by Derek W. Logue
I recently received an email from the wife of a person listed on the public sex offense registry in a small town in Washington State. She was immensely concerned about seeing a pickup truck parked at a local business sporting a decal portraying a man shooting a kneeling man, execution-style, in the back of the head, with the caption reading, “Shoot Your Local Pedophile.”
(The truck also displayed a #SaveOurChildren sticker, a QAnon slogan adopted from Anita Bryant’s defunct anti-homosexuality crusades.)
She voiced her concerns to her local authorities. They dismissed the concerns as free speech, and it was of no more concern than someone offended over a “Jesus Saves” bumper sticker.
But this is more than a free speech issue. It threatens lives.
Research has consistently shown most sex crimes occur in the home, by someone known to the victim,[1] and most arrests are of those without a past conviction for a sex offense.[2] In addition, very few people listed on the public registries are “pedophiles” or repeat offenders, and the already low re-offense rates[3] can be reduced further by providing opportunities to allow those who completed a sentence to become productive members of society.[4]
Yet, we still believe that everyone listed on the registry is an imminent danger to society or an uncontrollable “pedophile.” Thus, we turn a blind eye to speech that promotes violence against people listed on public registries.
Its funny how people in society feel they can pick on registered citizens it’s all fun and games till someone gets hurt it’s only a matter of time till someone’s vigilante disrespectful shaming pointing the finger and trespassing gets them killed. Eventually people will learn to mind their own business.
To bad the media isn’t held accountable for the hate they fuel, whether it’s politics or crimes. I’ve never seen so much hate in this country as I do now. Maybe I was blind before but I’m not blind today. Our country is run by immoral people all in it for power and personal gains.
The so called authority is definitely uneducated. How can pointing a gun (fake or not) be considered Free Speech? If someone on FB says they will shoot people at a school, they would be arrested. Why would that not be Free Speech? Promoting violence is NOT Free Speech!
good article Derek.
I find all this rather funny as I am a sex offender. I would like to ask all of you a question that has bugged me since I went to prison. Why should I follow all the registration. Law that are said to protect people from me when that same law would put my life at risk. This is a moral dilemma on my part as I was raised by a marine. I was told in jail and the same thing in prison that I should be afraid and hide because I would get hurt otherwise. You know after ten years in prison I only had one really bad problem and I never hid anything but that was when I was fresh out of the fish tank. Like I have told everyone I might not be the baddest person but I will tell you this you want come get it you just might win but I can guaranty that once is all you will ever want cause I plan to make sure you understand that I will not stop you will have to stop me. I am by nature not a violent person as over the years of martial Arts training i can laugh most things what I will not allow is someone trying to hurt me just because they think they can. Anyway my question is why should anyone of us follow these laws when the same laws by their very nature break the law.