The civil rights movement for registered citizens in California took another important step forward on November 12 when more than 55 people, including registrants and family members, participated in the first CA RSOL meeting in San Francisco. The meeting focused upon topics such as ending the state’s lifetime registry and replacing it with a tiered registry, requesting corrections of an individual’s profile on the Megan’s Law website and residency restrictions.
There was an animated two-way exchange of information at the meeting during which registrants described challenges they are facing including unemployment and homelessness. On a positive note, one registrant described her life in recent years from high school teacher to registrant, on to graduate school and then to teaching at the college level.
Presentations were made at the meeting by three RSOL Board members: Janice Bellucci, Marshall Burns and Frank Lindsay. Board members also reported on recent progress made by the organization, including issuance of a press release regarding Halloween ordinances and media inquiries from as far away as France.
The meeting in San Francisco is the second in a series of monthly meetings which began in Los Angeles on October 1 and will continue throughout the state. The next two meetings will be held in Los Angeles on December. 3 and in Sacramento on January 21.
In addition to monthly meetings, California RSOL will make a presentation to the California Sex Offender Management Board on January 19 and lobby state legislators on January 20.