The Colorado Springs Gazette Editorial Board gives Registered Citizens a middle finger for Christmas

I managed to bypass the Gazette's shitty paywall to bring you the absolutely worst and dumbest OpEd I've read this year. 

One commenter wrote, "Say it out loud: "stupid, unethical editors". Not "adults who failed journalism and run divisive media outlets". Same thing in the case of the Gazette, but might as well stick with brevity." 

To that, I say the terms Yellow Journalism ("journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration") or better yet, "brown journalism ("journalism so biased, fallacious. filthy and full of shit that it makes mainstream journalism appear accurate and objective by comparison"), best describe whoever wrote this tripe for the DUHzette. 

https://gazette.com/premium/editorial-say-it-out-loud-sex-offender/article_48e07fce-6454-11ec-86ca-57d4b17574f6.html

EDITORIAL: Say it out loud in Colorado — sex offender

The Gazette editorial board Dec 24, 2021 Updated Dec 24, 2021

(Note, here are the five fucktards on the editorial board: Ryan McKibben, Chairman; Christian Anschutz, Vice Chairman; Chris Reen, Publisher; Wayne Laugesen, Editorial Page Editor, Pula Davis, Newsroom Operations Director)

Kudos to Gov. Jared Polis for nixing the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board’s vote last month to substitute silly, “person first” wokeism for sound policy.

Readers might recall that the obscure board, which writes the rules for rehabilitating and monitoring convicted sex offenders, made news a few weeks ago with its 10-6 vote to bar — ironically — the term “sex offender” from board use.

Board members decided instead to call sex offenders, “adults who commit sexual offenses.” Precious, right? To say nothing of absurd, pointless and insulting to the many Coloradans who have been victims of sexual assault.

Last week, the board voted again — to reverse its decision and table the new policy — after a timely trip to the woodshed. The governor appears to have felt putting the person first when it comes to convicted sex offenders could be interpreted as putting the victims last.

“We must be wary not to normalize violent acts of sexual aggression or even give the appearance of normalizing such unacceptable behavior,” Polis wrote to board Director Kimberly Kline the day before the vote.

“I hope that the board will reevaluate its previous decision to allow for additional discussions with the wider community, including carefully examining potential trauma to victims. …”

Which, of course, is diplomatic gubernatorial parlance for, “Are you guys nuts?”

Just plain bad policy aside, the board’s vote also was tone deaf amid public alarm over Colorado’s skyrocketing crime rate. Violent crime in our state soared 35% from 2011 to last year — it rose only 3% nationwide — and among the grim stats was a 9% jump in rape.

It can’t have escaped Polis’ attention that his fellow Colorado Democrats have been dogged lately by a soft-on-crime reputation. So the timing of the board’s ill-advised decision last month couldn’t be worse.

Actually, it could be worse — and in fact is. As reported in The Gazette on Thursday, courtesy of Denver’s 9News, a man who had been sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2014 for sexual assaults — and served only a fraction of that time — has been accused of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl in Aurora this month. Just 18 months after his prison release.

Kenneth Dean Lee was arrested Dec. 10 and faces charges of sexual assault on a child and first-degree burglary. Aurora police officers were told a man, later identified as Lee, entered a residence around noon, identified himself as an immigration official, and assaulted the victim.

A quick search for “sex offender” in The Gazette’s archives turns up a trove of tragic and unnerving headlines just from recent months. Here’s a sampling:

“Sex offender gets 48 years for kidnapping, sexually assaulting Douglas County woman”

“Repeat child sex offender sentenced to 126 years in prison”

“Aurora man who sexually assaulted a teenage boy is sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison”

They don’t need to be coddled with kinder, gentler labels. They urgently need help — and they should be getting it behind bars, preferably while serving out their full sentences.

Meanwhile, the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board could use a little therapy, too. Members who voted for the change should be required to repeat the words, “sex offender” aloud 100 times. Acknowledging who they truly are is the first step toward helping them.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis is trying to out-stupid Lauren Boebert

Is CO Gov. Jared Polis in a competition with Lauren Boebert for dumbest politician in Colorado? You'd think a gay person would understand the demeaning power of labels. But then you'd be wrong. I sent him a pretty scathing email to remind him of the power of negative labels. He needs to study up on gay history too, since it wasn't that long ago the "sex offender" label was used to target the gay community.  

https://www.denverpost.com/2021/12/20/sex-offender-label-colorado-jared-polis/

Colorado board reverses controversial change to “sex offender” label at urging of Gov. Jared Polis and his appointee

In November, the state Sex Offender Management Board voted to replace “sex offenders” with “adults who commit sexual offenses.” Then the board opened that decision up to public comment, and that’s where things went off track.

By ALEX BURNESS | aburness@denverpost.com | The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: December 20, 2021 at 1:31 p.m. | UPDATED: December 20, 2021 at 3:39 p.m.

Under pressure from the governor and the state’s public safety director, Colorado’s Sex Offender Management Board has reversed its controversial November decision to scrap the term “sex offenders” in its own guiding principles in favor of “adults who commit sexual offenses.”

The board, commonly referred to as the SOMB, voted 16-2 on Dec. 17 to “table” the language-change matter and refer it back to a subcommittee. It’s possible the board votes again to change terminology in the future, but the tabling means it’s not likely to happen anytime soon.

This decision followed a 10-6 vote by the board in November to stop using “sex offenders” in its own principles and policies. The board controls treatment standards for people convicted of sex offenses, and changing the language in this way would not have affected treatment or management policies. But it was hailed by supporters as an important step away from labels and toward “person-first” language that research shows can improve rehabilitation prospects.

After the November vote, however, the board opened a public comment period. That’s where things went off track.

The language change had gotten coverage on talk radio, on Fox News and in The Daily Caller, in addition to various Colorado outlets. More than 400 people submitted comment on the matter, an overwhelming number for a state board that tends to generate little public attention.

Public defenders and people who’ve committed sexual offenses, plus their family members and advocates, were supportive of the change. But comments from victim advocates and members of the general public were by far in favor of no language change. Law enforcement leaders have also opposed the change from the start.

“The coddling from some of the offender-affiliated representatives was repugnant,” tweeted Colorado sex assault survivor and motivational speaker Kimberly Corban, two days after the vote on a language change. “This shift is offensive for those of us who have experienced victimization at the hands of sex offenders who don’t like their ‘label.'”

On Dec. 16, the day before the board’s reversal vote, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis sent a letter to Kimberly Kline, the chair of the SOMB.

“We must be wary not to normalize violent acts of sexual aggression or even give the appearance of normalizing such unacceptable behavior,” he wrote. “I hope that the Board will re-evaluate its previous decision to allow for additional discussions with the wider community including carefully examining potential trauma to victims and ensuring that a clear message continues to be sent to the general public than non-consentual (sic) sexual aggression is not acceptable or tolerated in Colorado.”

Polis also expressed concern that the SOMB, a 25-member board when fully seated, had only 16 of its members present for the November vote. Polis appointee Stan Hilkey, director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, said the same in his own letter to Kline.

“The oddity of this policy change occurring without a true board majority subjects the SOMB and CDPS to public scrutiny,” Hilkey wrote.

Hilkey suggested that, as director of the department that oversees the SOMB, he would likely reject the new language as a policy change.

“I … wish to avoid a scenario where the Board and the Department are not in alignment on the issue, which would place community trust, credibility and relevance of both entities at peril of reputational harm that could jeopardize our collective success,” he wrote. “While unintended, I am concerned that this is on a path to cause more harm than was trying to be fixed within the narrow intent of the trauma-informed language in the first place.”

Polis and Hilkey got their way, to the frustration of reform-minded advocates.

“The research is overwhelming that how we label people impacts their ability to build healthy, prosocial identities and lifestyles that are incompatible with sexual offending,” Laurie Rose Kepros, director of sexual litigation for the Office of the State Public Defender, told The Denver Post. “The SOMB Standards provide the regulations that govern the professionals charged with supporting these positive changes, so the language should support that mission.  Do we want these clients to reoffend or not?”

This was Kline’s argument all along — that the language change was not, in fact, anti-victim, but rather pro-rehabilitation and public safety.

“If we’re talking about how someone speaks about themself, … that can increase risk,” Kline, arguing against labeling people, said ahead of the November vote. “Ultimately it is victim-centered if we’re reducing risk.”

Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy uses bounties on "sexual abusers" as prop for abortion law protest

There are over 200 murdered registrants, and thousands more have been harassed. It seems Ill-noise state rep Kelly Cassidy loves murder, be it registered persons or the unborn. Hyperbole or not, calling for bounties on those accused of sexual offenses is appalling and I think her term in office should be the only thing aborted. 

https://www.nprillinois.org/statehouse/2021-09-14/democrat-sponsored-texas-act-would-allow-10k-bounties-on-sexual-abusers-those-who-cause-unwanted-pregnancies

Democrat-Sponsored ‘TEXAS Act’ Would Allow $10K Bounties On Sexual Abusers, Those Who Cause Unwanted Pregnancies

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Hannah Meisel

Published September 14, 2021 at 3:57 PM CDT

Two weeks after Texas effectively banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a Democratic state lawmaker in Illinois is proposing a law based on Texas’ model — but turned on its head.

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), who in 2019 sponsored law defining abortion as a fundamental right in Illinois, is introducing a bill dubbed "The EXpanding Abortion Services Act,” the acronym of which spells TEXAS.

The Texas law is uniquely designed, allowing private citizens the right to bring a civil lawsuit against anyone who performs an abortion, gets an abortion or aids in someone getting an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Opponents of the law have described the minimum $10,000 in damages up for grabs as a “bounty.”

Cassidy’s proposal instead would instead give Illinoisans the right to seek at least $10,000 in damages against anyone who causes an unwanted pregnancy — even if it resulted from consensual sex — or anyone who commits sexual assault or abuse, including domestic violence.

“If folks are policing the bodies of people who are seeking reproductive healthcare in Texas, well, then maybe we should be policing the bodies of the people who are causing those problems here in Illinois,” Cassidy told NPR Illinois.

Under Cassidy’s bill, half of the damages awarded would go toward a new “State Abortion Freedom Access Fund,” to be managed by the state’s Department of Healthcare and Family Services. The money would also be required to be halved even if a case is settled. The fund would be used as financial aid for people from states with limited abortion access to travel to Illinois for the procedure.

While Cassidy acknowledged the bill’s name and modeling after the Texas law includes some element of trolling, she said she’s serious about getting co-sponsors and a hearing on the legislation.

“There’s certainly an element of ‘hold my beer’ to this, obviously,” Cassidy said. “But the truth here is if this is our new normal, if this is the way that conservatives are going to police women’s bodies, and we as a state have — with a great deal of intentionality — have established ourselves as a safe haven, we also…have to figure out a way to manage that.”

House Speaker Chris Welch (D-Hillside) spokeswoman Jaclyn Driscoll said it’s up to Cassidy to request a hearing on the bill, but “the Speaker certainly wouldn’t stand in the way of one.” Welch has also pushed for reproductive rights in his time in office.

At an event in Aurora Tuesday morning, Planned Parenthood of Illinois President and CEO Jennifer Welch (no relation to Speaker Welch) appeared with Gov. JB Pritzker and three Democratic members of Congress to promote legislation seeking to enshrine abortion rights in federal law. Welch said Planned Parenthood facilities in Illinois have already seen an uptick in people traveling across state lines to get abortions in Illinois.

“It only took two days after [the Texas law] was enacted for us to see Texas patients here in Illinois, despite those long distances they had to travel,” Welch said. “We expect those numbers to significantly increase when these dangerous laws continue.”

Cassidy said she’s heard the same anecdotally from abortion providers, and recalled doubt from colleagues and others when she sponsored the Reproductive Health Act in 2019, saying she was told it was hyperbolic to predict the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade would be overturned. That decision upheld a woman's right to privacy in decisions about abortion, effectively allowing the practice nationwide.

Because private citizens act as the enforcement mechanism in the Texas law — and not any one state official — a majority on U.S. Supreme Court late last month declined to block the law from going into effect, reasoning it escapes federal judicial review.

The U.S. Supreme Court is readying to hear a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade in a case stemming from Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks.

At Tuesday morning’s event in Aurora, Pritzker described conservatives’ wins restricting abortion in Republican-run states as a “dystopian future”

“…As radical Republican legislators across the country seek to functionally eradicate their constituents’ autonomy with no intervention from the nation’s highest court to be found,” the governor said.

A 2017 law signed by then-Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner also aimed to shield Illinois from any future Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade by removing decades-old language from state law that stipulated Roe v. Wade's overturn would trigger the end of abortion protections in Illinois too. That law also legalized the use of state funds for abortions, including for Medicaid recipients.

Ralph Rivera of Illinois Right to Life Action didn't find Cassidy's bill very funny, though he did say he would be on board for legalizing bounties for rapists. Otherwise, he speculated some of the broader strokes in the bill might be found unconstitutional.

"We’re talking about human life," Rivera said. "It’s not silly. Taking a serious matter and trying to be flippant...she could’ve just stated that and not filed a bill."

Klas-less: Miami Herald's Mary Ellen Klas casts Anti-Registry activist Derek Logue in a False Light Statement

Senator Book is pretty good at lying about being stalked so is this even true, or is this another of her long list of lies to help detract from her ineptitude as the state's democratic senate leader? But whatever the case, adding Derek Logue's name in a blatant false light statement in an unrelated case is still a civilly liable action. I guess the Miasma Herald isn't what it used to be. 

In Logue v. Book, 297 So. 3d 605 (Fla. Ct. App. 2020), the Court didn't just overturn the protection order because Mr. Logue was merely exercising the 1st Amendment right to protest a corrupt lobbyist and his corrupt daughter/priofessional victim/crooked politician, they found that there WERE NO ACTIONS that could have possibly lead to stalking under the Florida statute. In other words, the court determine there was NO STALKING involved. Book is a liar, and apparently Mary Ellen No-Klas seems to care about the truth. 

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/12/02/plantation-man-arrested-on-charges-of-extorting-harassing-state-sen-lauren-book/

Plantation man arrested on charges of extorting, harassing state Sen. Lauren Book

The lawmaker, known as an advocate for abuse victims, alerted state law enforcement officials in November.

By Mary Ellen Klas

Published Dec. 2, Updated Dec. 3

"Florida police have arrested 19-year-old **** of Plantation on cyber stalking and extortion charges after he allegedly faked sexually explicit photos of state Sen. Lauren Book and threatened to distribute them to news media outlets...

A record search showed ****, who lives in Book’s district and is a registered Democrat, does not have a criminal record....

This is not the first time Book has faced harassment and cyber stalking.

Book, who suffered sexual abuse by a nanny when she was a child, leads the advocacy group Lauren’s Kids.

In 2018, she obtained an injunction against Derek Logue, an outspoken critic of sex-offender laws, whom she accused of cyber stalking and harassment. A Broward County circuit judge issued an injunction that included a series of requirements designed to prevent Logue from having contact with the lawmaker or threatening her.

But Logue appealed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, which ruled in a 2-1 decision in 2019 that the injunction violated his First Amendment rights. A footnote in the majority opinion said an Alabama court in 2001 convicted Logue of improper relations with a minor."

No Pride: Old Dominion University pressures transgendered professor to resign for simply doing research on Minor Attracted Persons

Silencing unpopular research is nothing new. See the Rind study from the 1990s or California's suppression of research proving low reoffense rates among so-called "high risk" offenders. So, simply research those who choose not to sexually offender and refer to themselves as Minor Attracted Persons (MAPs) is offensive? So instead of getting info from the the proverbial horse's mouth, we continue to rely on horses' asses like Lauren Book or Laura Ahearn to feed us myths and other nonsense as they have done for years. We truly live in a society where facts do not matter, instead relying on what simply makes us "feel" safe. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/11/24/allyn-walker-odu-professor-resigns/

ODU professor steps down after firestorm over research into ‘minor-attracted people’

Allyn Walker, an assistant professor of sociology, was previously placed on administrative leave.

By Nicole Asbury

November 24, 2021 at 7:28 p.m. EST

Old Dominion University professor Allyn Walker, whose research into adults who are sexually attracted to minors drew protests and threats, has agreed to step down, Walker and the school announced in a joint statement Wednesday.

Walker, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice, had been placed on administrative leave Nov. 16. They now will remain on leave until the expiration of their current contract in May.

Walker’s research into “minor-attracted people” and their use of that term had been met with an outcry from students and others online, who claimed that such language destigmatized sex offenders. Walker has maintained that their work was intended to better understand would-be sex offenders and prevent child sexual abuse.

“That research was mischaracterized by some in the media and online, partly on the basis of my trans identity,” Walker said in the statement Wednesday. “As a result, multiple threats were made against me and the campus community generally.”

ODU professor placed on leave amid uproar over research into ‘minor-attracted persons’

Walker’s book “A Long, Dark Shadow: Minor-Attracted People and Their Pursuit of Dignity,” published in June, challenges “widespread assumptions that persons who are preferentially attracted to minors — often referred to as 'pedophiles’ — are necessarily also predators and sex offenders,” according to the University of California Press.

ODU students said they learned about the book earlier this month, and Kayla Foster, a senior studying criminal justice, thereafter started an online petition that called for Walker’s removal. Foster told The Post that Walker’s book gave pedophiles “a pat on the back” for not acting on their attractions.

As of Wednesday, when Walker stepped down, her petition had amassed more than 14,000 signatures.

ODU President Brian O. Hemphill said Walker’s resignation would be “the best way to move forward.”

“The safety and security of individual Monarchs and our collective campus are of the utmost importance,” Hemphill said in the statement. “For ODU, these will always remain top priorities as we pursue our mission in a caring, inclusive, and supportive community, one that respects academic freedom and remains willing to discuss controversial ideas in an atmosphere free of intimidation or violence.”

Other researchers, however, defended Walker’s scholarship and had called on ODU’s administration to do more to support them.

A letter addressed to Hemphill and other administrators Monday, signed by more than 60 professors in sexual abuse prevention, mental health, human sexuality and criminology, said the public backlash “reflects a misunderstanding and mischaracterization of Walker’s research.”

“We are strongly committed to creating a world without child sexual abuse,” they wrote. “In order to accomplish this daunting goal both ethically and effectively, it is essential to have a complete understanding of the issue, and this requires dissemination of research findings even when they contradict popular assumptions.”

Michael Cusano of Glenville NY forces Registrant from home and wants people to pressure lawmakers to reinstate residency restriction laws

I'd rather live next to a Registered Person than next to this scumbag or any other vigilante filth. Cusano thinks it is not right and curses the fact that harassing registered persons is illegal. Why am I not surprised that his bosom buddy, Bryan Gonski, supports Kyle Rittenhouse, the wannabe vigilante now in trial for murder? Perhaps someday, we'll see one of these fucktards behind bars for something similar. 

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/When-sex-offender-moved-in-neighbors-petitioned-16589893.php

When sex offender moved in, neighbors petitioned to force him out

Police say parolee in Glenville neighborhood is following rules, but neighbors worry

Nov. 10, 2021

Updated: Nov. 10, 2021 10:39 a.m.

GLENVILLE — Danielle Marocco readily admits feeling a huge sense of relief when she noticed the "For Sale" sign on the lawn of a new neighbor.

That’s because she and others along a quiet suburban street in East Glenville fear the resident, a paroled Level 3 sex offender who victimized a boy, might hurt other young children. 

“We just love the area, we love the neighborhood — in the summertime the ice cream truck goes by,” said Marocco, who has lived on the street with her husband and their children since February. “This isn’t our dream house, but it’s our dream neighborhood.”

In 2006, the man at the center of the furor was charged in Warren County by State Police with one count of first-degree criminal sexual contact with a 12-year-old boy he knew, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services and the state Department of Corrections and Community Services.

The agencies' online information indicates he pleaded guilty to the offense in May 2007 and was sentenced to 14 years in prison with five years of post-release supervision. He was released to parole supervision in June 2019 and for a time lived in Schenectady before purchasing the split ranch home in Glenville, according to online sources and county real estate records. 

The 1,534-square-foot residence is now on the market with a list price of $265,000.

Thousands of people have been convicted of sex crimes in New York; those convicted of the most serious crimes appear on the public portion of the state's Sex Offender Registry, which makes it easy for residents to look up the identities of offenders living in their neighborhoods.

Frequently, the arrival of a sex offender causes disquiet among neighbors. 

In the Glenville case, another neighbor, Mike Cusano, launched an online petition on change.org titled #NotInMyNeighborhood that as of Tuesday had 572 supporters. An updated message in bold letters by the author declared victory after the man put the home up for sale. 

The petition wants him out, saying his presence has cast a pall over a neighborhood where ordinarily "the air is filled with children's laughter and kids playing outside."

The man did not respond to several attempts to contact him over the past week, including visits to his home, and phone numbers listed for him in public records have been disconnected. A parole officer listed for him online did not return a call last week seeking comment.

Daniel Lambright, a senior staff attorney with the New York Civil Liberties Union, said sexual abuse is most often carried out by someone known to the victim or the victim's family.  

"There's no empirical evidence that residency restrictions work in protecting children or protecting families," he said, "and restrictions are primarily based on a false premise that there's that stranger lurking in the bushes that is going to come out and attack their child."   

New York law forbids high-risk offenders under state or county supervision from “knowingly entering” school grounds and child care facilities, language that courts have interpreted to also mean that those offenders cannot live within 1,000 feet of a school. Multiple counties are also extending the 1,000-foot rule to cover day care facilities, preschools and other child care centers.

Resident Amelia Mindel, who also has children, rejected the notion that neighbors were trying to force the man out. Mindel was part of an Oct. 27 community meeting set up by Supervisor Chris Koetzle to discuss the issue, a meeting that included state Sen. Jim Tedisco and Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, along with Glenville Police Chief Stephen Janik.  

“I think what we’re doing at this point is really trying to raise awareness regarding the safety of having individuals like our neighbor residing in a community that is so child-centered and child-friendly,” Mindel said, adding there is a day care and group home 800 and 500 feet away, respectively, from where the man lives with a female relative. “We’re not trying to do a witch hunt or a target,” she said. "It’s more like, what are the actual laws?” 

New York law restricts  sex offenders  who are classed Level 3 — the highest risk to repeat offense — from being within 1,000 feet of a school in a parked vehicle or knowingly being on school grounds when on parole or probation. This designation means an offender must personally verify their address every 90 days with law enforcement where they live, and that agency may take a picture if their appearance has changed. 

School grounds are defined as any area contained within the real property boundary line of the school, and may include playgrounds. The rules to not apply to day care facilities. 

Tedisco is the co-sponsor of legislation that would extend that prohibition to other facilities that host children during the day, such as day care sites and preschools. “I think the parents and the families and the community — not only in Glenville, but across the state — really have the right to be upset,” he said. 

The bill passed the Senate when Tedisco and his fellow Republicans held the majority, but it has languished in the Assembly since 2018. Democrats control both chambers and the legislation has seen little movement. Tedisco is hopeful that will change now that the legislation appears to have bipartisan support. 

The senator argued the restrictions proposed covering day care and other child care facilities are common-sense in a state that has rules in place against speeding and drug use in school zones.

Koetzle said he would like to see the proposed legislation, which the Glenville Town Board unanimously voted last week to back,     expanded to include places like group bus stops where middle and high school students congregate. He’s also advocating for the state to formally notify a municipality and school district when a registered sex offender moves in.   

Lambright said it's a myth that high-risk offenders are more likely to commit the same crime again, and that the use of a Risk Assessment Instrument is "flawed" because it draws on "a lot of factors that have nothing to do with recidivism."

"Certainly, there's of course some recidivism concerned with everybody," he said. "But the overwhelming evidence suggests that people who commit sex offenses don't recidivate any higher than any other members of the community, and further by pushing them into homelessness and anti-social situations you might be actually increasing the chance of maybe not sexual recidivism but recidivism in other kind of criminal ways, so it's real dumb policy and not policy based in any sort of facts."  

Chief Janik said the man is following all conditions of his release. 

"I cannot treat him any differently than I would any other resident when he is not committing a crime,” he said. “He will receive the same treatment that any other taxpaying citizen receives in the town of Glenville.” 

In a statement, DOCCS told the Times Union the Glenville man is in full compliance with the conditions of his release and that the parole officer makes “several contacts” with him each month. Sex offenders are monitored with supervision techniques such as electronic bracelets and periodic lie-detector testing. 

Melanie Trimble, regional director of the NYCLU Capital Region, said the group tries to educate people whose fears around an offender moving in can be inflamed by misinformation.

"What we have found is that the sex offender registry really does not help in the rehabilitation process," Trimble said. "What it does is alienate individuals from society and only causes them to go underground and hide so we're very concerned that people can't resettle and rehabilitate themselves after serving their time for crimes, and that only causes more problems down the road.

"Anybody that's served their time ought to be able to re-assimilate back into society in a way that promotes positive change in their life and have them move on," she said.

Marocco is cautiously optimistic the house will soon be sold and life can return to some kind of normalcy. 

“We’re definitely encouraged, but I don’t also want to let our guard down," she said. "And so hopefully (the house sale) goes through, and hopefully he can move somewhere that is not in a neighborhood, not in such a kid-friendly family oriented neighborhood, and he has his space, and he can be at peace in his own space, and we can have our peace and happiness in the community back."  

Makenzie Wagoner of Loogootee, Indiana tries to shut down Registrant's business

I found Makenzie's FB page, and the first thing I see is a hashtag associated with QAnon, so this tells me all I need to know about this person's education level. She also posted bogus statistics as well as her blatant misuse of the registry to harass this business owner. She should be locked up, quite frankly. Maybe instead of harassing folks who served their time and who promotes crackpot conspiracy hashtags, she she spend more time hitting the books at USI. Maybe she should take criminal justice instead of Gender Studies courses. Or she can go to OnceFallen com and get a real education.

https://www.washtimesherald.com/news/community-raises-concerns-on-operator-of-new-business/article_de015f18-2c1b-11ec-be40-a7693c0cfb41.html

Community raises concerns on operator of new business

Tim Pinkham Times Herald Oct 13, 2021 

LOOGOOTEE – The fact that a convicted sex offender has opened a tattoo shop near a preschool brought out an overflow crowd of more than 30 to Tuesday’s Loogootee City Council meeting.

Makenzie Wagoner, 19, made an impassioned plea for city officials and the public at large to take action to protect young children. She does not want the business closed, but rather forced to relocate some place away from children.

Indiana law prohibits sex offenders of minors from living within 1,000 feet of any school property, public parks and certain program centers. However, individual counties may impose other restrictions around movement, employment and alcohol consumption.

Wagoner pointed out that Indiana, unlike Illinois and a few other states, does not restrict a business owned by a convicted sex offender from being located near a school. She would like to see Indiana’s law changed.

Mayor Noel Harty said he would try to arrange a meeting in Loogootee soon between Wagoner and two local state officials, State Sen. Eric Bassler of Washington and State Rep. Shane Lindauer of Jasper.

Wagoner provided documents to the Times Herald which showed that Charles A. Taylor had been registered as a sexually violent predator in Illinois on Jan. 20, 2010. He was convicted March 8, 2005, of predatory criminal sexual assault. He was sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Taylor now lives in Loogootee. A document provided by Wagoner states the Indiana equivalent for the Illinois charge is child molesting, a felony.

Wagoner works as the youth librarian at the Loogootee Public Library. She is currently a student at the University of Southern Indiana, pursuing a double-major in early childhood education and elementary education.

“I’m fighting for this, but I should not be fighting alone,” Wagoner said. “He is going to offend again, it is only a matter of time.”

Wagoner criticized Harty for attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month for Taylor’s shop. She also said neither the mayor nor police chief Jim Floyd had notified the owners of the preschool nor Loogootee school officials about Taylor.

Harty said he had not found out about Tayor’s legal status as a convicted sex offender until five days after the ribbon cutting.

Floyd did not comment during the meeting, but his department issued a press release. It stated: “It has come to our attention that there are concerns about a registered sex offender opening a business in Loogootee. We are aware of this happening and found no legal authority to prohibit it. We are aware of his registry status and there is no law prohibiting the operation of this business by this individual. We, as police officers, are obligated to operate within the bounds of the law as they are written.”

Later on, the press release stated: “Freedom of speech is a constitutional right. You have the right to choose who you do business with and to express your concerns; however, harassment, intimidation, threats, violence, vandalism, etc. are illegal and may result in criminal charges.”

The sex offender registry administrator is Cpl. Joshua Seymour of the Martin County Sheriff’s Department.

Wagoner gave the Times Herald a copy of comments to her allegedly made on Facebook by Taylor. He said the law allows him to work anywhere he wants, including next to a daycare. He accused her of trying to take away from his children, stepchildren and wife. Despite his conviction, he claims he has done nothing wrong.

After she spoke, Wagoner was loudly applauded by those attending the meeting.

Bernalillo Co. NM Sheriff Manny Gonzalez makes false claims against political opponent, including accusation on helping Registrants move close to schools

Allegations of being "soft on sex offenders" as a political attack is nothing new. It has become quite commonplace, in fact. However, when a law enforcement agent makes such a blatantly false claim, we should take pause. It makes me wonder what other false allegations this Sheriff has made during his tenure. 

https://nmindepth.com/2021/10/22/sheriff-goes-to-the-dark-side-lobbing-grim-attacks-with-no-evidence/

Back in 2017, I wrote “it doesn’t get much darker” than ominous television ads attacking mayoral candidate Tim Keller, who is now Albuquerque mayor. Well, it’s gotten darker, and again Keller is the target. 

Four years ago the television ads, followed by billboards, showed an image of Keller and quickly cut to a dark figure wearing a hoodie, a classic racist trope. “Sex offender” flashed in bold red letters on the screen before cutting to a backlit child riding a bike.

Essentially, the ad sought to tap unconscious racist fears and smear Keller as a sex offender at the same time. Media outlets, including New Mexico In Depth, found no basis in the charge. Keller was one of 16 state senators in 2011 who voted for a bill sponsored by then-Senator Cisco McSorley that would have prevented municipalities from dictating where sex offenders could live. The state’s Sex Offender Management Board supported the bill. 

But the facts didn’t matter to those who paid for the ads, a mega westside land developer and a southern New Mexico oil man. It was classic negative campaigning — just throw any sort of mud at a candidate because you don’t like their politics. 

And the facts don’t seem to matter to Bernalillo County Sheriff Manny Gonzales as he tries to unseat Keller as Albuquerque’s mayor this year. 

Gonzales dredged up the sex offender charge at a KOB mayoral debate Tuesday night, accusing Keller of sponsoring a bill in the past that would allow sex offenders to live close to schools and parks. 

One hopes Gonzales paid attention when that piece of negative campaigning got discredited in 2017 by the media, but if not, did his research before uttering those words Tuesday. 

But it got worse. Later in the debate Gonzales leveled shocking allegations of domestic violence against Keller without any evidence. 

Gonzales is a law enforcement professional who should know how important facts are when accusing someone of a crime. But maybe not. Then he accused the mayor of having an affair with a subordinate, again with no evidence. 

Four days later, there is still no evidence to support any of his claims. And in fact, KOAT said they looked into the rumor of domestic violence back in June, and found no evidence to support it. One would hope a Sheriff could do the same. 

Keller called the allegations disgusting, pathetic and defamatory. 

I’d add: cynical, calculating, and dishonest. And sad, frankly. Perhaps the worst is the allegation, with no evidence, of an affair. Keller’s family, including his children, must now grapple with it. 

I want to say all of this is a sign of desperation in the Gonzales campaign, the sort that usually leads to wild negativity, though any longtime New Mexico political observer knows it’s also a sign of Jay McCleskey, a GOP political consultant and media operative known for hard-hitting, negative advertising. Gonzales has so far paid McCleskey $189,000, mainly for advertising costs. 

But at the end of the day, as much as many like to throw stones at McCleskey or other political operatives, it’s Manny Gonzales who is responsible. Whether the unsupported attacks on Keller propel Gonzales to the mayor’s office remains to be seen. Regardless, what happened Tuesday is a particularly dark chapter in New Mexico elections that we can only hope won’t become the norm.

Orange County, FL, Sheriff's Deputy Keith Vidler actually held accountable for targeting Registered Person for 2 years

The only shocking thing here is a law enforcement agency actually held one of their own accountable for their abuse of authority. In FloriDUH, of all place. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/orange-county-sergeant-accused-of-abuse-of-power-terminated/ar-AAPfzui

Orange County sergeant accused of abuse of power terminated

Shannon Butler, Sarah Wilson  10/7/2021

A sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has been terminated after the sheriff’s office said he abused his power during a traffic stop.

A sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has been terminated after the sheriff’s office said he abused his power during a traffic stop.© Provided by WFTV Orlando A sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has been terminated after the sheriff’s office said he abused his power during a traffic stop.

Veteran officer Keith Vidler is accused of holding a grudge against a man he had been investigating for two years.

Vidler, a 30-year veteran law enforcement officer, pulled people to safety during the Pulse nightclub attack.

An internal investigation into a traffic stop found Vidler purposely targeted Jeremy Dewitte, a registered sex offender who has a history of arrests for impersonating a police officer.

Initially, Vidler said he was pulling the convicted felon over for carrying a firearm, but it turned out to be a pepper ball gun.

A sheriff’s office internal investigation found the pepper ball weapon was in plain view and not concealed, and that Dewitte should have been released, but instead he was taken to jail.

Channel 9 tried to talk to Vidler last month, but he said he couldn’t comment, and he said he still can’t today; but paperwork obtained by Channel 9 shows what Vidler told the board just a few days ago.

He said he had been investigating Dewitte since September 2019, but in late 2020, he was informed that the investigation into Dewitte would have to be “shut down.”

He said there was no contact with Dewitte until an arrest in March of 2021, which he says shows he wasn’t holding a grudge. He said he also didn’t know it was Dewitte at first.

Vidler said he called his supervisor about the arrest, who Vidler said told him “good job.”

He said he knew this would be the outcome because he said he was outspoken about the investigation into Dewitte and about other things at the department, but after days of taking the case into consideration the board fired him.

Channel 9 asked Sheriff John Mina to comment on the termination, but since Vidler has one more appeal to go through, he would not comment.

Vidler was also advised not to comment until the case is over.

Some in the community have launched a GoFundMe supporting Vidler and a corporal who was suspended in the same case, claiming the sheriff’s office targeted them.

Darius McGowan of Atlanta, GA starts online petition to place unconstitutional marks on Georgia State IDs

I think it is a bit of irony for a person of a race that claims to hate oppression based on a group status openly promoting an act of oppression based on group status. Guess he'll be promoting sundown towns next time he gets 15 minutes of fame. 

Of course, SCOTUS has refused to hear the appeal of the state of Louisiana, whose Supreme Court had just struck down such marks as unconstitutional. 

https://eminetra.com/her-death-would-not-be-in-vain-petition-could-create-new-sex-offender-id-policy-for-atl-nightlife-news-atlanta-georgia/768577/

‘Her death would not be in vain’: Petition could create new sex offender ID policy for ATL nightlife | News – Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia 2021-10-01 07:30:00 –

Atlanta (CBS46) — New petitions can make it difficult for sex offenders to enter metro Atlanta bars and nightclubs.

The petition already has nearly 10,000 signatures and was initiated by a friend of a local bartender who was kidnapped and raped.

Chris Anthony said it seems less than two months after his friend Mariam, 27. Abdulab Taken from him, “Honestly, when you don’t have an answer, what you know is still fresh.”

Police believe DeMarcus Brinkley kidnapped Abdullah from his boyfriend’s front yard and shot her shortly thereafter.

Her murder caused anger all over the city, “We need a community leader to start talking about this, “a community member said in a city protest.

Now, a new petition launched by a friend of Mariam aims to limit access to women like Mariam by sex offenders like Brinkley.

“”This is great for simply checking someone’s ID and raising their head, “said her friend Chris Anthony.

More than 7,000 people have already signed a petition for a new law requiring sex offenders to put some marker on their Georgia ID.

“I think it’s a perfect idea,” said Chris Anthony.

Markers allow bars and clubs to closely monitor known predators.

And this isn’t the first time this has happened in Georgia.

In 2019, the most risky sex offenders in Georgia had to wear a GPS ankle monitor.

But last year, the law was considered unconstitutional by the Georgia Supreme Court.

Sex offender Tom Church said the petition might have a chance to fight.

“”The Georgian Parliament has just lost the requirement for ankle bracelets and may consider this a good compromise. So now they could think of this as something they could use instead, “said the Church of Lawyers.

Mariam’s friends, like Chris Anthony, now want state leaders to take a closer look at this.

“As her friends, we are really grateful that this happened. You know that she wasn’t just dead, but her death wasn’t a waste, but rather a call to awaken. I know.”

Craig Shubert, Mayor of Hudson, Ohio, doesn't understand the meaning of CP

He should be sitting in a corner, alright, but with a dunce cap on. 

I am just going to assume this is a right winger (looks him up online) Yup, called it. What a dipshit. 

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2021/09/19/writing-prompts-child-porn-illegal-expert-weighs/8362770002/

"During last week's school board meeting, Hudson Mayor Craig Shubert issued an ultimatum: "It has come to my attention that your educators are distributing essentially what is child pornography in the classroom. I've spoken to a judge this evening. She's already confirmed that. So I'm going to give you a simple choice: You either choose to resign from this board of education or you will be charged."

Among the prompts in question: "Write a sex scene you wouldn't show your mom."

The book has been removed from the course by district officials.

The Summit County prosecutor said last week the sexual writing prompts aren't child porn, but the prosecutor's office is continuing to look into whether any other laws were broken."

"These allegations have resulted in threats being made against board members, faculty and administrators in Hudson," Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said Friday in a news release. "Those threats must stop. Under Ohio law, a prompt about a fictional writing is not child pornography. We will review this matter and determine if there is a factual basis that any laws were broken either by the writing prompts or the threats that have been made.” ...

Law professor: Writing prompts don't meet legal definition of child porn

A law school professor said he also believes the writing prompts did not constitute child pornography under the legal definition of the offense.

Michael Gentithes, associate professor at the University of Akron School of Law, said there are First Amendment rights that conflict with efforts to restrain publication of pornographic or obscene material.

However, he said, "even though the court looks at laws that restrict pornography with strict scrutiny, child pornography restrictions are often upheld on the grounds that the state has a really strong interest in protecting the children depicted from physical abuse."

After some of the writing prompts were shared with him, Gentithes said the material "doesn't depict any children whatsoever being abused."

He said it would "be difficult for written responses to a prompt like that to constitute child pornography because there's no images or video of someone engaged in a sexual act with a child."

Gentithes observed that "maybe you could — and this is a real stretch — suggest that other children viewing whatever was written in response to that [prompt] would have such a strong psychological or emotional reaction that it would fit the definition, but that's very unlikely."

While noting he could not say definitively whether written material could be considered child pornography, Gentithes said "almost all" criminal prosecutions of child pornography involve either photographic or video images of children engaged in sexual activity.

"The reason is you're worried about the damage [and the] abuse to the children that are depicted and the possible damage if other children see those images," he said.

Obscenity difficult to prove

He also said he strongly doubted the writing prompts would be considered obscene.

In Miller v. California in 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that for material to be considered obscene, it must meet all three prongs of the following criteria: predominately appeal to prurient interests; depict sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and lack any serious literary or artistic value.

"It's a very difficult test to meet," Gentithes said.

Right Wing nutjob (or spambot) Gary Ruot claims we should not carry vaccine cards because Registered Persons don't need ID cards due to privacy rights

 I'm only nominally sure this is a real live human being and not some Russian spambot, but whatever the case, claiming Registered Persons don't carry special ID cards due to "privacy issues" because you're butthurt over vaccine cards is shiitake-worthy. And you're not just physically blind-- you're also  mentally blind, "Gary." Stop licking the horse paste, dude. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/09/17/fact-check-sex-offenders-some-states-must-have-special-ids/8334296002/

Fact check: Some states require special IDs for sex offenders

Daniel Funke

USA TODAY

The claim: Sex offenders don't have to carry cards because it 'violates their privacy'

President Joe Biden announced COVID-19 vaccine requirements Sept. 9 for federal workers and companies with more than 100 employees. That means millions of Americans may soon have to prove they've received the shot.

A widespread claim on social media attempts to make a point by comparing that potential requirement to those for sex offenders.

"There are 800,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S. and they don't carry a card because it 'violates their privacy,'" reads text in a Sept. 13 Instagram post. "Keep that in mind."

The post, published by an account called 1776 PRIDE, accumulated 5,400 likes within one day. Similar posts have racked up tens of thousands of interactions on Facebook and Instagram, according to CrowdTangle, a social media insights tool.

"What's that about vaccine passports again?" reads text in a Sept. 10 Facebook post.

Those claims distort the facts on sex offenders, who are subject to a wide array of limitations. Sex offenders are indeed required to carry special identification in some states, and in the states where such laws have been overturned, it's been due to free speech concerns, not privacy. 

"There are some states that have those laws, and some of those laws have been struck down for violating people's free speech rights," Tamara Rice Lave, a law professor at the University of Miami, told USA TODAY.

USA TODAY reached out to 1776 PRIDE for comment.

Some states mandate special IDs for sex offenders

Federal law requires sex offenders to be listed in a national registry. Some states also require registered sex offenders to get special driver's licenses or IDs that identify them as such.

"The claim refers to 'registered sex offenders,'" Michael O'Hear, a law professor at Marquette University, said in an email. "If registered, a sex offender’s personal identifying information is normally made available online to the general public."

That personal information includes a sex offender's address, their physical characteristics, what car they drive and the nature of their crime. Offenders are "required to update their registration in each jurisdiction they reside, are employed, or attend school," according to the Justice Department.

In addition to federal registration and notification requirements, some states also mandate a special designation on sex offenders' IDs. Kansas, for example, requires convicted sex offenders to get an ID that says "registered offender."

At least eight other states have similar laws on the books.

Oklahoma and Mississippi both require variations of the term "sex offender" on IDs, while Delaware simply puts a "Y" on them. Meanwhile, Florida requires those convicted of certain felony sex crimes to have "sexual predator" spelled out on their IDs. Others must have an ID that includes “943.0435, F.S.” – the state statute dealing with sex offender registration.

"So if you hand your driver's license or state ID over to a police officer, they would be able to tell immediately whether you're a registered sex offender," Charles Ewing, a law professor at the University of Buffalo, told USA TODAY.

Some state laws face First Amendment challenges

Courts have challenged some state laws requiring registered sex offenders to have special IDs. Those rulings have hinged on First Amendment issues.

"There is only limited case law on the issue, which has been framed not as 'privacy' but as an instance of the government compelling speech by a citizen," Wayne Logan, a law professor at Florida State University, said in an email.

In 2019, a federal judge in Alabama invalidated a law requiring those convicted of certain sex crimes to carry licenses emblazoned with "criminal sex offender" in red, bold letters. The state argued the law protected the public, but U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins wrote in his opinion that the law "unnecessarily compels speech" and was not "the least restrictive means of advancing a compelling state interest."

"The court held that a less intrusive method could be used to achieve the governmental goal of informing police of a registrant status," Logan said. "It could, for instance, as (Delaware) does, use a single letter – 'Y' – that police would recognize as denoting status. So, the court did not condemn the policy of identification in principle."

In October, the Louisiana Supreme Court issued a similar ruling, striking down a law that mandated IDs with "sex offender" printed in orange, capital letters. Similar to the Alabama case, the court wrote in its opinion that the requirement was "compelled speech" that violated the First Amendment.

"While the state certainly has a compelling interest in protecting the public and enabling law enforcement to identify a person as a sex offender, Louisiana has not adopted the least restrictive means of doing so," Associate Justice James Genovese wrote for the majority.

Louisiana officials have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear that case. Other judges around the country have rejected challenges to similar restrictions, such as notations on passports and putting signs in front of the homes of registered sex offenders on Halloween.

Still, experts told USA TODAY it's misleading to say those kinds of ID requirements have been challenged for violating privacy. Lave said registered sex offenders don't usually make that argument, and much of their personal information is already publicly available.

"Basically, registered sex offenders have no privacy," Ewing said.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that sex offenders don't have to carry cards because it "violates their privacy." Some states do require those convicted of certain sex crimes to carry special driver's licenses or state-issued IDs. Courts have challenged a couple of those laws, but the rulings were based on First Amendment violations – not privacy concerns. Sex offenders surrender their privacy on a wide range of fronts as their names, pictures, address are other information are posted on public registries

Victim industry advocate Carrie Nettles teaches churches "assume all sex offenders are lying"

That is not a very Christian thing to say. But this is exactly why I say these idiotic victi advocates have NO place in discussions like this. The rest of the article was also full of bad advice, too, but this was the worst of it. 

https://baptistnews.com/article/what-should-you-do-if-a-sex-offender-wants-to-attend-your-church/#.YTTfNo5KjIU

“With this population of people, start by assuming they are lying,” said Nettles, who works with rape victims.

Even if they try to explain that a past situation wasn’t really as bad as others reported it to be, church leaders should beware, she explained. “That is the MO of most perpetrators, to use a known truth to come across as genuine. There’s usually a drastic difference in what really happened.”

This is an urgent issue for church leaders to think about in advance, Nettles said, because sex offenders like to come to church. She reported that 93% of sex offenders identify as “very religious,” and, “the ones who are more religious have more offenses and more victims.”.

Smells Like Bovine Excrement: The baby from the cover of Nirvana's "Nevermind" album is suing while claiming cover is "Child Porn" and "Sex Trafficking"

After reading this, it seems to me that that Spencer Elden is suing because he was snubbed by the band when wanting them to promote his art. If he simply sued over name and likeness, that's fine, but he went the extra mile to claim the image is "CP" and is also that, as reported by CNN, "Elden was sexualized because the dollar bill used in the image made the baby resemble 'a sex worker.'"

Claiming the album cover is CP is absurd. In the words of Curt Cobain, “If you’re offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/arts/music/spencer-alden-nirvana-nevermind.html

Why the Baby on Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ Album Is Suing Now

Spencer Elden, 30, says Nirvana engaged in child pornography when the band used a picture of him naked on the cover of the breakthrough album.

By Maria Cramer

Aug. 25, 2021

Spencer Elden was 4 months old when he was photographed by a family friend in 1991 drifting naked in a pool.

The picture, taken at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena, Calif., would be used that year for the cover of “Nevermind,” Nirvana’s seminal second album that helped define Generation X and rocketed the Seattle band to international fame.

In the decades that followed, Mr. Elden appeared to celebrate his part in the classic cover, recreating the moment for the album’s 10th, 17th, 20th and 25th anniversaries, though not naked.

“It’s cool but weird to be part of something so important that I don’t even remember,” he said in 2016 in an interview with The New York Post, in which he posed holding the album cover at 25.

Now, however, Mr. Elden, 30, has filed a federal lawsuit against the estate of Kurt Cobain, the musician’s former bandmates, David Grohl and Krist Novoselic, and Mr. Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, among other parties. He claimed that they, along with Geffen Records, which released “Nevermind,” profited from his naked image. It is one of the best-selling records of all time, with at least 30 million copies sold worldwide.

“Defendants knowingly produced, possessed, and advertised commercial child pornography depicting Spencer, and they knowingly received value in exchange for doing so,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday in federal court in California.

Mr. Elden suffered “permanent harm” because of his association with the album, including emotional distress and a “lifelong loss of income-earning capacity.” The lawsuit did not provide details about the losses and said they would be disclosed at trial.

Mr. Elden, an artist living in Los Angeles County, has gone to therapy for years to work through how the album cover affected him, said Maggie Mabie, one of his lawyers.

“He hasn’t met anyone who hasn’t seen his genitalia,” she said. “It's a constant reminder that he has no privacy. His privacy is worthless to the world.”

The lawsuit said that Mr. Elden is seeking $150,000 from each of the 15 people and companies named in the complaint, including Kurt Weddle, the photographer who took the picture. Mr. Weddle did not respond to messages requesting comment.

The photo of Mr. Elden was picked from among dozens of pictures of babies Mr. Weddle photographed for the album cover, which Mr. Cobain envisioned showing a baby underwater.

Mr. Weddle paid Mr. Elden’s parents $200 for the picture, which was later altered to show the baby chasing a dollar, dangling from a fishhook.

“They were trying to create controversy because controversy sells,” Ms. Mabie said. “The point was not just to create a menacing image but to cross the line and they did so in a way that exposed Spencer so that they could profit off of it.”

She said her client sometimes agreed when the band, media outlets and fans asked him to recreate the photo as an adult, but he eventually realized that this only resulted in the “image of him as a baby being further exploited.”

The representatives for Mr. Cobain’s estate did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Representatives for Mr. Grohl, Ms. Love, and Geffen Records, which is now part of Universal Music Group, did not respond to messages.

Mr. Elden, who declined to comment on his suit, said in a short documentary in 2015 that the album cover had “opened doors” for him. For example, he worked with Shepard Fairey, the artist who was sued by The Associated Press for using an image of Barack Obama for his piece “Hope.”

Over the years, he has expressed ambivalence about the cover.

“It’d be nice to have a quarter for every person that has seen my baby penis,” he said in a New York Post interview in 2016.

In a different interview that year, he said he was angry that people still talked about it.

“Recently I’ve been thinking, ‘What if I wasn’t OK with my freaking penis being shown to everybody?’ I didn’t really have a choice,” Mr. Elden said to GQ Australia.

He said that his feelings about the cover began to change “just a few months ago, when I was reaching out to Nirvana to see if they wanted to be part of my art show.”

Mr. Elden said he was referred to managers and lawyers.

“Why am I still on their cover if I’m not that big of a deal?” he said.

Ms. Mabie said that Mr. Elden has long felt discomfort over the images and had expressed it in even earlier interviews when he was teenager.

“Mr. Elden never consented to the use of this image or the display of these images,” she said. “Even though he recreated the images later on in life, he was clothed and he was an adult and these were very different circumstances.”

Ms. Mabie said his parents never authorized consent for how the images would be used.

She noted that Mr. Cobain once suggested putting a sticker over the baby’s genitals after there was pushback to the idea for the cover.

The performer, who died in 1994, said the sticker should read: “If you’re offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile.”

Mr. Elden is “asking for Nirvana to do what Nirvana should have done 30 years ago and redact the images of his genitalia from the album cover,” Ms. Mabie said.

This lawsuit is not a typical child pornography case, said Mary Graw Leary, a professor at the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America.

“Nudity of a child alone is not the definition of pornography,” she said. “The typical child pornography that is being seen in law enforcement and pursued in the courts can be violent. The children are young and it is very graphic.”

But there are factors under federal law that allow a judge or a jury to determine whether a photo of a minor “constitutes a lascivious exhibition of the genitals,” including if they were the focal point of a photo, Professor Graw Leary said.

That part of the law “gives a bit more discretion to the court,” she said. “It’s not a case with easy answers.”

Mr. Elden’s past comments about the cover should not undermine his current claim that he was a victim of child pornography, she added. The law does not pick between children who immediately denounce their abusers and children who initially were dismissive about what happened to them, she said.

“We don’t want to be in a position where we’re only going to consider one case criminal because in the other, the child didn’t think it was a big deal at the time,” Professor Graw Leary said. “We don’t only protect certain kids.”

Jessica Ye of the University of Maryland calls for vigilante actions if you don't like how "justice" plays out in America

 “If our institutions cannot ensure that people will be safe and that criminals will suffer consequences for their actions, society should.” These are the words of Jessica Yu in this recent OpEd to The Diamondback, a student newspaper for the University of Maryland. 

“This country was founded on vigilantism.” These were the words uttered by Patrick Drum, a career criminal who used the public sex offense registry to plan the execution of four Registered Persons, murdering two on his hit list before his capture. He is now sitting in a Washington State Prison for the rest of his natural life with no chance of parole.

Perhaps UMD should reconsider how they are educating their students. 

https://dbknews.com/2021/08/04/public-shaming-olympics-fencing-pink-masks/

The public must hold sex offenders accountable, even if institutions don’t

Jessica Ye

Views expressed in opinion columns are the author’s own.

Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault.

Last month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction. He wasn’t even reasonably believed to be innocent of the crimes he was accused of committing — rather, the judicial system had made a technical error during his trial. So even though he probably did commit horrible acts, our judicial institutions failed to hold him accountable.

Unfortunately, our institutions failing to appropriately investigate and punish sexual offenders seems to be quite common. From Roman Polanski to Jeffrey Epstein and now Bill Cosby, it’s difficult to think people who might’ve committed these types of crimes can avoid trial or get out on a technicality. Shouldn’t society demand that people who’ve seriously harmed others receive equally serious consequences?

When it comes to perpetrators escaping the system, individuals should be encouraged to step up and dole out certain consequences themselves. Some sex offenders can return to their normal lives after upending those of their victims’. But individuals can make “normal life” harder for these despicable people through public humiliation and accountability.

Last Friday, members of the U.S. Olympic Fencing Team did just that to Alen Hadzic, an alternate member accused of rape and sexual assault. Hadzic stood alone in a black mask at a match. His teammates — épée fencers Jake Hoyle, Curtis McDowald and Yeisser Ramirez — wore pink masks to support sexual assault victims and to express disdain for Hadzic.

I usually consider public humiliation to be a pretty useless and unnecessarily cruel punishment for crimes that specifically target vulnerable people. However, there’s a marked difference between sexual crimes and most other crimes.

In the context of sexual crimes, I think public humiliation achieves some necessary objectives if there’s no institutional or legal punishment. First and most importantly, it serves to keep potential victims away from people with a history of sexual harassment accusations. In Hadzic’s case, although USA Fencing discreetly put measures in place to separate Hadzic from female athletes in Tokyo, the pink mask stunt will likely warn other women who work in and around the venues to stay away from him.

Second, public humiliation can also have indirect consequences on perpetrators’ future careers and reputations. Before his appeal, Hadzic was initially removed from the U.S. Olympic team. These public accusations will probably (I’d like to say undoubtedly, but some men in positions of power seem to be totally okay with this type of thing) play a factor in his future endeavors, whether as a fencer or not. No one wants to be part of a company that hired a dude with a history of sexual harassment accusations.

Frankly, the pink mask stunt will likely follow Hadzic into all aspects of his life — and it’s exactly what he deserves.

These consequences of public humiliation are totally fair given the crimes committed. Victims of sexual crimes can suffer career repercussions and damage to their reputations, not to mention physical and mental health tolls that can come with losing the basic right to control what happens to their own bodies. Out of every 1,000 sexual assaults, only 25 perpetrators end up incarcerated, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. It doesn’t make sense for people who caused so much pain to be able to walk off virtually scot-free, with no sort of punishment or justice served.

It especially doesn’t make sense that someone like that could represent the U.S. at an international level despite being both a safety risk and a distraction to other hard working teammates. If you’re like me, embarrassed to be represented by someone like Hadzic, go the route of his teammates and return the favor.

Embarrass sex offenders. Make sure their communities know who they are and to stay far away. They might already be public, even if the repercussions of that publicity haven’t landed yet.

If our institutions cannot ensure that people will be safe and that criminals will suffer consequences for their actions, society should. Public humiliation might just be the most effective tool individuals can use.

Jessica Ye is a rising sophomore government and politics and economics major. She can be reached at jye1@terpmail.umd.edu

Pearl -clutching OpEd by Zach Husted of Victoria, MN claims kids are pissing themselves over Registrant placement

If you want to see the dumbest example of Chicken Little writing, read the last paragraph. If I had to take a guess, he ate every oyster he could find until he got enough pearls to make a necklace so that he may clutch them. 

https://www.swnewsmedia.com/chanhassen_villager/news/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/letter-work-toward-a-better-minnesota/article_bd0aacdd-4259-5def-b449-edceb26aa7ee.html

Letter: Work toward a better Minnesota

Mark Olson Jul 22, 2021 

Editor’s note: The author submitted the following letter on behalf of Wassermann neighbors in response to: “Victoria neighborhood protests level 3 sex offender.”

Minnesota uses a determinate sentencing model, whereby a level 3 child predator is serving his last one-third of his sentence among 700-plus children within a 1.5-mile radius of his residence.

The DOC informed our community they have a “density of victim” factor when reviewing placements, and determined on July 2 that this factor will remain arbitrary. In other words, the DOC does not have any legal responsibility to review the location of a level 3 child predator when it comes to the density of children living near his residence.

This community was given two business days of notice, that a level three child predator, who has a history of “sexualiz[ing] 90% of minor females” and “after three years of treatment is scoring at high risk to reoffend” (according to public court record, county attorney’s summation letter) will be living among their children.

Moreover, the Department of Corrections is minimizing the fact that he was leveled just prior to release — as the highest risk of reoffending — when it states, “… we have an extremely successful record working with this type of clientele.”

Our community appreciates the difficult position the DOC is in when it comes to lack of funding and limited resources for placing level 3 child predators, yet the DOC seems to be villainizing a community when claiming people are not giving him “the opportunity to succeed.” Our community wants nothing more than for the DOC’s “clientele” to be rehabilitated, and that is just the point. Approve a placement that will foster his rehabilitation.

How can the DOC find it ‘acceptable’ to approve a level 3 child predator’s residence surrounded by a high density of children resembling his previous victims, and when the sentencing judge states in a previous publication “The bottom line is this, [y]ou are not allowed to have contact with children period.”

Last week’s article includes a statement to our community, wanting the level 3 child predator to have an “unobstructed opportunity to succeed or fail on his own.”

How can failure be observed and reported without 1:1 supervision of potential non-contact sexual probation violations, or when the residence is allowed to record our children playing in their own backyards? Or, does failure come at the expense of another innocent child? There is no “fail on his own” with those horrifying circumstances, and failure is perpetuated in the lives of his victims indefinitely.

Lastly, our community is aware that only more level 3 child predators will be released this year, the next, and the following. It is our commitment to work with legislators such as Rep. Jim Nash, Rep. Greg Boe, and Sen. Julia Coleman to provide a framework for the DOC when placing level 3 child predators in the future.

As we watch our neighborhood children have night terrors, pee themselves in their own home, start antidepressants, see therapists, are unable to have use, enjoyment, tranquility in their own backyards, we will continue to work towards a better Minnesota that can find a more acceptable process than tormenting our children.

Zach Husted

Victoria

Vigilante scumbag and past Shiitake Award "Winner" Curtis J Hart drops out of local council race "Because Stupidity"

Curtis J(uicy) Fart, seen here campaigning for another
Shiitake Award victory

Imagine that, Curtis Hart, self-professed "open records hound", drops out of council race because he doesn't want anyone seeing his personal records.

How ironic. Or moronic. Or both. Yeah, both. 

https://tdn.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/curtis-hart-pulling-out-of-kelso-city-council-race/article_eddec0a0-c259-5aa5-b857-53026a97a2e5.html

Curtis Hart pulling out of Kelso City Council race

Brennen Kauffman Jul 14, 2021 2

Curtis Hart will appear on the ballot for the Kelso City Council primary, but he is working to suspend his campaign.

Hart said Wednesday that he was no longer planning to move forward due to concerns with years of financial disclosures, for himself and his wife, that are required by the Public Disclosure Commission for political candidates and office holders.

“I’m a public records hound, so I know what can happen once you have those records open to the public, especially if there are people that don’t like you,” Hart said.

His decision to suspend the campaign came after the drop-out deadline for the Aug. 3 primary election. Cowlitz County’s ballots were in the process of being shipped out Wednesday and will list Hart as a candidate for position 1 on the Kelso City Council.

Hart gained notoriety over the last four years for his aggressive vigilante work against sexual offenders in Kelso, often through public records. A record request he made to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office for details of every low-level sex offender turned into a three-year lawsuit after a group of “John Doe” offenders sued to stop their release.

The “John Does” argued they would suffer severe harassment and harm if Hart went through with plans to publicly release their information. In March, the Washington State Court of Appeals issued a decision in favor of Hart obtaining the full list of records.

Hart said he had initially entered the City Council race because of discussions around limiting the number of sexual offenders who can live in one residence in Kelso. The city staff began drafting an ordinance to establish limits for registered sex offenders in May and Hart said that progress was another reason he was happy to exit the race.

Cowlitz County Auditor Carolyn Fundingsland said if candidates miss the initial withdrawal deadline, there was no process for them to be removed from the ballot any other time before the November general election.

“There is no leeway in state law,” Fundingsland said. “Those candidates, if voted for they will advance to the general election and can be elected to office.”

Hart said Wednesday that he would refuse the position if he did end up winning the race in November.

The other two candidates on the ballot for position 1 in Kelso are incumbent Jeffrey McAllister and Brian Wood. The two candidates with the most votes in the August primary will go on to the general election in November.

Justin Lundy intentionally inflames and misreads viewers by claiming trailer park is becoming a "sex offender sanctuary"

The article misleads people believe the entire trailer park is going to become a haven for "sex offenders" and of course, the internet gangsters on social media are in full force. This isn't just a one-off story either, judging by Justin's Facebook account. 

Maybe he should spend less time working on bringing that MC Hammer hairdo into the 21st century and less time inciting hatred and ignorance in his viewers. 

https://wcyb.com/news/local/neighbors-concerned-about-plans-for-a-registered-sex-offender-sanctuary-in-wise-county

Neighbors concerned about plans for a registered sex offender sanctuary in Wise County

by JUSTIN LUNDY | WCYB Staff

Monday, July 5th 2021

WISE COUNTY, Va. (WCYB) — An East Stone Gap community is concerned after learning a sanctuary for registered sex offenders might be intentionally relocated to their neighborhood.

Longtime resident Vernon Porch Jr. has an 8-year-old daughter. Porch says he plans to leave the mobile home park.

"Most of the time we have eight kids here just playing at my house and we can't live here anymore if it's going to be like this," Porch said.

According to Virginia state law, registered sex offenders must live more than 500 feet from a church, school or daycare.

East Stone Gap Baptist Church is about 1,000 feet away from the mobile home park. Head pastor Lonnie Brooks says that's still too close for his own comfort.

"I know the state police came and measured all of that to check that they were within those boundaries," Brooks said. "But it still seems very close."

Wise County Commonwealth's Attorney Chuck Slemp says he's also concerned about the safety of the East Stone Gap community.

"Obviously we're looking at it from every angle to determine what law enforcement or our county can do," Slemp said. "We're ready to step up enforcement and step up additional patrols. We'll do whatever we need to do for the safety of the community and residents in that community."

We reached out to Inby Home Trailer Park LLC for comment and have not yet received a response.

A public meeting about the proposed sex offender sanctuary is scheduled to take place on July 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Taylor-Lewis Baptist Community Center.