SOUTH PORTLAND, ME (WGME) — Some hotels in a Maine city have been in the spotlight since the start of the pandemic, as they began housing individuals experiencing homelessness as well as asylum seekers.
Some hotels in a Maine city have been in the spotlight since the start of the pandemic, as they began housing individuals experiencing homelessness as well as asylum seekers. (WGME)
A concerned citizen in South Portland asked the WGME I-Team about it.
There are quite a number of sex offenders living in hotels in South Portland through payments from Maine state housing and federal COVID relief monies. It is my understanding that sex offenders are not eligible for subsidized housing. So, why is it federal monies can be used to house them?”
Under federal rules through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, people with a lifetime listing on the sex offender registry are not eligible for Section 8 or other subsidized public housing.
Searching Maine’s sex offender registry, WGME found a handful of lifetime offenders with primary addresses at hotels in South Portland, including the Days Inn and Comfort Inn, which are being used as emergency shelters and paid for with federal FEMA funds.
It’s funny and ironic how the word “refuge” implies that someone is being oppressed. “A refugee flees a war-torn country for safety and hope.” But the media is NOT portraying the word in this light. On the contrary, they are implying that sex offenders are seeking “refuge” in an attempt to hide and invade!
To the media – in this context of this subject – “refuge” is associated with “safe harbor” and “safe passage” in an effort to rile emotions and inflame tribalistic hate..
Keep piling on the hate guys. It just makes it easier for registered citizens to prove political persecution when seeking asylum in another country.
[moderators note: part of this comment was removed because it violated policy by suggesting illegal activity]
I am happy that Days Inn as well as Comfort Inn has allowed the registrants to live there. As far as their concerned Citizen, what would you rather him sleep in the streets wait, don’t answer that. Even though the state is footing the bill for the registrants the hotels could’ve simply said no we don’t want the negativity which happened in New York recently with multiple offenders staying there and, they change the ordinance to force them out. I wonder why some Registrants can’t sue for section 8 discrimination because Some states such as Florida group everybody as lifetime. Could that potentially be a lawsuit somehow, That some states only have lifetime therefore section 8 you will never qualify for?
I know s.o. are not a protected class, so we can be discriminated upon, but being excluded from federal funding would show some kind of “punishment”??? Would it not?? Or is that just considered collateral damage from our crimes?
I personally know someone here in Michigan who spent 35 years in prison for a murder, who never held a legitimate job in his life, who now gets a monthly disability check AND section 8 housing. The dude hasn’t learned his lesson either because he’s nothing but a filthy drug dealer.
Tell me what’s wrong with this picture.
Portland Oregon has one of the biggest sex offender populations in the nation so I’m not surprised days inn and other Corporations are cashing in on the big sex offender craze.
So many people are capitalizing off sex offenders these days, I know of a place right now in LA were this guy charges $600 a bed for sex offenders who have nowhere to go, Believe it or not he has 4 beds in each room of a five bedroom house and that was just one location he has several.
Since everybody else is capitalizing off sex offenders people forced to register should do the same, they should speak out write books hold protest and press conferences, do interviews at news station, stand in front of police department’s on registration days and pass out flyers informing public of what the registry really is and not with the politicians and the feds say it is.
🔥We gotta fight fire with fire 🔥
I am loosely guessing that the “concerned” citizen was simply bored and in need of stimulating trouble.