers now. Please take a moment to add your voice and add more support against the proposed changes and against the registry.
Sincerely,
The Florida Action Committee
Reminders:
Oct 13 Tuesday at 7:00pm ET- Special Flagler, St Johns, Putnam, Clay 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 County teams connected and working together. With Unity Comes Change.
Oct 29 Thursday at 8:00pm ET- Special Orange 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 Orange County team connected and working for you. With Unity Comes Change.
Nov 5 Thursday at 8:00pm ET- Monthly Membership Call Dial 319-527-3487. Topic: 2020 Florida Election results and Updates from the FAC teams (Legislative, Legal, Media, Membership, Outreach). If unable to connect, text “Call Me” to 319-527-3487. You will receive a call-back and be connected to the meeting.
Nov 7 Saturday Noon-3pm – Orange County Workshop in Apopka – Looking for volunteers to help stuff envelopes, prepare for meet local representatives, and plan the annual Holiday party for members. For location, RSVP to [email protected] or call 904-452-8322, leave name(s) and phone#.
Nov 12 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 THIS WEEK
NARSOL, along with FAC, has proven to be an influential organization.
I have been writing of the successes NARSOL has been achieving with their letters/emails to Patch.com. After NARSOL’s press release signed by over 200 researchers, academics, treatment providers, including ATSA, and many others (FAC included), some states have…
Reason: Publishing Registered Sex Offenders’ Home Addresses Before Halloween Is Gratuitous, Unethical, and Reckless
Every year in the run-up to Halloween, Patch publishes maps showing the homes of “registered sex offenders” in various cities. Ostensibly, this information is aimed at helping parents who worry that their children might be molested while trick-or-treating. But…
Reentry Task Forces Urge Florida Legislators to Preempt Residency Restrictions for Sex Offenders
Reentry task forces for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties submitted a Report and Recommendation to all Florida Senators and Representatives, urging them to create a law that would preempt the patchwork of municipal sex offender residency restrictions that…
NE: Can an association restrict persons required to register as sex offenders?
A Nebraska Judge will soon decide whether a homeowners association can restrict someone registered as a sex offender from its community. The Wildwood Estates Homeowners Association in Gage County, Nebraska, is seeking a temporary injunction to remove a registered sex…
This whole “SORNA” act has the moral equivalence of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 And is in violation of the 14th Amendment.
How do you add comments to the Federal register. I hit the feedback but Nada
Vince
The timeline to post is past. I commented on the very last day. We had a month to comment. I believe comments are now closed
I left a long comment on Tuesday. We had to use our names so I hope what I said does not come back to bite me in the arse.
I most spoke about how the registry is not just about “US” but also and more importantly, about our families, our bosses, and people we care about being on the registry WITH us. They also have to endure the harassment from not only law enforcement but more so from the neighbors and not neighbors who attack us both verbally and often times physically.
Additionally I mentioned how we cannot share vacations and special moments with our families due to restrictions on where we can live, stay at , visit or even be in the proximity of.
I mentioned as well that the Feds and courts cannot blame us for our families going through this since we did our time and were supposed to be able to move on. WE did not create the registry and many of us were added on after we had already been sentenced years before. We did not get to use that as a bargaining factor in a plea as others did since the registry had not even come out yet.