Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of Dec 2024. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil. This section is not intended for posting links to news articles without additional relevant comment.
Has anyone argued the registry as a due process violation, because it 1. Lumps you in with crimes that you haven’t been convicted of, and 2. Is based on a recidivism that likely invokes cases involving crimes that you’ve never been convicted of? When justices say “frightening and high,” we know that data is wrong, but for many (most?) of us, that data is about crimes that we’ve never been convicted of, but we are treated as if we have. My sole conviction is “using a computer to commit a crime.” Is there any evidence for recidivism for this crime? Why should anyone pay for the recidivism rate associated with crimes they’ve never been convicted of? If the government wants a “using computer to commit a crime” register, so be it. Has anyone seen this like of argument used yet?
IL PFRs and loved ones: the Chicago400 campaign is meeting monthly to prepare for legislation this spring that will reduce residency restrictions and provide relief for homeless PFRs if passed. You can check out their website at Chicago400.net, but it has not been updated in a while. Feel free to email me at Athena.r8199@gmail.com if you’d like more info.
We need everyone from IL on board, not just Chicago. It’s often difficult to get the legislators from non-Chicago districts on board so we need the support state-wide.
Just one more example of a multi-tiered justice system where the law does not apply equally to all. Gaetz ethics report says his drug use and sex with a minor violates state laws. And of course because he has money and is a politician, no charges filed against him. If I had done the same things I most likely would be sitting in prison at the moment.
Looks like Matt Gaetz -Trump’s former nominee for AG and a mastermind of Florida’s impossibly punitive SOR- could end up on Florida’s SOR… irony of ironies.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/12/23/matt-gaetz-ethics/77077306007/
I have to wonder if Florida’s State prosecutors will be going after ______ with the same relentless fervor they aimed at so many of us?? 🤔🧐
_____ _____ ethics report finds evidence he paid for sex with minor | The Guardian
Or will he get away with no repercussions because of his Daddy’s money & connections?? 😒
While I understand that ACSOL is reluctant to post anything political on their website, it should be made clear that inputting an article on Matt Gaetz and him being found to have paid a minor for sex via a House investigation (which found that he violated state laws) isn’t political. It would perhaps be a bit hypocritical to exclude this news just because he is a former politician. In any other case or circumstance, a state or city investigation (especially in the unfriendly registrant state of Florida) would take place. This person should not be exempt. By sidestepping this story, we are only providing exceptions to the many registrants who did not receive a pass and continue to be impacted by laws being passed that hinder their lives.
Committee-Report.pdf
I am not surprised. Appeals for these types of criminal cases are difficult. Common cited case here is R. v. John McAughey, 2002 ONSC 2863, you can look it up online. The appeal was for a conviction of assault on a minor in Sprucedale, Ontario in 2000.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Thank you everyone on here and ACSOL for being my support resource!
I wanted to share with someone about my son, Kevyn, who suffered 9 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. That isn’t just a mom talking. He was a MAC Rep for the place he was at, always advocating and helping others. And he did offer amazing help. He was supposed to be released to his home area, however, due to some very unethical and retaliation of the officers in charge of VSP, he learned that on the week he was set to release, they forced him to Oakland with $100. No housing, no resources, nothing except the address of his parole office. There is just too much that he went through to lost. The parole office offered no help, he was lucky they gave him a bus pass. He walked for hours to the places they forced him to attend. I placed him in a hotel for a month but he couldn’t stay there. Too many restrictions, they offer no assistance. And advised him the streets were his only option until his parole ended in 2 years. He had epilepsy, and it took an act of God to get him to a God breathed medical officer that truly cared. Asian Medical Services treated him with respect, dignity and love. Kevyn prided himself on making sure he looked clean, treated people with kindness and hoped for the same. We could only help him so much because he was still under CDCR (evil empire) even though he did his sentence. Kevyn had a beautiful heart but it was broken and his sadness followed him, he was so lonely and afraid all the time. Oakland streets are dangerous and disgusting. Kevyn didn’t drink or use drugs. While he had a seizure, he was robbed of his clothing, he would have given them to anyone who asked. I love this son of mine. Kevyn’s heart and energy to keep hope alive ended on November 27th. He took all his seizure medication, walked for 4 hours until he dropped on the sidewalk and God took him home. But not before he was robbed again of everything he had, which was not much, he died without even his shoes on his feet. I wonder about this hope you speak about, I am a true believer and believe our only hope is with, from and of Jesus. I don’t have the answers why God made Kevyn suffer so much before taking him. It could be that Kevyn had done all he was meant to do, plant some seeds and fight for all of your rights, which he did. And it could be that Jesus took him home before Kevyn. could become the animal, less than human being this system and people wanted to make him become. He took no revenge, he was fighting to make changes. I love my son, we are devastated beyond belief. I am not hopeful to see the changes that are so desperately needed because the system is a huge money making, soul crushing business. And until that stops, few and far between will suffer. God bless all of you on your journey to redemption and meaningful, purpose driven lives. Thank you for the opportunity to share a little about my beautiful son.
Florida has passed some new laws, including HB 1131 to provide grant funding to law enforcement agencies to create online child sex stings operations.
Thank you for your kind words. I wanted to offer some words of wisdom I learned from Kevyn. Yes, fighting for new and just regulations is necessary, but your immediate concern is your safety and opportunity to live life. The most important steps you can take is to make sure you know your parole terms and compare to the state. And even your individual court terms. Kevyn learned the hard way that CDCR ruled the roost, regardless of what the court or parole states. He first had to submit grievances to the CDCR and have it denied, of course as expected before he could even submit to the state. His court papers said a completely different narrative than the CDCR. A wonderful attorney advocate was helping him. I am sure now that he is gone, (I consider the CDCR to be legal murderers) they threw out all his grievance’s. There are advocacy groups in Oakland, however, when you are labeled and registered, they can’t help until you are off parole. One step everyone should take as soon as possible is to save whatever funds you have access to and start building funds to help you pay for some type of housing. Staying with your family places you and them in danger. Buy a trailer, a tiny house or find a motel off by itself isolated from parks, schools, churches, etc. attend the classes they force you to go to but be careful with giving out your personal information and location.
you are never really safe. Kevyn carried his court and appeal papers with him so he could show people trying to harm him. Kevyn was a prison lawyer of sorts for his fellow mates, and he learned a lot. He had such great plans to start real programs that are actually helpful for people transitioning back into society. Help yourself, help those you are able and keep your head up and eyes open. One thing that bothered him when he went to so many places for help, is they would have posters of Tupac, and Kevyn would just laugh and point out how they were missed Tupac’s message by a long shot. He told them to take it down, it was a disgrace. I imagine Kevyn and Tupac rapping and laughing together. “Keep your head up” and carry on. May God’s light shine upon you.
Has anyone filed for a name change after being removed from the registry. I know it is allowed as long as you’re not doing it to avoid legal issues. I use my stepfather’s name and want to change my surname back to my birth name. I also wonder if A.W. would be informed of this, since they wouldn’t legally be in the loop. I would get a new S.S. # , a new passport I.D. and I assume would be somewhat invisible to them.
Why haven’t more people looked into Oregon as a place to reside. For level 1&2 PFRs, it seems like a no brainer. 5 yrs / level 1s can petition for removal, 5 yrs for level 2 after/ if they are reduced to level 1. No public notification for 1&2s. Their laws seem to put more people at 1&2 than Ca. And talk about cheaper cost of living! Am I missing something here?
Sharing a very small success today in moving our IL agenda to reduce residency restrictions forward (with a long-term goal of repealing public conviction registries): I had emailed the program director at my son’s treatment provider a week before Christmas to explain our Chicago400 campaign and request a zoom meeting to enlist support / share info with them and their impacted clients. They said they are not an advocacy and public policy org, but I could forward info. I responded with a long, heartfelt email with supporting attachments (including a statement from a victim rights org) and I detailed my goal for giving PFRs and their loved ones a voice, letting them know they are seen and heard and they matter, that there are people working very hard to make change, that change will not be easy and will take time, but we can do it together. I thanked them and wished them the best in 2025 not expecting a further response but hoping they would forward our flyer to impacted clients as I had requested.
Well, I received a response today and am scheduled to speak for 10 minutes at an all-staff meeting later in the month. I am beyond excited. It’s a tiny drop in the ocean, and who knows what will come of it, but I’m all about planting seeds – there’s really no other way to do this. Three yards and a cloud of dust as we move the ball forward!
I have been contemplating this for a while and have decided to do it. After I am removed from registry, I am taking an Amtrak private room trip from SF to New York. I am then going to catch a taxi to Airport and fly back. It will cost approx $2000, but will give me an opportunity to decompress, relax and get my feet back under me. It will be late spring, so the views should be nice. I will blog here as I go across this nation that has ostracized us and relegated us to second class citizenship. What is going through my head and what the experience is like. I will also post links to pics I take along the way. Happy New Year!