WISCONSINIANS NEED TO GET A LIFE

From sexoffenderissues.blogspot.com:

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Original Article

04/08/2010

By Charles Davis

Council needs 2nd vote to approve 500-foot buffer

DE PERE — The De Pere City Council on Wednesday voted 5-2 in favor of an ordinance restricting where sex offenders can live, but it will take at least a few weeks before the ordinance can officially pass.

Since the vote wasn't unanimous, the ordinance will come back to the council at the April 21 meeting.

A majority vote will pass the ordinance that prohibits sex offenders from living within 500 feet of any school, day care, park or any other place where children congregate.

The city already has a loitering ordinance that restricts sex offenders from hanging within 200 feet of most places children gather.

Aldermen Dan Robinson and Paul Kegel opposed. Alderman James Boyd was absent.

Robinson said the council has to be sure the ordinance will improve public safety.

"I'm very confident in saying we don't know that," he said.

Alderman Robert Wilmet said the ordinance is "taking a proactive approach to a potential problem."

Eleven other municipalities in Brown County have some form of residency restrictions. Some council members hope the ordinance will force the state to pass a bill overriding local residency restrictions in favor of a statewide rule.

Residents asked the council how the city would measure if the ordinance were effective.

De Pere Police Chief Derek Beiderwieden said he opposes the ordinance.

"Child sex offenders don't typically offend where they live," he said.

- I think this is a false statement. Most sex crimes, from what I've read over the years and heard from many experts, say that most sex crimes occur in the victims own home or close family. This is saying that most child sexual crimes are the stranger danger type, which is flat out false. [John Albert Gardner III's first victim in 2000 was assaulted in his home, and she knew Gardner.]

However, he noted a trend of an increase of convicted sex offenders listing De Pere addresses since Green Bay passed its own residency restriction in 2007.

The council struggled with concerns that convicted sex offenders would fail to register and go underground. One critique of residency ordinances is that they possibly create a false sense of security.

"Even if they're only in our imaginations, they feel safe to me," Alderwoman Kathleen Van Vonderen said.

- So, do you not feel safe at 200 feet, so you have to make it 500 feet? But then what if you don't feel safe then? You are passing laws that "make you feel safe" and eradicating peoples rights, just because you "feel safe?" Wow! [No, they're just Nazis wanting a Nazi society.]

The ordinance would impose a fine up to $500 for each violation. [Maybe they should fine all the cities and counties who pass these Nazi laws. It also goes to show that the Newport Facts Concepts case should be overturned because the politicians still don't fucking get it. We have a Constitution, and we have rights.]

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"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin