Trick-or-treating can be fun and exciting… But going door-to-door to different homes can be very dangerous.
Parents aren’t just concerned about tainted candy this Halloween, they’re also worried that children may be trick or treating around sexual predators. Halloween is a week away but people have already begun to celebrate at Millcreek Mall’s annual Trail of Treats event.
Trick-or-treating in the mall is going to be the only Halloween some children experience this year. The fear of a child being lured by sexual predators causes reluctance for parents to send their children door-to-door.
Public record reveals there are more than 445 registered sex offenders living in Erie as of Oct. 24.
Police advise that trick-or-treaters are chaperoned by adults. Registered sex offenders is public information so if you are curious about a sex offender living in your neighborhood you can search for online and plan your trick or treat trail ahead of Halloween.
This article is worse than the candy that will be passed out for Halloween.
Overgeneralizing.
Non-informative.
And will not protect children from drunk drivers running them over which happens every year.
Pure pointless drivel on the level of information garbage.
Shame on this news group for putting out this hack writing.
Jesus. If this is the kind of constant panic one has to endure upon entering parenthood, it’s a wonder why people continue to have them.
What in the good lord’s name, did they do before “the registry” existed?
“Parents aren’t just concerned about tainted candy this Halloween”
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/halloween-non-poisonings/
nuff said about this nonsense…
I wrote a nice comment which is waiting for approval, which I hope the sorry excuse for a journalist sees.
Also, can the ACSOL follower who writes “$ex” or “$OR” please stop doing that everywhere? I have seen his posts for years. Now people who read his comments on articles think the the guy is on drugs because he cannot write the word “SEX” or “Sex Offender Registry” or “SOR”. Why do you keep incorrectly writing the word “sex” that way? Do you think your comment won’t be allowed to be posted on any website? You look more like a crazy person to people who casually read such comments and are Not swayed by your comments because of how you choose to write and avoid using the correct words. Look at the people replying under your comments, they think you’re on drugs because of how you write.
Wait… you mean LAST year (and all prior years) they were ONLY worried about tainted candy and nothing more? Cause that’s exactly what the article implies. In the first sentence. Hmmmmm
I chose a different tack and emailed the reporter directly. Perhaps a private message will be noticed quicker by the organization.
Dear Ms. Andrews:
When I see headlines such as this one that is associated with your reporting, I am reminded how divided we remain as a society. If this were a report about 400 prison escapees, perhaps the distribution of such news would not possibly be far enough, but that’s not what we’re talking about. Ignorance is common, but when it is perpetuated by those with a societal obligation such as our news outlets, it is disturbing. The news community is expected to be held to a higher standard, and I personally expected better.
This article does nothing to advance the public good. It simply perpetuates a popular ostracism of a particular group of residents in Erie, people who have families and even children. The fact that there are 400 persons in this group should have clued you in that these persons are not all monsters, but rather people who should be presumed to be law-abiding community members unless proven otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt.
Doing the hard work of fully investigating a topic before reporting on it isn’t easy, but it is the right thing to do. To assist you, I’ll direct you to a statement from the Association for the Treatment of Sex Abusers that will help better inform you about the population group popularly known as “sex offenders” and how this group relates to the issue of public safety during Halloween.
https://blog.atsa.com/2019/10/halloween-and-sexual-abuse-prevention.html
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
[name withheld]
I think this reporter is a bit skewed in her thinking about what is fair and balanced. A little more self-awareness of her internal bias would go a long way to helping her see her reporting more clearly. Here is her response (impressed I received a response actually 🙂 ) and my follow up comments:
Dear Ms. Andrews,
Thank you for the response. I’m glad you gave the parents a chance to voice their opinions. I only wish you had given some of the 445 individuals whom you wrote about and referred to by name and location (via a web link) a chance to voice theirs. While understandably most would not want to speak up for themselves due to the risk of retribution they daily face just for living in the community, there are organizations that would be more than happy to provide a response or statement on their behalf. That would have been an even more balanced and fair report, if one were only interested in publishing opinions.
The fact is, there is no basis for parents to fear Halloween to any greater degree than any other day of the year. The statistics just don’t bear out that children are at greater risk of being lured by sexual predators on Halloween. I again refer you to the statement published by the very group that treats these individuals in their professional capacity. I think these people might actually know what they’re talking about.
By the way, your byline ”Trick-or-treating can be fun and exciting… But going door-to-door to different homes can be very dangerous.” Is true, but regrettably you failed to mention the real danger to children on Halloween, and that is the danger presented by motorists. In doing so, you missed a real opportunity to help parents keep their kids safe this year.
Sincerely,
[Name Withheld]
From: Brianna Andrews
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2019 12:17 PM
To: [Name Withheld]
Subject: Re: Over 400 Registered Sex Offenders In Erie Causes Halloween Concerns For Parents
Dear [Name Withheld],
Thank you for watching my stories and reading my online articles.
When I write my headlines I am putting the core of the story in the title. The headlines and the stories are not meant to offend anyone but sometimes the truth is uncomfortable. Throughout my story and article I have never said registered sex offenders are a risk to anyone, but the reality is parents are concerned. Anything opinion based was attributed to the parents I interviewed. My story stemmed from police officers placing “Do Not Trick Or Treat” signs into the yards of people who are registered as sex offenders. This is an issue in multiple states. Parents in particular are concerned right now.
As a reporter my job is to inform the public of the bad, the good, and everything in between. I would rather someone watch my story and figure out how to avoid a path instead of placing signs into someone’s yard, without their permission. I pride myself in being fair and balanced and I always do my research before any story airs.
Thank you for your concern and feedback.
Sincerely,
Brianna Andrews
Sent from my iPhone