The debate in Birchwood Village shows a problem that state leaders still have not figured out how to address: How to integrate sex offenders into a community. Full Article
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I commend you for your courage and willingness to help your family member. And yes it is hard to feel hated, but some of them probably hated you anyways, those that went against you hated your kindness and love more than they feared your grandson. He is paying the price the legal system gave him, so they have no right to go any further.
I suppose you surrendered the possibility of filing a lawsuit against your town for violating your right of association, passing an ex post facto law assuming rights over your property, since im certain it wasnt in your deed when you bought the property. Or that as an American you are free to do what you like with your property. You might as well, they probably associate you with the crime anyways, you know all that gossiping, and your reputation will not be restored by your loving neighbors. Its really up to people like you to make the biggest difference, its silence that allows them to do what they are doing. Now your family is a victim.
Yes small towns are the worst, when it comes to fearmongering. Ultimately, its up to you to surrender your rights, just think if he had only murdered her your grandson could live with you. Does that make sense?
This is why he went back to prison:
“Just before Christmas, DOC officers randomly inspected their home. They found a DVD player given as a gift for Tom’s 86th birthday the family didn’t know could connect to the internet. They also found alcohol and a small amount of marijuana in Colleen’s trunk. She said she put it there as the family worked to get the home approved by the DOC and forgot about it.”
Remove all guns from these people, these are the type that WILL shoot their family member, neighbor or themselves, in the foot watching a John Wayne movie or hearing the sound of the wind, outside.
“Then, following state law, the DOC sent out a letter last November to Birchwood Village, saying Zacher would be moving in, and set a community notification meeting. The backlash began. The Village Hall was packed.”
And they wonder why he has trouble reintegrating.
I love how lawmakers scratch their heads wondering how to reintegrate former sex offenders into society, while supporting policies (i.e. the registry) that make it next to impossible.
It is stuff like this…that make me not want to be here. I am a 290 in California, and I have really worked hard to re-integrate myself back in to society. I have found gainful employment with people that know my whole history and are still willing to work with me. That has lead me to buying my own company and making a success of myself regardless of the after prison labels. I got told 18 months into my 36 month parole that ooops…your plea deal is meaningless and you are now on 10 year parole. I am a law abiding citizen, so this really doesn’t affect my life for the most part…I have no violations and other than not being able to go swimming, this doesn’t affect me, but I still HATE it. I am having trouble dealing with it mentally. I feel like we are being prosecuted no matter how hard we work towards healing and fixing the issues we have. EVERY other crime committed in our society seems to be “fixable” and no matter how much counseling we do, NOPE, we are never given a break. Yeah, what I did was wrong. I own it. I don’t deny or minimize it, but it is getting harder to live with each and every day. No matter how much other success I accomplish in life, this is becoming a noose that is going to win with me at some point.
Signed a painful past in California.
Statistically, for this one registrant in town, there are 10 sex offenders that have not been caught. Those are the ones most likely shouting the loudest, so no one will suspect. I don’t know if it is fear of the convicted one or fear of exposing the ugly underbelly the village inhabitants that is the greater motivator towards hatred of this family.