Source: kenklippenstein.com 10/31/24 Halloween is a pretty extraordinary holiday. Think about it. Every year, millions of Americans knock on the doors of total strangers and accept candy from them, almost entirely without incident. For a culture as isolated and mistrustful as ours is, it’s amazing this is even possible. Halloween is a repudiation of the “See Something, Say Something” paranoia fostered by the national security state since 9/11 in particular. Small surprise, then, that these government agencies fearmonger about the holiday, never passing up a chance to ruin the fun. …
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Every Halloween, Cops Brag About Arresting Sex Offenders. Here’s What The Arrests Were Actually For.
Source: huffpost.com 10/31/24 HuffPost obtained 37 arrest reports, the overwhelming majority of which show law enforcement officers arresting people for minor technical parole violations. Every year on Halloween, law enforcement agencies throughout the country conduct thousands of random checks on people who are required to register as sex offenders. The sweeps, called “Operation Boo,” typically result in a handful of arrests, which cops tout as evidence of their utility in protecting children from would-be predators. The press has dutifully spread this message: “For the 26th year, ‘Operation Boo’ Keeps…
Read MoreMO: Janice interviewed on TV news about Missouri sex offenders no longer having to put signs out on Halloween
Source: ksdk.com 10/29/24 ST. LOUIS — This Halloween, Missouri sex offenders won’t have to put a sign on their front door turning people away after a court decision earlier this month. Since August of 2008, registered sex offenders had to put signs on their doors on Halloween saying “No candy or treats at this residence.” Attorney Janice Bellucci represented a Hazelwood man challenging the law. “All the laws have one thing in common, which is they’re based on a myth or misunderstanding that people on the registry actually pose…
Read MoreCA: CDCR Kicks Off ‘Operation Boo’ Halloween Safety Campaign
Source: cdcr.ca.gov 10/28/24 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Halloween is fast approaching, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is helping to keep kids and families safe. Throughout the week, CDCR parole agents will be providing safety tips for trick-or-treaters via social media and as part of a comprehensive parents’ guide on our 2024 Operation Boo webpage. (Follow us on the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X) THE BIGGER PICTURE: Hundreds of parole agents across the state, in collaboration with local law enforcement partners, will conduct compliance checks on sex offender supervised…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Answers to Questions are Only Stop Gap Measures
About a month ago we identified three cases for which we had not yet received an answer. As of today, we have answers to those questions, however, some of those answers have resulted in more questions. First, a federal district court in Missouri has issued its decision regarding Halloween signs. That decision was strong and clear: Halloween signs are unconstitutional. The court even granted a permanent statewide injunction that in essence prohibits law enforcement in the state of Missouri from enforcing the state law that required the Halloween signs. While…
Read MoreMO: Attorney General Files Notice of Appeal in Missouri Halloween Case
Source: ACSOL The Missouri Attorney General filed a notice of appeal today notifying a federal district court in Eastern Missouri that they will seek review of that court’s decision by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The district court’s decision permanently prohibits enforcement of a state law that requires registrants in Missouri to post a sign on their residence on Halloween. “We are not surprised that the Attorney General has filed a notice of appeal in this case,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The filing of this notice, however,…
Read MoreNothing Sums Up the Sex Offender Registry Quite Like Halloween
Source: filtermag.org 10/9/24 Since 2008, people on sex offender registries in Missouri have been required to post a sign at their home each year on October 31: No candy or treats at this residence. In a ruling issued October 2, a federal judge found the signs unconstitutional because they’re a form of “compelled speech”—when the state forces you to express a viewpoint you don’t agree with. Judge John A. Ross noted two other courts to previously address similar Halloween signs, both of which found them unconstitutional for the same reason. California overturned the requirement in 2012. Georgia…
Read MoreMO: Children’s Advocacy Center reminds parents they are responsible for their children’s safety on Halloween
Source: yahoo.com 10/7/24 ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A long-standing Missouri Halloween statute for registered sex offenders has been abolished, striking down the requirement for posting warning signs outside of their homes. Since 2008, state law mandates that offenders stay indoors, keep their lights off, and display the signs to warn trick-or-treaters. Hazelwood resident Thomas Sanderson challenged the law after he was arrested days after Halloween 2022 for having a large display and handing out candy. Sanderson claimed the law forced him to express a message he didn’t agree with.…
Read MoreMO: This Halloween, Missouri sex offenders won’t have to post warning signs outside homes
Source: webstercountycitizen.com 10/4/24 ST. LOUIS — The state of Missouri can no longer require sex offenders to post signs outside their homes on Halloween stating “No candy or treats at this residence,” a federal judge ruled this week. Hazelwood resident Thomas Sanderson filed suit last year arguing the sign requirement violated his free speech rights because it forced him to make a statement with which he didn’t agree. This week, U.S. District Judge John A. Ross agreed, finding the sign requirement was a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.…
Read MoreMO: Federal Court Grants Permanent Statewide Injunction in Missouri
Source: ACSOL A federal district court in Missouri has granted a permanent statewide injunction that prohibits the enforcement of a Halloween sign requirement in that state. As a result of this injunction registrants in Missouri will not be required to post a sign on their home on Halloween. The permanent injunction does not apply, however, to the remaining Halloween restrictions that prohibit registrants from giving candy to children, decorate or their homes or leave on porch lights that day. Any registrant who violates those prohibitions could be convicted of a…
Read MoreTX: The ‘Lights Out’ program makes trick-or-treating safer by rounding up sex offenders
Source: msn.com/KTXS Halloween is rapidly approaching and a top priority for parents is keeping their children safe. For over 20 years Taylor County has hosted a program called Lights Out to make trick-or-treating safer. “Everyone that’s on probation who is a sex offender they have to come that night from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.,” Rikki Flores said. “Doesn’t matter what day Halloween is on they are required to be here during those hours.” The licensed sexual offender treatment provider said approximated 140 sex offenders will be at the Taylor…
Read MoreMO: Court Asked to Clarify Status of Missouri Halloween Sign Requirement
Source: ACSOL A motion has been filed asking a federal district court to clarify whether registrants in Missouri will be required to post a sign on their home on Halloween this year. The basis of the motion is a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued in October 2023 and then modified in November 2023. According to the TRO’s, a Missouri state law that required registrants to post a sign on their home on Halloween could not be enforced. After the TRO was modified in November 2023, the court considered granting a…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: A Small, But Significant Victory
Marion County, Arkansas, posted signs on the front door of registrants last year identifying those individuals as people required to register as a sex offender. The signs stayed in place not for one day, but for about two weeks – a week before Halloween, Halloween and then a week after Halloween. This Halloween sign requirement was not a state law. In fact, it was not a county law. Instead, it was a decision by a county sheriff who printed signs with his name on it. Implementation of the Halloween sign…
Read MorePlaintiff Files Final Brief in Missouri Halloween Sign Challenge
Source: ACSOL Today the plaintiff in the case challenging Missouri’s Halloween sign requirement filed his final brief in federal district court. The brief includes testimony from the trial which took place in St. Louis on June 20. In the brief, the plaintiff repeated his argument that the Missouri state law that requires signs to be posted on Halloween violates the First Amendment because it is speech compelled by the government. The brief notes that the proper standard of review for this case is strict scrutiny, a burden the Attorney General…
Read MoreMO: Trial Date Delayed for Missouri Halloween Sign Case
Source: ACSOL A federal district court has agreed to delay the trial date in the pending case that challenges a Halloween sign requirement in the state of Missouri. Originally the trial was to begin on March 27, however, the court has agreed to delay that date until June 20. The court’s decision to delay the trial date was made after the plaintiff filed a motion for that delay. The request was made, in part, after the Attorney General sent more than 800 pages of documents and videos to plaintiff’s counsel…
Read MoreArkansas Court Sets Hearing Date for Halloween Sign Challenge
Source: ACSOL The federal district court in Arkansas where a lawsuit has been filed challenging a Halloween sign requirement set a hearing in the case for May 2 at 1:30 p.m. in the fifth floor courtroom in Fayetteville. The purpose of that hearing is “to assess the pretrial needs of the case.” According to the court document, the trial date for the case will also be set during that hearing. Prior to the May 2 hearing, both parties are required to file several documents, including an important document that is…
Read MoreAR: Lawsuit Filed Challenging Halloween Sign Requirement in Arkansas County
Source: ACSOL A lawsuit was filed on January 18 challenging a Halloween sign requirement in Marion County, Arkansas. The Halloween sign was created by the government and a registration officer taped the sign to the front door of a registrant’s home. The sign was required to be posted for about two weeks, one week before Halloween and one week after Halloween. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff in the case objected to the posting of the Halloween sign on his home and told the registration officer that the sign violated…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Bullies Come in All Sizes
Bullies come in all sizes. There are schoolyard bullies who steal children’s lunch money. There are gang members who steal people’s cars. And there are terrorists who hijack airplanes. What these bullies have in common is that they threaten and intimidate others. And when their threats and intimidation don’t work, they sometimes resort to violence. In the registrant community, bullies abound. Sometimes they come in the form of a parole officer who threatens to return a registrant to prison if he does not do what they are told to do. …
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