“Sex Offender Trailer Park” sounds like either a great horror movie, a middling rock band, or a horrible sitcom. In real life, neighborhoods like that do exist, because of a problem society has no goddamned idea how to solve. In many cities, laws keep registered sex offenders from living anywhere near where children gather, which means there are only tiny areas where they can live. We talked to James, who owned a trailer park that became known as a haven for the people society would prefer not to deal with at all.
Laws Against Sex Offenders Have Created An Unexpected, Stupid Problem
Most of you probably don’t disagree with states banning people on sex offender registries from living anywhere children hang out (and if you do, you probably don’t say so in public). Those laws are in theory reserved for those supposedly most likely to reoffend, including violent sex offenders and child molesters, while a bunch of caveats and sub-clauses spare people who aren’t as much of a threat to society, like 18-year-olds who dated 16-year-olds. The laws leave a bunch of parents sleeping easier. But how do they work in practice?
I was very fortunate to find an apartment complex to live in. And guess what, the manager found a very productive business secret: RSO’s make outstanding tenants. The management freely rents to SO’s and there are many in the complex, and guess what? It is the quietest place I have ever lived, there is zero crime, and everybody keeps to themselves. I have gotten so comfortable I have forgotten to lock my car at night and even my front door one summer night. Everybody here works and is grateful to have a place to live, everybody is respectful and takes care of their place. This manager is no fool. Meanwhile the place down the street near the school where none of us can live has quite a bit of police activity, and I heard some gun shots the other night. I bet some of those families wish they lived here where it is safe and quite, but sorry, no vacancies at this time.
Isn’t Cracked about a notch above the National Enquirer on the prestige meter? Can’t tell if it was an op-ed or a fear mongering piece. Anyway, reading all those comments gave me a headache, as they were typical of the public’s ignorance on this subject.
I found this article interesting because I moved to a trailer park, a couple years later SORNA screwed us all, I was doing a lot of research trying to find a way off the registry but there was no way off. I found articles out of California with the terrible residency restrictions, the people building tiny parks to force an SO out of their home, that was wrong in all aspects, I also read something about this family lived in a trailer park who was forced out of their home because a resident reported them to the management firm that managed the park, all though a background check was paid for by the family it was never done and they lost their home, which brings me to my story, in 2013 or 14 I suspect one of my neighbors found the same exact article online, note I live in Pa, a place in California manages my property, I received a call at work one day from these people, they questioned me about being on the registry, i said you charged me for a background check, I was honest with them and in pa there are no restrictions where a registrant can live, I simply told him what are you going to do, throw me out? I could tell he was appalled by my response. I never heard from them again and I still live in the same place, apparently they never did the back that I paid for.
I know who the neighbors are who tried having my family evicted because all of my surroundings neighbors spoke to us and they were the only ones who never spoke to us for 5 years, now they are trying to be friends a help out with things, honestly I think they are trying to set me up or collect my dna to try and frame me, I may be paranoid but I don’t think so, they keep giving my wife all sorts of things from clothes, dishes, plants, jewelry you name it, I told my wife how I feel so we decided to throw it all out, we give them money for the stuff but then they bring more stuff, ever time I try to pay them back they make it uneven by giving more, they are friends with local law enforcement and the sheriffs department, they may be trying to get us for accepting stolen property to give me another charge. I have been documenting everything they do for us and give to us even though it’s all at the dump now. They were unsuccessful in having us evicted so they may be trying to get us on another angle.
Am I being paranoid, should I not worry about this kind of thing or should I be careful, my gut tells me to be careful with these people.
Brian, you are not being paraniod. While its possible that they may feel SOME guilt/remorse, you should still proceed with caution and be very careful. A pain, but good for you for documenting everything AND throwing everything away that they have given you so far.
I bought and moved onto a small trailer park a 3 years ago because when you go down on a charge like this and you don’t have assets or help from relatives you face poverty or the streets. Now I know the meaning of “trailer trash”, and there have also been some RSO’s come and go – got arrested and run back through the system for whatever reason I don’t know. Almost everyone here has some kind of criminal history. There always kids running around the place and I am very careful to avoid having too much to do with them. I will not engage kids with sexuality, but the system has pretty much destroyed innocence in me. I’m always concerned about my neighbors finding out about my “crime” and then engaging me with a conflict situation or hate crime, so kids have become a trigger of paranoia in my life. I used to love playing with children but that’s all gone now.
i bought a trailer in 1992 and before i could move in went to prison, so my mom and siblings moved in, when i got out in 1994 i moved in to my trailer, they { parole officer} never in came to check it out first, hell the two years i was on parole i think i seen my P.O. twice that whole two years, i even stopped dropping and testing for drugs after a month in a half. So anyway i lived in that trailer park for 15 years with no problems and the cops never checked on me the whole time i lived there, but then again i live in a small town, and everyone knows everyone, and about 98% of the people don’t believe i did it in the first place, and they are right, and people are still on my side to this day. I will say that if i knew then what i know now about the court system i would of said lets go to trial instead of being forced to take a plea. Then two yeas ag, i read in the paper that the person i supposedly touched, was found behind an old garage under some tires half dressed and barefoot. They said an over does,but some one had to put her there, poor thing. No one deserves to pass like that no one.
LS
Thank you, glad I’m not completely loosing my mind then. I will continue to do this until I move or they move.