CA: Sex crimes by cops an outgrowth of their ‘power and coercive authority,’ expert says

[ocregister.com – 11/12/19] LAPD officers who took advantage of their power imbalance to commit sexual assaults fit national trends, says prominent criminologist. LAPD officers Luis Valenzuela and James C. Nichols sexually assaulted a woman at this McDonald’s parking lot, located at 405 N Alvarado St. at W. Temple St. in Los Angeles. They were on duty using a black Jetta. Photographed on Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) By Olga Grigoryants | [email protected] and Sarah Favot | Los Angeles Daily News PUBLISHED: November 12, 2019 at…

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Halloween and Stranger Danger

[bostonreview.net – 10/31/19] Do you believe in the boogeyman? This is the pivotal question of the Halloween movie franchise. The tension around naming the movies’ antagonist foregrounds the problem of seeing him: “it” or “him,” “thing” or “human,” “The Shape” or “Michael Myers”? Even if you have never seen the original 1978 movie, you know the plot. On Halloween 1963, six-year-old Michael Myers kills his older sister after she has sex with her boyfriend. Cut to 1978, and Myers, after being locked in an asylum for fifteen years, escapes back…

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Halloween and the Sex Offender Myth: Part I (Updated with Part II)

Part II (October 23): https://baltimorepostexaminer.com/halloween-and-the-sex-offender-myth-part-ii/2019/10/23 Part I (October 19): I often wonder why we don’t dress our kids up as sex offenders. We dress them up as serial killers, witches, goblins, and other horrible monsters. We let our little girls dress up in fishnet stockings, short skirts, and heavy makeup. My own child wants to be a fallen angel. What is a fallen angel but a devil? At first, the sex offender comment makes me a big jerk, highly offensive, yet if one calms down and thinks about it, why…

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JPMorgan Chase Hired 2,100 People With Criminal Records In 2018 (And Will Hire More)

[forbes.com – 10/21/19] Topline: JPMorgan Chase announced an expansion of its efforts to hire people with criminal backgrounds Monday, continuing the trend of big companies “banning the box” and giving people second chances. JPMorgan Chase hired 2,100 people with criminal records in 2018, which equals about 10% of their total hires last year. The bank knows those people have records, because they conduct background checks on applicants after a job offer has been made. Applicants with criminal records are being considered for entry-level jobs like account servicing and transaction processing,…

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When Prison Is A Better Option

[Scott H. Greenfield at blog.simplejustice.us – 10/4/19] Years ago, I wrote of the creation of a permanent underclass. No, not the one woke people are willing to fight for. Rather, the one we’ve created because as much as we can forgive a murder, especially if it was committed by a black man because they’re in fashion at hipster cocktail parties, there is no forgiveness of a sex crime. Not when they get caught. Not when they get prosecuted. Not when they get convicted or sentenced. Not even when they get…

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Getting Registered

He was a small man, a proud member of the Tohono Oʼodham Nation. He’d worked as a jockey in his youth, and though he had a hard life on the streets, he was still in amazing physical condition. He had run 60 miles through the Arizona desert to Nogales to visit cousins. He often worked as a truck stop lumper or hung around Home Depot hoping for day labor. A skilled roofer, he occasionally scored a job with a roofing company. The jobs never lasted long. With his record, truth…

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Kat’s blog: Hope

When I read the most recent “Janice’s Journal: The Big Picture” piece, it reminded me why so many of us have sought out websites like ACSOL, WAR, NARSOL and other advocacy group sites. Each of us was looking for HOPE. Hope that there were others like us somewhere out there that understood what we were going through. Hope that someone had answers, information or solutions to the mountain of questions and concerns we had. Hope that someone somewhere was trying to do something to change things. Hope that there was…

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Kat’s Blog: TN Man Avoids Registry for Second Time

A Tennessee man accused of sexual offenses for the second time, has once again avoided the registry. In 2004, ______ was accused of allegedly molesting a 15 yr. old that had been hired to babysit his children. ______ denied molesting the girl but stated he pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless aggravated assault and a misdemeanor, to spare his family (he is the father of 3) and because his attorney at that time had advised him it was in his best interest. He was sentenced to 3 yrs. probation…

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Kat’s Blog: Another Case Against Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey is back in the news. Awhile back I wrote about sexual abuse allegations against him being dropped, he had been accused of groping a busboy at a Nantucket restaurant in 2016. The ensuing civil suit and criminal charges were dropped after the accuser pleaded the 5th Amendment during an evidentiary hearing. It was found that the accuser’s mother had altered text messages on his phone prior to the phone being turned over to police. Now, Spacey is back in the news after an anonymous massage therapist who had…

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Kat’s Blog: A Pariah in Hollywood

There was an interesting occurrence in Hollywood this week. Actor Scarlett Johansson, stood up for actor/director Woody Allen, who has been accused of sexual abuse and said simply “I Believe Him.” Woody Allen has become somewhat of a pariah in Hollywood ever since his now grown adopted daughter Dylan Farrow accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a child.  Allen has consistently maintained his innocence and even after an investigation, has never been criminally charged with any sexual abuse. And yet, many actors including Colin Firth, Freida Pinto,…

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You can be part of an anonymous survey on how registration and notification policies impact your life

[University of Nevada, Reno] Have you ever been in a relationship with a person who had to register on a sex offender registry? We are interested in hearing about your experiences. The first 300 people will be entered into a raffle for (4) $100 & (12) $50 Amazon gift cards. Read more about the survey and choose whether to participate [Below is some of the description on their website] Purpose: You are being asked to participate in a research study which asks about your experiences being in a current or…

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The Rise of Registries

Earlier this year, lawmakers in New York proposed a bill that would bar people convicted of multiple sex offenses from ever using New York City’s subway system again. The plan, which would inflict a form of banishment in the name of public safety, is part of a broader pattern. Sex offender registries increasingly include children under the age of 18, and some states permit children as young as 7 to be registered. But a growing body of evidence suggests that our reliance on registries—not just for sex crimes but also for terrorism, gun, and drug offenses—may allow politicians to…

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