Danbury wants to kick sex offenders out of its shelter
Anyone who has been following sex offender issues across the country knows that it is an extremely difficult task balancing the safety of the community and the human rights of sex offenders. But this is just plain ridiculous.
Danbury apparently has one of only three or four shelters throughout the state that do not have a prohibition on sex offenders living there. Danbury Mark Boughton is not happy (Boughton was most famously in the news for soliciting the help of Federal agents to crack down on illegal immigrants in Danbury)*.
“These people had nothing to do with Danbury before they were sent here,” Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said. “Danbury is one of only five or six shelters in the state without a prohibition against sex offenders. This is outrageous.”
What’s outrageous is the fear-mongering. Sex offenders need somewhere to live, too. Or would you rather that they disappear into the wild and no one can keep tabs on them?
In a letter dated Wednesday to Chief Court Administrator William J. Lavery, Boughton wrote: “We have grave concerns of a concentration of sex offenders in our shelter, therefore, we are promulgating new rules that will only allow one or possibly two Danbury resident sex offenders present at any time.”
Concentration? There are only three sex offenders, Mayor, three. Apparently he’s okay with one or two sex offenders with prior ties to Danbury living in the Danbury shelter. I don’t see how it makes a damn difference where they come from. Does Danbury have special rules for living that these “outsiders” won’t know?
The homeless shelter on New Street has 15 beds in the summer and 20 in the winter, director Claudette Fogarty said. She said she isn’t there to judge who gets a bed at night and that people who were convicted of sex offenses stay at the shelter like other people, usually without a problem.
Fogarty said the shelter is open to people who are 18 years old or older. Families with young children do not stay there. She said sometimes the state’s probation office phones to ask if a particular person is staying there. She will answer, then alert the client about the call.
“They’re just people. This is my job,” Fogarty said. “It’s not my job to judge them.”
Fogarty said people on the state’s sex offender list have a tough time finding apartments, and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development won’t let them have public housing.
“We’re bashing our heads against the wall on this,” Fogarty said. “These people need housing.”
Fogarty said to the best of her knowledge – and she has been working at the shelter for 20 years – there has not been a problem caused by a person on the sex offender registry. The list includes anyone convicted of a sexual crime, not just those guilty of offenses against children.
Nothing more than plain old fear-mongering. SEX OFFENDER! BOO! Are you scared yet? Go crawl into your bed and lock your doors, the big bad anonymous, not yet violent SEX OFFENDER is out to get you!
Disgusting.
While we’re on this topic, the Saucy Vixen is asking for your help, criminal defense lawyers.
All sex offender related posts can be found here and residency restriction posts can be found here.
*See previous coverage of the immigration mess here, here, here, here, here, here and here . [Please be aware, all of these links are to posts that were written when I was on typepad. They were imported but the formatting in the blockquotes is all messed up. Sorry.]
| Print article | This entry was posted by Gideon on August 2, 2007 at 9:29 pm, and is filed under ct legal news, residency restrictions, sex offenders. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
about 4 years ago
Thank you Gideon for bringing this story that in many cases Nationwide, is nothing more than hysterical hatred by those in power.
There are many shelters the forbid any sex offender to reside there, emergency or just a place to get a shower and sleep. Far to many shelters would rather kick an offender to the curb than understanding the nature of these people. Look at what was done in New Orleans during Katrina. Look at what Florida has done by forbidding upon pain of arrest for any SO found in any shelter.
The terrible reality is simple, animals are treated better than a human who carries this label called sex offender. Look again at Florida where there at people ordered to reside under a bridge by the DOC for they are forbiddon not only to reside in a shelter, but in the community.
This country, once great and open to the poor and destitute, a second chance to live within the laws come completion of any sentence, has forgotten what this nation stands for and has created a third class of its own citizens and condemns the same to no chance at life. The continual creation of worthless, “I’m looking for votes” laws and ordinances directed solely against SO’s, are, regardless of what excuse these people say, are punitive and an second sentence in violation of their, your, civil rights.
A sad day in America.
about 4 years ago
This is a story that may interest everyone here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/us/03homeless.html
about 4 years ago
My God… Both articles posted here just…amaze.
What disgusts me most about these laws is that lawmakers, when told by VICTIM advocacy groups, that forcing registrants (and their families) into homelessness actually endangers children, the lawmakers respond with “Oh, well!”
Votes are more precious than children, you see.
But in contrast to the above, a Democrat in Schenectady, NY who was running for state assembly just lost the election–in large part because he pushed through a retroactive residency restriction in his home county. The majority of voters were Democrat. The man lost to a Republican.
What made the difference there? A couple other politicians were willing to say the law was stupid, and to say why.
about 4 years ago
Discrimination allows superiority where truth is hidden and corruption tends to creep in.
This is the human equation.
People change day to day. Things change, steal rusts while conceited blows away, but the energy that makes us who we are moves through us as we experience our lives.
Governments, Advocates, Churches, and Media put pressure on sex offenders who are struggling daily to make a way for their families.
These groups are one in the same who have created the realm of secrecy and oppress for gain.
To be ashamed of being a flawed human who makes mistakes, is the responsibility of the person/group/s allowing laws of decimation which is abuse.
Inflicting pain on any person who has been betrayed by that societies recklessness to hide the truth because of its own shame is the ultimate in irresponsibility.
By continuing to advocate lifetime sentences, separation, eradication, concerning sexual offenses is recognition of the breakdown of group/s and any system/s which supports this human rights abuse .
There can be no justice where the responsible party is the society which refuses acceptance of its error.
Thinking that labeling anyone concerning life and death decisions with regard to sexual offenses has no validity.
The stigma/demonization/and continuance of the myth is perpetrated by the group/s and any system/s that makes people suffer for a belief that has only for centuries hidden its own truth.
Please take time to write those who can change our laws.
What ever we do we do to ourselves as money and power leads us by the ring in our nose rendering us unable to hear or see beyond the sound of our own greed.
Mr. & Mrs. Keith Richard Radford Jr.
http://www.SOSunite.com
http://www.youtube.com/sosunite
about 4 years ago
You need new leadership and direction in these issues. I can be of great help. Help me to help you. Please donation. These codes/laws can be stopped. Can be proven punishment which will stop these codes/laws. Let’s go. WHATTHA !?! punishing people who had nothing to do with a crime named for someone is INJUSTICE. Let them be responsible for someone elses crime. In fact let them be responsible for presenting/instructing serious major fraudulent/false evidence to a jury. Let them be responsible for hiding evidence of known innocence. Its fact. Thank you. MOLINA 927 south Bruce-# 5 Anaheim, Ca. 92804
about 4 years ago
I couldn’t resist posting this here – you have hit something close to home! Or should I say close to the only home that will allow me.
BLOG amount homeless sexoffender
about 4 years ago
The 1,2,3′s of sex offenders.
1. The recidivism rate of sex offenders is under 5%
2. 90% of all sex crimes are committed within the family.
3. 92% of all sex crimes are perpetrated by people not on the sex offender registry.
If the bulls eye is 5% of the target and the bulls eye scores no points, what justifies the billions of tax payer dollars for the project?