JOLIET, IL — Three years after concerned citizens of Joliet raised awareness regarding the opening of a two-story apartment building in the Cunningham Neighborhood to provide shelter for several mostly out of town registered sexual predators and convicted offenders, efforts by the city of Joliet to get rid of the so-called “Pedophile Palace” are finally coming to fruition.
This week, for the first time, Joliet’s new Cunningham Neighborhood Park is being built, thanks to a generous donation of free labor and materials by Allied Landscaping of Joliet.
John Sheridan, president of the Cunningham Neighborhood Council, met with Joliet Patch at the new park site on Thursday, as did his friend, Jim Lanham, the former candidate for Illinois State Representative against Larry Walsh Jr. of Elwood.
“It’s going to be beautiful,” Lanham remarked. “And like I said, this is a good thing, especially considering now there’s a movement in our state legislature in the General Assembly to try to lower sex offender distances. These bleeding-heart liberal progressives want to lower the distance to 250 feet. One of their biggest complaints is because Chicago is such an urban overgrowth that it’s hard to find compliant housing for sex offenders. Well, have it be a Chicago law.
“In Joliet, they need to stay 500 feet. And let’s remember, these guys aren’t victims of anything. They’re volunteers. They did what they did on purpose. So if they’re inconvenienced or their feelings are hurt, I don’t care. John (Sheridan) does not care, the residents of Illinois don’t care. So if they’re inconvenienced, this is too bad.”
I would suggest to the residents of the “palace” who may be forced to move, that they find new domiciles as close in proximity to the residence of the two persons (Sheridan and Lanham) who concocted this scheme, and then let the press know why they chose that location. Perhaps they could establish a ‘group home’ or something similar within a block or two or three of those ‘gentlemen’. Would be only fair.
John Sheridan, president of the Cunningham Neighborhood Council, and Jim Lanham, former candidate for Illinois State Representative, are true scumbags. We need scum like them out of America. America will never be a free country as long as anti-freedom trash like them live in it. I’m praying that karma finds them at their homes.
In Arizona, if you are living in a place BEFORE a park or school is built, you don’t have to move. Also, if your civil rights are restored you can live wherever you want.
Apparently Illinois doesn’t have this type of exemptions
” They aren’t victims of anything. They are volunteers. They did what they did on purpose.” These guys are a few cards short in their deck and a few fries short in their happy meals. Guess what little boys blues, I don’t care about your feelings either.
I hope they take it to the federal courts. There are precedents that hold that the current residents (at least) can be grandfathered in, and all three jerks in this story know that.
After that settles, turn it around on them. Press criminal charges for willful child endangerment for knowingly building the park within the vicinity of whom they “know” to be dangerous.
“So if they’re inconvenienced or their feelings are hurt, I don’t care.”
Hopefully that never comes back to haunt him.