08/12/2011
By Jami Kinton
MANSFIELD -- Neighbors discussed picketing registered sex offenders living in the Walker Street area at the Roseland neighborhood watch meeting Thursday night.
"I want to know what do you want to do about this? Are we going to picket?" watch president Robert Beatty asked a crowd of about 25. "We could sit here for hours tonight and talk about this, but we need to decide what we're going to do."
About two weeks ago, sex offenders moved into the area, and neighbors complain they've stirred trouble since their arrival.
- Did "they" stir up trouble, or did the mob?
On Thursday, Mansfield Police Deputy Chief Toby Smith and Connie Walls, records supervisor for the Richland County sheriff's office were invited to the meeting to answer questions and address issues with the offenders.
Walls, who has been in charge of the local registry since 1997, explained to attendees how the registry works and why they did not receive a notice about one of the offenders.
One of the offenders, [name withheld], was convicted of rape. However, his crime took place before the state mandated notification for offenders. Another Walker Street resident, Rita Smith, took it upon herself to notify neighbors.
"I get sex offender notifications from the sheriff's department, and when I saw that email come in that he was moving in, I about lost it," she said. "We've got a lot of little kids that live in this neighborhood, and I am afraid he's going to offend again."
- Well your personal feelings don't jive with reality, which is, most sex offenders do not re-offend.
Neighbors claim multiple disputes have arisen, including thrown beer cans.
- And who were the beer cans thrown by? The offender(s) or the mob?
"Everyone wants them out of their neighborhood, but it's like, OK, how do you do that?" Smith said. "We have to uphold the law."
The group concluded the meeting by deciding to put a picket on hold, but up their neighborhood patrol.
"Where's he going to go? The best thing you can do is to watch out for each other. Warn your children. Knowledge is the best defense," Wells said. "That's why the registry exists, so that people know who is living next door."
- Sound knowledge, yes, but fear-mongering knowledge, not so much!
