Although Dave Aronberg appears responsive to changes in the sex offender laws, the Florida state senator is still "selling" his bill to "protect the children" inferring that all persons listed on the Florida Sex Offender Registry are child molesters.
Many persons so listed have never touched anyone physically, much less a child.
These two phrases--Protect the Children--Child Molesters--are straight up Republican frame references. Perhaps Aronberg--a Democrat-- has to talk the talk of the Rethugs, who outnumber him in the state legislature.
The truth is only 3 % of those forced to register on the Florida Sex Offender Registry are truly dangerous. The rest are low level offenders caught up in a broad net of offenses that Florida has deemed sex offenses.
The truth is this idea to increase the current state residency restriction law by 500 feet--Aronberg's proposal to streamline and uniform the hodgepodge of laws throughout Florida municipalities--is feeding lobbyist Ron Book a bone.
Book--a huge proponent of Florida sex offender legislation-- who bears partial responsibility for increasing Miami residency laws to 2500 feet, serving only to force those registered under ground or under bridges--must apparently be stroked for this proposal to be considered.
A lobbyist has no business being kowtowed to by an elected official. Even if that wealthy, successful, connected lobbyist suffers the guilt of personal remorse regarding a family member left in the care of one of the truly dangerous.
Aronberg is advised to think twice of his relationship with such a fellow.
As you read, keep in mind that Florida families have met with Florida legislators on their own, describing the personal cost a designation of "sex offender" brings to their household. Many of these elected officials--those who supposedly represent all Floridians--refuse to address their concerns--refused to meet with the families and their children.
I'd like to post a comment left as a response to yesterday's post Dave Aronberg's First Step.
The anger is real.
Pay attention, Dave.
***
OK I am angry. I admit that right off the bat. I am really really angry. I am sick and tired of our Legislators outright lying to us or lying by omission. I am sick of our Politicians thinking that we are too stupid to hear the truth. That we do not have the common sense necessary to make good judgements and decisions. That may be true of a small percentage of our population, but not of the majority. This increase of the state residency restriction to 1500 ft. is a horrible idea. It will cost this State huge amounts of money. Aronberg will say it won't but it will! It has to. Someone has to enforce this. Our courts will have to hear the cases brought by people that are forced from their homes. The courts will have to hear the cases of the people who will violate their parole by living within 1500 ft. of SOMETHING they are not supposed to. We are looking at huge dollars here to do something that is a really bad idea in the first place! The sad thing here, Ladies and Gentlemen is that Aronberg KNOWS this is a bad idea. He KNOWS that residency restrictions do NOTHING to prevent abuse and actually increase the danger. I know this because I know many people who have TOLD him this. Who have shown him the studies that confirm this. So why, you ask, is he sponsoring this bill? Why is he increasing the residency restrictions? It is simple, for one thing, it is an election year. Any law that "appears" tough on sex offenders is a vote getter. It does not have to work, it simply has to "look good". The other reason is more political posturing. The fact is that it is important for Florida to have a common State wide residency restriction. It is important to get rid of these 2500 ft. laws. This bill will do that and this is a good thing. BUT, in order not to get powerful, rich, lobbyist RON BOOK angry at Aronberg he is throwing him the BONE of increasing the distance even though this would be very harmful. What we are saying here is to h**l with the children, getting re elected is what is important! They have been saying that for quite a few years now and it is past time for it to STOP! Even the victim advocacy groups are begging to get these residency restrictions stopped. YOU TELL ME, how is telling a person where they can sleep at night going to stop any abuse? The children are NOT at school at night. The children are NOT at the school bus stops at night! They are NOT at the parks at night. They are at home in THEIR beds. The ONLY thing that makes sense if the no loitering zones or safety zones. Make it a law that a former sex offender is not allowed to loiter within 300 ft of a school, school bus stop, or park. THAT means he cannot be there DURING THE DAY when the child is actually there or coming or going from there. THAT makes sense. Telling a person where he can or cannot sleep at night does NOT makes sense. It makes homeless former sex offenders. It makes desperate former sex offenders. It makes people with no support system, no homes, no jobs and NOTHING TO LOSE!Political expediency be damned! Stop the lies and actually protect our children...they are worth more than your re election! And just one more thing. Aronberg knows that the minute his 1500 ft. law goes into effect he has made about 400 former offenders homeless. These 400 are the men that are living in a theraputic environment in a few mobile homes and in the rare ministries that accept former sex offenders.
That does not include the 47,009 other former offenders in the State. This is so wrong headed as to be unbelievable.
