Source: merionwest.com 12/20/24
“Social media and online articles about these incidents boast ten or even 20 comments praising the vigilante for each one condemning the act of violence.
Portez Smith arrived outside Jesse Grover’s Pennsylvania duplex early on Sunday, November 17th of this year, yelling through the closed door, “Grover, you’re a f—ing pedophile.” When Grover opened the door, Smith pulled out a gun and shot him to death. Grover was registered on Pennsylvania’s sex offender registry as a Tier I offender. This holiday season, Grover leaves behind his wife, parents, four siblings, four stepchildren, and numerous other family members. He is remembered for his sweet smile and as a beloved family member, a good friend, and a lover of reading, cooking, and music.
Grover’s murder is not the first registrant to face such a fate. Gary Blanton was a young married father living in the state of Washington when, in 2012, Patrick Drum shot him to death for being on the Washington registry for a consensual sexual act with another minor from 12 years prior. Drum then went to the home of registrant Jerry Ray and killed him. With the Washington sex offender registry in hand, he was on the way to shoot a third registrant when apprehended.
Charles and Gretchen Parker were at their South Carolina home when Jeremy and Christine Moody stopped in front of their house and raised the hood of their car. Charles was a mechanic and went outside to help. The Moodys entered their home and slaughtered both Charles, a South Carolina registrant, and his wife Gretchen (who was not on a registry), with a gun and knife. Like Drum, they already had targeted their next victim, another person on the sex offender registry, when they were apprehended. In the wake of these murders, the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws (NARSOL) asked then-Governor Nikki Haley to have the home addresses of registrants removed from the public view of the online registry. The request was disregarded.
Smith’s rant at Grover reveals almost as much about his beliefs as his senseless act of violence does. It is commonly believed that everyone on a registry has a sexual offense against a child. This is not the case. In every state, virtually every crime that can have a sexual component carries with it an obligation to register. In many states, non-sexual crimes require registration. And, in some states, many of those required to register are minors. Blanton was the same age as his teenage girlfriend when he was convicted for consensual sex with her. (Her parents had pushed for an arrest when they learned of the relationship.) Statistics suggest that a third of the offenders against minors are themselves minors, and children have been put on a registry as young as eight.
Wouldn’t there be an actionable cause to require the state to provide protection as a result of being exposed to the threat of vigilantes the registry provides. When seconds count and cops are just minutes away?
I wonder how long this would stand if it brought a case to the Supreme court of allowing firearms for home defense for felons on the registry.
If anyone wants anything done with this entire registry, then why doesn’t ACSOL craft a very well written letter to the staff at DOGE to eliminate the entire thing? While I know how I would word such a letter, only those who have the credentials here and at other sites fighting the registry could approach Trump, Musk and Ramaswamy are the ones that would need presented with such an argument. I do believe the laws have gotten so bad that vigilantism such as listed above is considered a by product of the registry laws. How much money is spent by States and individuals fighting each other in litigation in the courts over the registry? How much money for housing a PFR violation? How many billions does it cost the tax payer? And what about the fostering of hatred and deaths as a result of the registry? To those reading this that don’t think it’d work, well, what we have in politicians is what we have, and money talks. There are incentives the government gives the states to keep the registries and encourages further growth, with absolutely zero reigns on the reaches of the registration compliance for purposes of violating someone and filling a jail cell. This needs addressed. If the police want a registry, then they need to do it on their own, however to make the shaming list public and also the constant updating the responsibility of the PFR then it is crosses the line into punishment. Anyways, hopefully several people with credentials can collaborate a letter and actually get attention by Musk and those in DOGE.
There is no magical way to make the registry go away, Incrementalism is the only long-lasting way for positive change. If by some miracle it were suddenly abolished with no building up of legal precedence, it would quickly be reinstated. It’s like a very tall thin building with no strong foundation easily collapsing in strong winds.
All people groups who have fought for justice in American history have had to work strategically building precedence in law to build higher and higher in the courts.
Also, the fear and hysteria created by politicians for decades against sex offenses makes people willing to waste lots of money on fantasy “solutions”. Politicians in the 80s/90s overspent building prisons because of fear of crime they promoted. Just look at how many years it took for states to start reversing their overspending based on three-strikes and huge drug sentences. MAGA politicians (and many Democrats) gain lots of votes based on fear of crime, especially of sex offenses. No way would they kill their golden goose.
I’m sure Patrick Drum is hailed as a hero while getting special treatment in prison.
Vigilantism isn’t the correct word to use here. It’s pretty clear that whoever wrote this article actually approves of the behavior since they used such a glorifying term. A better word for it would be thuggery, or barbarism.
Never answer the front door when in situations such as this…record it all as can be recorded, document…and know where all the ring cameras and other neighborly security cameras area which can see your front door.
One time when I lived in San Bernardino
me and my wife and kids were getting out of the car when I was approached by a shot caller from Westside Verdugo, one of the most notorious gangs in San Bernardino county. My wife was friends with his wife before she found out about my 290 status.
He told me they didn’t want to see me at the pool with my kids anymore or at the playground or at bus stop where the kids get picked up and dropped off. I was really young and hothead back then I just laughed at him and told him I’m ready for whatever.
At that time, Let’s just say I was exercising my constitutional rights and my arms were not bear, so I was ready for anything that came my way.
Looking back, at everything now that I’m older, it’s crazy how much that was an unsafe, hostile environment. Anything could happen at any time, I could’ve went to prison for life just trying to protect my family from gang members because they found my name on Megan’s law .
Just from my own life experiences having your name posted on the Internet, like that is extremely dangerous.
This article has some good points, but the problem with media outlets like Merion West & Reason Magazine is having to stomach all the other libertarian right-wing garbage coming from those sources. But hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day. And I commend them for being right on registry issues.
Intriguing. Who just goes to someone’s door and blows someone away? They clearly have a personality disorder! Narcistic/grandiose! Impulse control! Otherwise, it’s kind of like the guy who calls someone else a sicko for watching porn/yet does the same at home! Hmmm