The Art of the Steal: Broward County FL sex crimes persecutor Stacey Honowitz doesn't want Anti-Registry Activists mentioning her shoplifting arrest

Considering the author's arrest for shoplifting, I feel a sequel to her children's book is needed, we  can call it "Don't Steal, It's a Big Deal." it could be a story about a Broward County S*x Crimes prosecutor who slipped $42.93 worth of cosmetics into her purse in a Publix, got busted, then used her position to get off. While she writes books telling people hands off, she doesn't apply "hands off" principles to her own behavior. She obviously can't be held to the same standards as the rest of us since the prosecutor's office refused to pursue it, so did she truly learn a lesson? 

Or, maybe she can call it "The Art of the Steal", a lesson on saving money using the ol' five finger discount. 

You want to hear something funny? I would not have even known about this had she (or rather, her attorney) not sent a letter to Florida Action Committee requesting they take down a post about her 2018 arrest:

https://floridaactioncommittee.org/prosecutor-stacey-honowitz-wants-her-arrest-post-removed/

Prosecutor Stacey Honowitz wants her arrest post removed

Dec 11, 2020 | 22 comments

We received an email from an attorney requesting we remove a certain post from our website. The post concerned Broward Sex Crimes Prosecutor Stacey Honowitz’s arrest for shoplifting at a Publix Supermarket in 2018. The removal request appears below:

Good Day,

I hope this message finds you well in these trying times. I am writing on behalf of Stacey Honowitz to kindly request the removal of the article published to the above-copied link. The incident, a misunderstanding, is a most embarrassing blemish on Ms. Honowitz’s otherwise pristine record and career. The charge was readily nolle prossed (please see attached). As you can certainly appreciate, the continued publication has caused and continues to cause Ms. Honowitz great distress and damage to her reputation.

Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any questions. We thank you in advance for your time dedicated to this sensitive matter.

Cordially Yours,

Vanessa McGill

Stacey Honowitz is a sex crimes prosecutor and an advocate for harsher sex offender restrictions. To quote Ms. Honowitz, “Tougher laws [are] needed to protect our kids from sex offenders.”

While we agree with Ms. Honowitz that sexual abuse needs to be prevented, we strongly disagree that tougher laws are needed to protect anyone from persons forced to register as “sex offenders”. The overwhelming majority (95%+) of people on the registry will not re-offend and are trying to live productive lives, yet the continued publication of their information on a public registry prevents them from obtaining employment, housing and other basic needs for themselves and their families.

For most registrants, their crime was a one-time offense and a complete aberration in an otherwise law abiding life. Surely most were guilty, but many were not. Some were wrongfully accused, baited and switched in a sting, or a misunderstanding for which they took a plea decades ago out of convenience and to avoid the risk of jail time without knowing what was to come as far as the registry. Arguably their incidents are also a “most embarrassing blemish” in an “otherwise pristine record” and “the continued publication” of their information on a sex offender registry “has caused and continues to cause” them “great distress and damage”.

So what to do about this request to remove the article? Since the letter came from an attorney who lists one of her areas of practice as defamation cases, the implication is that if we chose not to take down the article we might face a lawsuit. However, the Miami Herald’s story, Veteran Sex-Crimes Prosecutor Accused of Shoplifting is still up. So is the Sun-Sentinel’s coverage. The surveillance footage of her sticking the cosmetic items in her purse and leaving the store has not been taken down. So why should we remove our post?

We did update the story to state that the charges were nolle prossed, but do we need to take down the entire article? Even if the shoplifting incident was unintentional and she simply forgot to pay for the items or mindlessly put them in her purse without realizing, she prosecutes people who unknowingly or unintentionally violate a technical registration rule all the time and even if decades have passed without incident, her office still vigorously opposes petitions for removal from the registry.

It’s very possible that the arrest has given Ms. Honowitz a different perspective and greater empathy for people who “as [she] can certainly appreciate” are suffering great distress and damage from their continued publication on the registry. Or, it’s possible she could care less. We’d like to see where she stands in light of the fact that she’s “kindly requesting” we take down a post.

Frankly we’re impressed that our little forum would even concern her enough to retain an attorney to contact us. But, before we act on the request, we’d really like to hear the thoughts of our membership, so please feel free to share them in the comments below. We’d also love to hear from Ms.Honowitz herself, given the ironic nature of her request. If she would like to be a guest on a future member call, consider this a public invitation.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article218555925.html

Broward sex-crimes prosecutor accused of shoplifting at Aventura Publix

BY DAVID OVALLE

SEPTEMBER 17, 2018 04:12 PM, 

Stacey Honowitz, a Broward prosecutor and author of “Genius with a Penis, Don’t Touch!” HANDOUT

A high-profile Broward prosecutor who supervises cases against child molesters and rapists is facing a misdemeanor shoplifting charge after police said she swiped $42.93 worth of beauty products from an Aventura Publix.

Stacey Honowitz, 56, was charged with retail theft on Saturday. She was not booked into a jail. Instead, she signed a notice promising to appear in Miami-Dade court, which is not unusual in minor cases.

According to an arrest report, Honowitz slipped the three “beauty products” into her purse but was spotted by a manager via closed-circuit television. The manager confronted Honowitz, who handed over the stolen goods, according to the Aventura police report.

She has been suspended and will take vacation time until the case is sorted out, a Broward State Attorney’s spokeswoman told reporters in a statement.

“We have been made aware of the incident by the prosecutor. She has been suspended pending an administrative review. She will be utilizing her vacation time until we complete the investigation,” said spokeswoman Constance Simmons.

Her defense attorney, Jayne Weintraub, called the Publix incident an “honest mistake.”

“She inadvertently did not pay for the cosmetics when she checked out and paid for her $130.00 groceries,” Weintraub said in a statement. “She did not even leave the store after she paid. She then purchased lottery tickets and was chatting with another customer. There was no intent to commit a crime at all.”

Honowitz is the author of two children’s books on sexual abuse and frequently appears on cable television news networks as a legal analyst. One book is called “My Privates are Private”; the other is “Genius with a Penis, Don’t Touch!” Both are designed to teach kids about recognizing inappropriate advances.

“When she isn’t putting bad guys behind bars, Honowitz works to educate parents and children about child molestation and the importance of reporting abuse as the first step to healing,” according to her website.

Honowitz could not be reached for comment.

Five years ago, Honowitz appeared at Miami-Dade bond court when her brother was arrested on allegations he was wanted in Colorado on theft and forgery charges. During the hearing, Honowitz mentioned her job several times before the judge let her brother free from jail.

She insisted her appearance in Miami court was appropriate. “I went down there as a loving sister,” Honowitz told the Miami Herald at the time. “I just happen to be a prosecutor. This is a terrible ordeal.”

Gladys Mezrahi and Rachel Saltzman Friedland are political rivals in Aventura FL but are running together for a Shiitake Award nomination

 I've seen plenty of weird things while running the Shiitake Awards over the years, but this may be the first time I've posted political opponents together for a single nomination. However, this story makes both candidates Shiitake-worthy. I truly cannot decide who is worse here. Quite frankly, I think one is just as bad as the other. I'm not King Solomon here; therefore, these two political rivals are running together for worst politician of 2020.

The short version is these two candidates for the Aventura City Commission live in the same complex, and both are falling over each other trying to be the one to take credit for forcing a Registered Person out of the building while claiming her opponent is the friend of the registrant. 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/aventura/article246000700.html

This candidate claimed she kept a child molester out of her community. Not exactly.

BY AARON LEIBOWITZ

OCTOBER 02, 2020 06:00 AM, 

The Aventura City Commission race between incumbent Gladys Mezrahi and challenger Rachel Saltzman Friedland has featured some of the mudslinging that’s typical in local politics: allegations of improper campaigning, disputes over who deserves credit for getting things done — including, in this race, ensuring there wouldn’t be school on Yom Kippur at a local charter school.

But the battle between Mezrahi and Friedland reached more unusual territory recently when Friedland brought up a 2018 effort to drive a convicted child molester out of The Point, a community of condo towers and townhouses where both candidates live. In an email that was shared with the city commission, Friedland accused Mezrahi of refusing to engage in the community effort because she knew the sex offender personally from their time growing up in Colombia.

Mezrahi hit back hard, filing a complaint with the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust that alleged Friedland had violated the county’s Fair Campaign Practices ordinance by making various false statements in her email. She said that Friedland’s statement about the situation at The Point was “a fabricated lie,” and that “what really happened was the total opposite.”

But Mezrahi’s description of “what really happened” stretches the truth. Mezrahi makes several claims about how the debacle played out in 2018 that are directly contradicted by records from the county’s Department of Corrections, statements from people involved, and messages from a community WhatsApp chat where the issue was discussed at the time.

For example, Mezrahi writes that she “helped this family arrange to move out of the building prior to the husband returning home from his [prison] sentence in order to make sure the sex offender never stepped foot into The Point again.”

“Within 24 hours of the announcement that he was released from his sentence, the incident was resolved without anyone being hurt or put in danger,” Mezrahi’s complaint says.

ut that timeline doesn’t check out. A Miami-Dade Corrections spokesman said Ricardo Moreno — who was sentenced to two years in prison in 2015 after being convicted of molesting multiple teenage boys while working as a golf instructor in Hollywood — moved into The Point immediately after his release in June 2017. He then moved into a different unit in the same building eight months later, which is when a group of residents learned he lived there and pushed to change that.

Mezrahi also says in her complaint that “the reason that the family was able to move out of our complex quickly was because of my help.”

And she went even further in attacking Friedland in an email to the Herald, saying Friedland “is the one who knew Ricardo Moreno, knew he was a sex offender, and did absolutely nothing about it when she knew he moved into our community. She knew he was a resident of The Point, but allowed him to stay at The Point and kept silent. What was she hiding?”

But that’s also not accurate. Messages from a community WhatsApp chat show that Friedland and other residents started discussing Moreno’s presence in the community on Feb. 20, 2018, one week after Moreno had moved from a rental unit into a condo that his wife bought in the same building, according to property records.

“Spoke to Linda [Marks] and sent her the statute,” Friedland said in a WhatsApp message that night, referring to a city commissioner who was also the president of The Point’s master condo association at the time. “She’s looking into all. It’s late now but let’s see if there is progress tomorrow.”

LET’S GO TO THE TAPE MEASURE

The conversation continued over several days, with Friedland and others discussing the need to measure the distance between Moreno’s home and the nearest playground. Florida law prohibits child sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of certain locations where children congregate, including schools, parks and playgrounds.

On Feb. 21, 2018, Friedland sent an update: “[Attorney] Raquel Rothman did the research. [Building] only 666.65 feet from playground in violation of statute.” That night, a group of residents held an in-person meeting to discuss their next steps.

Then, on Feb. 26, a resident shared an email her husband had received from Marks. “Please be advised that the convicted sex offender has been given notice that he is no longer permitted to reside in the North Tower,” the email said, adding that Moreno would have “visitation rights during the day” and that, unless he appealed the decision, “he must vacate in the next few days.”

Two days later, records show, Moreno moved into a hotel in Doral, where he stayed for about a month before moving to an address in Miami.

Marks confirmed that version of events in a statement to the Herald. She said Friedland provided her with a copy of the relevant Florida statute, and Marks passed that information on to the city attorney “and made it very clear that time was of the essence.”

“Within about a week, all legal steps were taken, and the authorities prohibited the pedophile from residing at The Point,” Marks said.

In her ethics complaint, Mezrahi said she contacted Marks to inform her that she was helping the family “move out of the community as seamlessly as possible.” Marks declined to address whether Mezrahi contacted her.

The true nature of Mezrahi’s involvement isn’t quite clear. In an interview with the Herald, she softened her stance after a reporter pointed out apparent discrepancies in her previous statements.

Mezrahi acknowledged that she knew Moreno and his wife from attending the same synagogue in Colombia, but she said she wasn’t aware in 2018 that Moreno had been released from prison and was living in The Point, nor that Friedland and others were working to have him removed.

“My involvement was very simple,” she said. “I just did a phone call to the wife, told them to move away and that was it. She told me to give her a couple of weeks to move away and that was it.”

Moreno’s wife didn’t respond to a request for comment from the Herald. An Aventura resident who Mezrahi said could corroborate her account — Rothman, the former law partner of Friedland who helped The Point residents with legal research — declined to comment.

Mezrahi withdrew her ethics complaint Sept. 17, saying the city attorney had asked her to do so “and not create any scandal for the city.” But she re-filed it Sept. 24, despite acknowledging in an interview that she wasn’t sure if certain statements in it were accurate. The complaint was submitted with a signed oath swearing it was true to the best of Mezrahi’s knowledge.

The ethics commission has yet to rule on the complaint.

A RARE PUBLIC SPAT IN AVENTURA

The dispute’s spill into public view is unusual for Aventura, whose officials make a point of closely guarding the city’s reputation.

Friedland’s email in early September that first brought up the issue at The Point was sent in response to an email from Commissioner Bob Shelley, who had scolded Friedland for sending a campaign email that touted her work to reverse the city’s decision to have school on Yom Kippur at the Aventura Charter School and Don Soffer Aventura High School.

“When there are issues to be resolved we deal with them in a professional private manor [sic] so as to not insult or disrespect those that work hard for the good of our city,” Shelley wrote.

Mezrahi, who works in event planning and marketing, was elected to her first four-year term in 2016. She’s endorsed by Democratic State Sen. Annette Taddeo, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sally Heyman, and three sitting commissioners in Aventura, according to her website.

Marks, the city commissioner and former condo association president, was previously listed among those endorsing Mezrahi, but her name was removed from the website last week. She didn’t respond to a request for comment on why it was pulled.

Friedland is an attorney who is seeking public office for the first time. She’s endorsed by Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, as well as Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Congressman Ted Deutch.

Friedland was previously engaged to Jeremy Ring, a former Democratic state senator and Democratic nominee for chief financial officer of Florida in 2018. Ring has donated to Friedland’s campaign.

Another candidate, Joshua Mandall, is also running for Mezrahi’s seat. Mandall faced Mezrahi for an open seat in 2016 and received 44% of votes.

Political etiquette: If you're going to make a political smear ad, at least use a pic of the actual candidate you're attacking

Andrew La Grone, like most politicians these, never bother to fact check anything they send out. In this case, they did not even bother to post a picture of the actual candidate they were attacking, instead attacking a woman whose face was on the opponent's Facebook page. Sure, they look a little alike, but they did not bother to make sure they got the right person. Random lady, just be glad it wasn't a cop confusing you for a 60 year old Cuban guy like Broward County did to me. 

Well, you can't expect much from a clown who read a children's book on the legislative floor. Perhaps that is merely a book befitting his reading level. 

https://journalstar.com/legislature/attack-ad-in-district-49-race-uses-photo-of-a-campaign-volunteer-instead-of-candidate/article_0a60fc6a-0b27-5ae8-82f7-defa17bc8ef2.html

Attack ad in District 49 race uses photo of a campaign volunteer instead of candidate

Chris Dunker Sep 22, 2020 Updated Sep 22, 2020 

Voters in Sarpy County received a campaign flyer last week painting a candidate as "too extreme" to serve in the state Legislature.

But the mailer from state Sen. Andrew La Grone attacking challenger Jen Day had a glaring error.

The black-and-white photo on the campaign material of Day was not, in fact, a photo of Day. It was instead a photo of a volunteer on Day's campaign taken from her Facebook page.

"I was actually out canvassing for (Day) on Saturday when she sent it to me," said Brooklynne Rosado, the volunteer who learned her picture had been sent to thousands of voters in District 49. "It was jarring to see.

"Having my face on something like that was really humiliating," she added. "It's not me and it's not who I am and it doesn't portray who Jen is either."

La Grone, who is seeking to win his first election after being appointed by Gov. Pete Ricketts prior to the 2019 session, said in an email Monday the use of the photo was "inadvertent and unfortunate."

Rosado said the negative politicking in the mailer is part of why she volunteered for Day, whom she met online in a Facebook group for people who closely watch the Legislature.

When Day announced her candidacy last year, Rosado said she was compelled to volunteer knocking doors, handing out campaign literature, and making phone calls even though she lives in the neighboring District 14.

"I just really believe in her and her message," Rosado said. "She's a regular person running for office, a mother and a small-business owner, not a typical politician. I think we need more people like that in office."

Since joining the campaign, Rosado has volunteered hundreds of hours canvassing neighborhoods in District 49, where she said she works and frequents businesses, often posting pictures to social media to spread the word.

A December 2019 Instagram post Rosado shared depicts the volunteer in a "Jen Day for Legislature" sweatshirt, ready to take advantage of an unseasonably warm day.

"Women belong in all places where decisions are being made," the caption on the post by Rosado reads, quoting the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Day shared the post on her campaign's Facebook page — a common practice by candidates in the digital age — which is where the La Grone campaign obtained it, the senator explained, saying it "very closely resembles many of the candidate's photos."

Both Day and Rosado said their only resemblance is their dark hair color and criticized the La Grone campaign for "a sloppy, lazy error" that put misinformation in front of voters.

Said Day: "I have a fairly large social media presence, where I post tons of photos of myself and my family. It's not hard to find a picture of me you know is me."

"Someone didn't do their homework," Rosado added. "Even if we do look alike, you should probably know exactly what your opponent looks like."

La Grone said he would correct the ad "to avoid any further distractions on the stark differences between myself and Jen Day and many of her supporters on support for law enforcement and sentencing reform."

The mailer casts Day, who won the District 49 primary with 53% of the vote and will square off against La Grone again on Nov. 3, as someone who supports releasing criminals and sex offenders from prison early and putting them back into Nebraska communities, citing her Twitter account.

Day said that's a misreading of her Aug. 4 tweet that was critical of La Grone for reading the Dr. Seuss book "Yertle the Turtle" on the floor of the Legislature during a filibuster on a bill to speed up parole eligibility, adding the bill (LB1004) had the backing of law enforcement and prosecutors.

The bill later passed but was vetoed by Ricketts after the session concluded, leaving no veto attempt available.

"Taking that tweet and trying to make it sound like I'm trying to release criminals and sex offenders out on the street is ridiculous," Day said.

Rosado said she believes La Grone owes her and voters an apology, both for wrongfully using her image, as well as taking the campaign negative.

"Especially this year, when things have already been really hard and full of negativity, this creates more negativity that we don't need," Rosado said. "We need our leaders to unite us and try to lead us in a more positive direction."

US Rep Ann Wagner uses Predator Panic to declare her opponent a supporter of "sexual predators"

To be fair, her opponent isn't exactly an ally to our cause but she voted in favor of modest reforms to Missouri's bloat lifetime-for-all registry, converting it to a 3 tier system. That vote had bipartisan suipport. Ann Wagner things juveniles shiould register for life. 

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/gop-attacks-distort-congressional-challenger-s-record-on-sex-offender-laws/article_a116d215-a6c4-54cc-82d4-407908de9af3.html

Schupp says GOP attacks distort her record on sex offender laws

Nassim Benchaabane, 8/23/20

ST. LOUIS — U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner and Missouri Republicans have attacked Democratic challenger Jill Schupp for her votes as a state representative on a handful of bills meant to revise the sex offender registry — without noting one of them received unanimous, bipartisan support.

Wagner, in her first television advertisement ahead of the Nov. 3 election between her and Missouri Sen. Jill Schupp, accused Schupp of spending “her entire political career siding with dangerous criminals.”

Jean Evans, executive director of the Missouri Republican Party, repeated the criticisms in a news release, citing a handful of votes by Schupp in the Missouri Legislature on proposed revisions to the state sex offender registry.

Schupp, in response, said the attacks, which began with a television advertisement Aug. 16, use isolated votes to distort her record and are meant to distract from Wagner’s record on other issues, like expanding health care coverage.

The race between Wagner, R-Ballwin, and Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, has received national attention as part of congressional Democrats’ bid to flip competitive House seats in the Midwest. Wagner, who was elected to Congress in 2012, represents a suburban St. Louis district that includes parts of St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties and has favored Republicans in past years, but the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which analyzes the competitiveness of congressional contests, has rated the race a “toss-up,” citing Schupp’s recent fundraising haul and electoral record as one of a few Missouri Democrats to win a high-profile race in the last several election cycles.

One of the bills the Wagner camp has cited is House Bill 301, a 2013 measure that passed the House unanimously and the Senate by a 28-4 vote, drawing support from Republicans, including Gov. Mike Parson, then a state senator. The bill was vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat.

The bill would have removed from the public sex offender registry anyone who was under 18 when convicted, while keeping their names visible to law enforcement. They could petition for complete removal from the list five years after finishing their sentences.

Supporters of the bill argued the registry was severe because offenders were placed on the list for life, regardless of the severity of the original crime or the offender’s age at the time. In his veto, Nixon argued it didn’t separate minor offenders from those who used force or violence and warned it could endanger the public by hiding the whereabouts of violent sex offenders. The Legislature did not pursue an override of Nixon’s veto.

‘Bipartisan issue’

The vote on the bill is an example of how sex offender laws generally draw wide support, said Jessica Seitz, public policy director for Missouri KidsFirst, a nonprofit that lobbies for laws designed to protect children.

Legislation on the sex offender registry is introduced almost every year, Seitz said, and most bills in recent years have proposed technical changes to the sex offender registry or further limits on offenders, like exactly how close they can live to a school, Seitz said. Isolated votes may not reflect the nuances of policy debates over the registry, she said.

“Whether sex offenders are held accountable for their actions is a bipartisan issue,” said Seitz, who noted the group does not comment on political candidates. “That has been shown by multiple bills in past years.”

Schupp noted the same criticisms were levied against her in 2014 by Jay Ashcroft, her Republican opponent in her campaign for Missouri Senate. Schupp won the competitive race that year; Ashcroft is now secretary of state.

“I’ll say the same thing to Congresswoman Wagner that I said to Jay Aschroft when he launched these attacks in 2014,” Schupp said in a news release. “A good friend of mine was brutally murdered by a sexual predator, and I’ve worked hard to keep sexual predators behind bars.”

“Instead of discussing the issues, Wagner is using the issue of sexual violence for political gain in attacks that distort my record and attempt to mislead the voters,” Schupp said.

Republicans also criticized Schupp for her vote in 2013 against placing on the statewide ballot a constitutional amendment that allowed juries in child sex abuse cases to hear evidence of a defendant’s prior criminal acts, whether or not the defendant was charged with those offenses. Schupp was one of 23 House Democrats and three Republicans who voted against placing the amendment on the ballot.

The amendment drew support from prosecuting attorneys and child welfare advocates, and opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union, which argued that allowing evidence from cases where someone was never convicted presumes suspects are guilty instead of innocent. The amendment passed with support from 72% of Missouri voters.

Wagner also accused Schupp of “voting to allow hundreds” of sex offenders “to coach youth sports,” referring to a 2009 vote for an amendment that struck some language restricting sex offenders from a bill that made several changes to the state criminal code. The bill went through several changes as lawmakers debated the legal scope of the provisions. Schupp was among 124 House members that eventually voted to approve the final version.

A fourth bill, House Bill 731, would have required Missouri to add citizenship status to the sex offender registry and report undocumented names on the list to federal officials for possible deportation.

‘They’re inexcusable’

Stephen Puetz, a spokesman for Wagner’s campaign, denied the votes were taken out of context.

“They’re inexcusable, and on the whole, she has no ability to justify her position,” Puetz said.

Puetz denied that criticizing Schupp for a vote shared by many Republicans without noting unanimous support for the provision was misleading. Just because other politicians supported the bill doesn’t mean they weren’t wrong, he said, noting the Legislature did not try to override Nixon’s veto.

“That’s a weak excuse,” Puetz said. “Anyone who supported it, including Jill Schupp, are wrong.”

In the campaign, Wagner has pointed to her advocacy in Congress to protect survivors of sexual assault and to protect children from sex trafficking, which included the 2015 SAVE Act that criminalized the advertisement of trafficked children.

Wagner also pushed through the House a 2018 law that made it more difficult for websites to advertise sex, by amending a 1996 law designed to protect websites from liability for the speech of advertisers and others. Sites like Backpage had won legal challenges based on the protections.

Large tech firms put up a multiyear fight against the legislation, which eventually passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, including from Sen. Claire McCaskill, whose investigation of Backpage led to several legal showdowns and who pushed a Senate version of the bill.

Smear by New Jersey GOP State Chairman Doug Steinhardt claims Democratic legislator opposed the Adam Walsh Act (like that is a bad thing)

This is a political smear against a pol that once worked in the Human Rights Watch, but had nothing to do wit HRW's opposition to the controversial Adam Walsh Act. But even if he was, that opposition was good because the AWA is somplete shiitake. 

https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/steinhardt-says-malinowski-opposed-2006-bill-to-create-national-sex-offender-registry/

Steinhardt says Malinowski opposed 2006 bill to create national sex offender registry, but official disputes that

Former Human Rights Watch official says GOP is wrong, that Malinowski was not involved in lobbying effort on federal crime bill

By David Wildstein, August 06 2020 6:33 pm

The state’s top Republican today accused Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) of trying to derail the formation of a national sex offender registry while working as a lobbyist fourteen years ago, but one of the freshman congressman’s former co-workers strongly disputed the claim.

In the harshest attack so far in what may be New Jersey’s most competitive congressional race, GOP State Chairman Doug Steinhardt charged that Malinowski lobbied against a section of a 2006 crime bill that forced sex offenders to register as part of a national database while working at Human Rights Watch.

“Tom Malinowski’s roots are rotten, and his values are hollow,” Steinhardt said.  “That he was bought and paid for to lobby against protecting children from sex offenders is emblematic of his self-serving nature.”

Human Rights Watch opposed the legislation, suggesting that while sex offender registration was warranted, there was “no legitimate community safety justification for the provisions in this legislation that require offenders to register for the rest of their lives, regardless of whether they have lived offense free for decades.”

But the Human Rights Watch attorney who signed a statement urging Congress to reject the bill said that Malinowski had no part of it.

“He was not involved in this issue at all,” said Jennifer Daskal, who was the advocacy director for the group’s U.S. Program. “He was working on foreign policy issues.”

Daskal, who later served as Assistant U.S. Attorney General for National Security in the Obama administration and is now a law professor at American University, said that Malinowski did not attend any meetings on the topic and not involved in any discussions involving the stance Human Rights Watch would take on the bill now known as the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.

“It was a long time ago, but I have no recollection of him being involved,” Daskal told the New Jersey Globe.

Steinhardt rejected assertions that Malinowski should not be held accountable for every position taken by an organization he worked for.

“There is no possible good explanation for his lobbying record, therefore it isn’t even worth demanding one,” said Steinhardt.  “Tom Malinowski makes me sick.”

Malinowski had worked for the U.S. Department of State in the 1990s and later joined the Clinton White House staff as a senior director of the National Security Council.  He later spent twelve years at Human Rights Watch before President Barack Obama nominated him to serve as Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor in 2013.

Republicans sought to tie Malinowski to issues related to Human Rights Watch when he challenged incumbent Leonard Lance (R-Clinton Township) in 2018.

In that race, Steinhardt sought to tie Malinowski to another colleague who was suspended in 2009 for collecting Nazi memorabilia.  That individual, Marc Garlasco, worked in the New York office while Malinowski was in Washington.

Lance labeled Malinowski as anti-Israel for Human Rights Watch’s opposition of the construction of settlements in the West Bank and for Gaza to continue receiving U.S. military aide.

Malinowski shot back that Lance’s effort to make Israel into a campaign issue could damage its relationship with the United States.

A super PAC tied to then-House Speaker Paul Ryan aired TV ads in 2018 alleging that Malinowski lobbied for the rights of terrorists.

Malinowski and Human Rights Watch lobbied for access to courts and Habeus Corpus rights for detainees in Guantanamo Bay between 2006 and 2008.

While the Malinowski campaign pointed to his backing the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, a bill outlawing the use of torture that was authored by U.S. Sen. John McCain, the ad does not directly refer to the bill, and it cites lobbying disclosures dated to 2007, after the bill had already passed.

McCain’s former chief of staff, Mark Salter, defended Malinowski on Twitter.

“Tom worked with Republicans and Democrats who believed American ideals are worth protecting in war and peace,” Salter said. “That’s a reason to vote for him not against him.”

While there is no evidence that Malinowski personally supported or opposed the 2006 legislation – his name appears on a lobbying report filed by Human Rights Watch, something Daskal said was routine — it’s possible that his opponent in the hugely competitive 7th district race, Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr., will the issue to attack the incumbent.

“As far as an ad writer is concerned, everything is fair game,” said Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University. “But there were several problems with the national registry, including state approaches like New Jersey, were tougher and more comprehensive.”

Rasmussen said that when he teaches his students about federalism, he looks at how conservative state legislatures like Arizona opposed the federal registry.

“Could Malinowski suffer a negative mailer about it?  Absolutely,” he said.  “But it is certainly not going to be a defining issue in an election that’s going to overwhelmingly be about the top of the ticket.”

Woolley Bully: Johnson Co TX Commissioner Larry Woolley is shocked people actually oppose the registry

Well, Commissioner Woolley, there is opposition to residency restriction laws because they DO NOT WORK. That should be simple enough to understand. 

https://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/county-budget-presentations-wrap-up-officials-discuss-sex-offender-problem/article_94fb9a10-d72e-11ea-ae72-93dab79625cf.html

Opposition to granting counties the authority to make such rules comes from property owners who benefit by renting homes to such offenders, commissioners said.

“We’ve pushed for it before and it fell on deaf ears outside of our local representatives,” Commissioner Larry Woolley said. “But we have to keep pushing because counties have to have the right to put these rules in place just like cities do. It blows my mind that we don’t because it’s only right. Unfortunately, the state’s not a big fan of giving local control to counties or cities right now so this probably isn’t the best time to be pushing for it, but we have to keep pushing on all the same.”

Woolley said it also blows his mind that some actually oppose such legislation.

“But, when I said that before, I received phone calls and emails in opposition, and not from Johnson County people,” Woolley said.

NYC Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal does not care if Homeless Registered Persons get COVID-19

What a heartless POS. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/remove-sex-offenders-from-uws-hotel-councilmember-demands/ar-BB17pVQI

Remove Sex Offenders From UWS Hotel, Councilmember Demands

Gus Saltonstall  7/31/2020

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — In response to the recent arrival of 283 homeless people at the Lucerne Hotel on the Upper West Side, City Councilmember Helen Rosenthal announced multiple demands to the city regarding the use of neighborhood hotels as temporary homeless shelters.

Approximately 500 shelter residents have been placed within nine blocks of each other on the Upper West Side: 100 at the Belnord Hotel at 225 W. 86th St., 100 at the Hotel Belleclaire at 77th and Broadway, and most recently almost 300 at the Lucerne on 79th Street and Amsterdam.

At the center of Rosenthal's demands is the removal of 14 registered sex offenders living at the Belleclaire, along with the demand that no registered sex offenders be allowed to live at the Lucerne.

Out of the 14 registered sex offenders initially placed at the Belleclaire, 10 were level 2 offenders, and four were level 3 offenders, according to the NYS Sex Offender Registry.

Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Steven Banks confirmed to Rosenthal's office that all level 3 sex offenders have been moved out of the Belleclaire.

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Service describes level 3 sex offenders as being at a "high risk of repeat offense and a threat to public safety."

Rosenthal is demanding the rest of the offenders are also moved out of the Belleclaire.

Despite Bank's comments to Rosenthal, the Sex Offender Registration Act cannot restrict where a registered sex offender lives unless the offender is under parole or probation supervision, according to New York's Criminal Justice Service.

However, other New York state laws may limit the offender from living within 1,000 feet of a school or other facility caring for children, according to New York's Criminal Justice Service.

Rosenthal noted in her newsletter to the Upper West Side community that the majority of shelter residents pose no threat to the community and the fact that they have "voluntarily entered shelters signifies their acceptance that they need help."

However, the local official also made it clear that 500 temporary shelter residents are too many in the neighborhood.

"I believe there should be fewer temporary shelter residents in our neighborhood — 500 is just too many," she wrote in her newsletter. "I've made it clear to Commissioner Banks and City Hall that it will be far more feasible to keep our community safe, and properly serve shelter residents, if there are fewer persons living at the Lucerne."

NY ASSemblyman Brian Kolb's OpEd reminds us why conservatives make lousy criminal justice reformists

Alcohol is a dangerous drug. Just ask NY Assemblyman Brian Kolb. I wonder if he was drinking when he wrote his OpEd?

https://www.mpnnow.com/news/20200722/guest-viewbrian-kolb-public-safety-should-not-be-partisan-issue

GUEST VIEW/BRIAN KOLB: Public safety should not be a partisan issue

Posted Jul 22, 2020 at 1:08 AM

Updated Jul 22, 2020 at 1:08 AM

   

The most important function of state government is to keep people safe. Public safety is the foundation. We can’t educate our children, create new jobs or even go about our daily routines if we can’t rely on law and order. We can’t build a stronger, more prosperous state out of chaos and lawlessness.

You wouldn’t think that would be a controversial opinion. You would think public safety would be a bipartisan priority. You might feel differently, however, if you’d been in Albany recently.

During this week’s correction committee meeting, Democrats voted against a series of Republican bills. They voted against a bill that would protect our correction officers by establishing safe-staffing standards in our correctional facilities. They voted against a bill that would improve the contraband screening process and keep weapons and drugs out of our prisons. They even voted against our bill preventing registered sex offenders from living within 1,350 feet of schools.

These are recent, concrete examples of a broader, troubling pattern — partisan politicians on the left have turned their backs on law enforcement and crime victims and continually cater to criminals and inmates.

“Defund the police” isn’t just a slogan for radical Democrats. Sen. Ramos called for it on the Senate Floor. Democrats have ignored the pleas of district attorneys, law enforcement officials and crime victims from across the state who know we need to repeal their dangerous changes to our bail laws. Democrats won’t pass Brittany’s Law, legislation that would create a violent offender registry and protect New Yorkers from violent criminals. Instead, they’ll allow domestic abusers to walk out of their arraignments and back on to the street with no possibility for pre-trial detention.

This administration has paroled cop-killers and terrorists. This administration pardoned sex offenders and restored their voting rights so they could cast their ballots in schools across the state.

In New York City, Mayor de Blasio bragged about cutting the NYPD budget by $1 billion at a time when shootings are up 63% over last year. It’s not just a downstate issue. In Rochester, homicides are up 40%.

We need dedicated, principled police officers now more than ever. It’s a shame that radical politicians on the left are willing to demonize their entire profession just to score cheap political points. The disrespect and hostility toward law enforcement officials who put their lives on the line to protect our families and our communities is disgusting.

Recently, county sheriffs from across the state held a press conference to advocate for legislation that would deter radical leftists from attacking them, increase penalties for resisting arrest and make it a felony to throw dangerous projectiles at officers in the line of duty. Wouldn’t it be nice to see Democrats support our law enforcement officials for a change?

What do you think? I want to hear from you. Send me your feedback, suggestions and ideas regarding this or any other issue facing New York State. You can always contact my district office at 315-781-2030, email me at kolbb@nyassembly.gov, or find me by searching for Assemblyman Brian Kolb on Facebook.

New York State Assemblyman Brian Kolb represents the 131st District, which includes Ontario County and part of Seneca County.

Brevard County FL commissioner John Tobia is pushing to make random businesses restricted for Registered Persons

It is FloriDUH, and another braindead pol. And despite what the article below states, this doucherag's last name is Tobia, not Tobias. (I'd argue his name should be Labia)

https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2020/07/17/ordinance-seeks-to-restrict-sex-offenders-from-certain-businesses

Sex Offenders Could be Barred from Certain Businesses, if a Brevard Commissioner gets his way
BY KRYSTEL KNOWLES BREVARD COUNTY
PUBLISHED 12:15 PM ET JUL. 17, 2020

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A Brevard County commissioner is hoping to take a state law even further.

What You Need To Know
Ordinance seeks to restrict sex offenders from certain businesses

Offenders would be able to be within 1,000 feet of businesses where children congregate

Brevard County commissioners will take up the agenda item next week
As it stands, any person convicted of sex offenses involving minors cannot live within 1,000 feet of a school, child care facility, park or playground. The county's current ordinance only states offenders cannot be within 1,000 feet from a school, daycare or playground.

County Commissioner John Tobias is hopeful that list will soon include some local businesses.

“It's an ordinance at the county level. State has a buffer and we've expanded that,” he said.

According to Tobias, the fiscal impact is minimal – creating and maintaining a registry and enforcing it.

“It would give law enforcement the ability to arrest one of these offenders or predators who are within that 1,000 foot buffer from the business,” Tobias said.

Obloy Family Ranch owner Eric Obloy said he's excited about being part of a new voluntary registry, certifying their business is a place where children regularly congregate, which would restrict sexual offenders and sexual predators from coming within 1,000 feet of the business.

“I'll be one of the first ones to sign up, protecting our kids and community,” Obloy said. “I think our county commissioner hit a home run on this one.”

Opting in is free for business, and as Saracco Law Attorney Michael Saracco said, it's perfectly legal.

“I personally think they can, but enforcement will the issue – something enforced if caught doing something else on the property,” Saracco said.

As a father and business owner, Obloy said sign him up, and he hopes other business sign up too. This will give children going to camps and places where kids hangout an extra layer of protection.

“If we stay on the path of virtual schools, we are going to see a lot more kids throughout the year. So, having this protection on top of that so much more of a piece of mind,” Obloy said.

The registry would be valid for a year with the option to renew.

The agenda item will go in front of county commissioners next Tuesday.

I-DUH-ho State Rep. Chad Christensen reminds us that Coronavirus panic is not as important as Predator Panic

Spudville state rep Chad Christensen took time out of the COVID-19 panic to remind us he increased residence restrictions for registered persions. Well, the Shiitake Awards aren't impacted by Coronavirus shutdowns either, so I guess we're kind of even.

https://www.hjnews.com/preston/legislative-update-a-bad-year-for-the-free-market/article_c8180cb0-f8e1-536b-bf62-803309675d55.html

Legislative update: A bad year for the free market
By REP. CHAD CHRISTENSEN For the Citizen
3/25/20

HB 457a

"This is my sex offender bill. The current law states sex offenders cannot be within 500 feet of a school, my bill adds licensed daycares. It also fixed a problem in the current statute, which mistakenly had an exception to allow sex offenders living in facilities to loiter on school grounds. This bill is now on the Governor’s desk waiting to be signed."

Forest Park GA Councilman Dabouze Antoine thinks vegetable stands attract "pedophiles" and "sex traffickers"

I think Dabouze needs to lay off Da Booze.

https://www.news-daily.com/news/forest-park-farm-stand-ordinance-passes---antoine-warns/article_cb954b0e-51a3-11ea-8f98-afc778aa238d.html

Forest Park farm stand ordinance passes 4-1; Antoine warns of produce-seeking pedophiles
By Robin Kemp robin.kemp@news-daily.com Feb 18, 2020 Updated Feb 18, 2020

A zoning ordinance that would allow farm stands at a day care center in Forest Park passed 4-1 Monday. Councilman Dabouze Antoine voted no, saying he was concerned a farm stand at the day care might attract pedophiles and human traffickers who would visit under the pretense of shopping for produce. Councilwoman Latresa Akins-Wells said she had planned to vote against the ordinance but was persuaded to vote yes by its supporters.

About 25 backers of Little Ones Learning Center’s farm stand, including State Rep. Sandra Scott, D-Rex, showed up to speak in favor of the ordinance. No one spoke in opposition.

The change comes after the city shut down the award-winning Little Ones Learning Center farm stand last year. The day care was selling produce that it had grown, along with produce from nearby farms. News of the shutdown garnered international media attention. Critics had claimed that parking was an issue.

However, the day care’s owner, Olutoyin Okunore, said there had never been any issues with parking related to the farm stand and that only Councilman Hector Gutierrez had come to see what the school was doing with its educational farm. The school’s Jazmine Green Memorial Garden is dedicated to the memory of a child who died after being left in a hot day care van in 2011.

“We want to have a healthy community,” Okunore said. “Forest Park, Clayton County, if we keep getting obstacles like this, we’re going to be at the bottom.”

Mayor Angelyne Butler said that there had been two versions of the ordinance, “the ordinance that the Planning Commission unanimously approved, but then there was one that followed, that was e-mailed afterwards.”

City Attorney Mike Williams said, “The one that the Planning Commission approved, the applicant is going to be requesting a couple of modifications during the hearing, so I’ll leave it to them to relay those.”

The public packet posted to the city’s website before the meeting included one version of the ordinance.

Stating his opposition to the ordinance, Antoine said, “We do not want sex offenders, we do not want human trafficking that goes on within this city of Forest Park and putting our police officers in a dangerous place. If you want to open up a fruit stand, we have places on Main Street. If you want violence or kidnapping and human trafficking, which is big in Atlanta, by the way, you give permission to these places to open up what’s supposed to be a day care, and you invite people that maybe can’t handle being around kids.”

Georgia law prohibits convicted sex offenders from living or working within 1,000 feet of child care centers, churches or schools. It also bans them from loitering “at any child care facility, school, or area where minors congregate.” A check of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Sex Offender Registry found no registered sex offenders within the 1-mile radius around Little Ones Learning Center.

Backers of the ordinance said they thought Antoine’s concerns were unfounded.

“This is a zoning ordinance,” Okunore said. “They are approving all the go-go dancers and everything. We are not making money .... It is not a business. You know what? This is good for the kids.”

Christa Leonard, an urban farmer with Greenleaf Commuity Farms, drives her son Huck, 3, “30 minutes specifically to this school to support their mission.” She pointed out that farm stands meet a food desert need that the State Farmers Market cannot. “It doesn’t have to be a change in zoning. It’s an overlay that can be passed.”

Leonard also said she was offended by Antoine’s comments. “I took that very personally, coming from somebody from abuse, and it’s actually statistically proven that any sort of abuse, especially typically on pedophiles, is typically within the family or somebody the family knows. I have never felt safer in a school environment as I do with Little Ones .... Why is this an issue?”

Councilwoman Kimberly James pointed out that the ordinance “has nothing to do with the day care center. This is for the city in itself.” She added that Little Ones would have to come before council for a conditional use permit to run its stand.

The ordinance would allow temporary farm stands to sell fruits, vegetables and field crops from sustainable farmers within a 50-mile radius but no livestock or livestock products. Each stand must keep records of where its produce came from, have at least two parking spaces for every 200 feet of selling area, not block sidewalks, and follow existing city sign codes.

It also would not allow farm stands within a mile of each other, although it’s possible a zoning variance could be granted on a case-by-case basis.

Before the vote, State Rep. Valencia Stovall, who has backed Little Ones’ farm stand, said, “I don’t think it should have had a limit on the 1-mile radius because a lot of early learning centers are less than 1 mile apart. It [the ordinance] should have stated ‘for educational purposes.’”

Mayor Butler said, “I have always supported Little Ones Learning Center and their farm stand. I am pleased both sides were able to amicably work together towards a reciprocal resolution. It’s a new day in Forest Park!”

Whittier, CA mayoral candidate L. Leon Savage wants to kick registrants out of their homes to make room for the homeless

It is a good thing this clown is a long shot candidate and has already lost by a landslide in the same election.

https://www.lavote.net/docs/rrcc/election-info/03032020_final-list-of-qualified-candidates-on-the-ballot.pdf?v=4

I.L. LEON SAVAGE
Accounting Bookkeeper
CAMILLA STREET AT NEWLIN AVE
WHITTIER, CA 90601
Phone: (562) 328-4499

https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2020/01/26/how-whittier-mayor-city-council-candidates-would-solve-the-homeless-crisis/

Challenger I.L. Leon Savage, an accounting bookkeeper, would remove sex offenders from their homes to create space for the homeless.

“I would put good hard-working families in those places,” Savage said. “We would have child predators taken out of our communities. We are rewarding the wrong behavior.”

https://www.whittierdailynews.com/2017/12/26/potential-challengers-to-whittier-mayor-vinatieri-councilmen-henderson-dutra-line-up-ahead-of-2018-election/

Rolando Cano and L. Leon Savage, both 41, are running to unseat Vinatieri.

Cano said he would push for more social services to help the homeless. Savage said he wants to see the city to do more to keep sex offenders out.

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo recycles last year's bad ideas. Well, the Shiitakes Awards can do the same

Gov Cuomo, shown here flashing White Power, or
possibly flicking away the two brain cells he once
rubbed together. 

Cuomo is not the only person keen on recycling out there. The Shiitakes love to recycle people who exploit registrants for person gains.

It is nice to know that New York State has solved all their real problems like government corruption so Cuomo makes this his keynote issue in the State of the State address. 

https://queenseagle.com/all/cuomo-subway-sex-offender-ban

Cuomo proposes transit ban for subway sex offenders
January 08, 2020
Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo, Flickr
KEVIN P. COUGHLIN/OFFICE OF GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO, FLICKR

By David Brand

Gov. Andrew Cuomo formally proposed banning certain sex offenders from the subway system during his annual State of the State Address Wednesday.

Cuomo had discussed the sex-offender ban multiple times last year, and he again described the concept as he listed several major transit infrastructure projects that he would like the state to pursue.

“Subway cars should not be feeding grounds for predators,” Cuomo said. People should be able to take public transportation “without being harassed, without being molested and without being groped,” he said.

The proposal would prevent “high-risk” sex offenders from using the subway system for up to three years, according to the governor’s office. The state would also establish a new law for transit-related sex crimes and would enable judges to ban convicted defendants from using MTA transportation. Convicted offenders who violate their suspension could be charged with a transit trespass misdemeanor, the governor’s office said.

The Legal Aid Society has already pledged to fight the proposal in court if it became law, stating that the legislation would restrict “access to jobs, critical services, educational opportunities and treatment programs” for people convicted of sex crimes.

“We question the constitutionality of this misguided proposal and we are prepared to challenge it in court should it become law,” the public defender organization said in a statement.

https://www.localsyr.com/news/ny-capitol-news/state-of-the-state-sexual-predators-and-social-media/

State of the State: Sexual Predators and Social Media

Michael Prentice

Posted: Jan 8, 2020 / 10:07 PM EST / Updated: Jan 8, 2020 / 10:07 PM EST

In this Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, photo a woman types on a keyboard in New York. Cybersecurity researchers say a coordinated cyberespionage campaign has targeted U.N. relief agencies, the International Red Cross and other non-governmental organizations groups for the past 10 months. The California cybersecurity outfit Lookout says the campaign, which uses phishing to harvest passwords from mobile phones and computers, is still active. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)  – As a part of the 2020 State of the State address, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed legislation to prevent sexual predators from using new social media.

The new legislation would force sexual predators to disclose their screen names for each social media account or dating/gaming app they are on to the Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Current laws only require sex offenders to register and keep up to date all current email accounts, screen names and any other internet identifiers with the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.

DCJS will send their list to any provider that the offender discloses, and the provider will be required to review this data, develop policies on how to use it, and release this policy publicly to their users.

The new legislation would also make it a crime for convicted sex offenders to misrepresent themselves online.