Nebraska — A State of Shame Part 2 is available for viewing over at Nebraskans Unafraid.
We’re headed to Target to pick up this doormat for the registrant who gave us the account of his recent home-invasive verification visit.
Nebraska Registry Patrol
Recently we learned that Nebraska made a “mistake” and put 59 people on its Nebraska Sex Offender Registry website sort of “accidentally”. They should not have been there. Oops. Then they fix it more than a year after all those families were destroyed. Like we said, oops. It’s the kind of thing that happens when you have public officials hyperventilating and drooling all over each other because they’re so excited about a chance to be tough on former sex offenders. When you’re not accountable, you can screw up big time, hurt a lot of people and no one notices.
Here’s another big oops: What is posted below was sent to us by a Nebraska registrant.
Now, in addition to wasting time invading your private property to see if you’re who you said you were last month, Nebraska law enforcement is pulling stuff worthy of Barney Fife: They made a mistake with the records and even though you have proof it is not your mistake, it’s still somehow your fault. This true story is the latest from our Search and Seizure page:
A great big Nebraska State Patrolman accompanied by a body-armor clad but slightly smaller U.S. Marshal showed up in my driveway, on my personal property, yesterday to collect information. You know, the so-called “verification visit.” This will be at least the 18th such contact this year in a state that according to the law says I’m subject to verification FOUR times a year. There is no law that authorized this invasive visit to my personal property. But, what the hell, I’m a hated sex offender and no one cares, right?
Our conversation, paraphrased:
Are you who you told us on your registration papers that you are? asked the big Trooper.
Yes. Have been for a long long time.
The marshal, making himself alert and useful, asked if I had any weapons.
Nope. But thanks for asking.
Then the big Trooper says all of his records show that my address is not quite correct in his records, and would I please toddle on down to the local sheriff and get it corrected right away? I was a little surprised, because the address I gave was copied right off my drivers license, and it’s correct on there. Anyway, I decide to go ahead and fix their mistake. I dig into my records (NOTE TO REGISTRANTS: Always get a copy of EVERYTHING).
Except MY records show there is no mistake. MY record of my most recent visit to the sheriff shows that the absolutely correct address is on that State of Nebraska Sex Offender Registration form. TWICE!!! So is it my fault if the State Patrol cannot get my correct address off the correct form that is sent to them by the local sheriff?
I don’t think so. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to make it my fault. I have a copy of my registration form. I have met the legal requirements of the law. The Big Trooper can fix his own mistakes. He’s got a marshal to help him.
What are the takeaways?
- The Nebraska Sex Offender Registry, in addition to including a whole boatload of nondangerous people like me, is probably even more unreliable as a public safety tool because correct information on registration forms isn’t getting picked up correctly by the state.
- Someone needs to take a look at the resources wasted here: A Big Trooper and a SWAT-clad U.S. Marshal cruise out to my upper middle class neighborhood to bother me and my family, who are busy trying to live our law-abiding lives, and bully me because they can’t get my address correct? Really? In 2012 United States of America?
- By God, this law has to change.
Major U.S. Supreme Court ruling on registry law. See Nebraskans Unafraid.
A letter from Nevadans for Civil Liberties:
To whom it may concern;
Our organization is legally addressing many laws in the State of Nevada, and we are currently attending many public meetings that are being held by the Legislature relating to the registration laws.
We also attend any public meeting of the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners to fight for the rights of parolees, probationers, and offenders serving the “special sentence” of Lifetime Supervision.
A member of our organization has recently filed a lawsuit to overturn the Lifetime Supervision law in Nevada, and we would like to make your organization aware of the arguments that have been presented to the Court. This could be helpful to anyone bringing this type of suit against the State your organization is located in, especially if your State has a Lifetime Supervision law, or Community Supervision for Life.
This suit is being brought as a Motion to Correct an Illegal Sentence, along with a First Amendment Petition, Petition for Writ of Prohibition, and Petition for Declaratory Judgment.
You can view, download, or print this file from our website, which is located at:
Please go to the What’s Happening Now page, or the Lifetime Supervision page, and click on the link to the Motion to Correct.
Another member of our organization is challenging the search laws as interpreted by the Division of Parole and Probation in relation to the family members of offenders, and the illegal searches that have been performed against them.
This lawsuit is currently filed, and the parties are in the process of service, and we will have this link up shortly also.
A member has recently been arrested on a failure to answer a polygraph question when he chose to use his 5th Amendment right in relation to the question. He has been arrested and charged with a crime for this, and is currently fighting this in Court. As the discovery comes in, all of the information will also be presented on the website to further help anyone who has to deal with these issues here, or in other states.
We hope that any of our information will help you in your pursuits against the injustice of the sex offender laws in our country. If your organization has information that would help us, please send to info@nevadans-for-civil-
Contact Nevadans for Civil Liberties:
P.O. Box 60672
Reno, NV 89506
Thanks to those who participated in the FACTS/PCR market research survey regarding housing and employment services to former offenders and their families. Enough interest exists for us to move ahead with grant-seeking to fund the project. Those who were interested enough to include their email addresses in the survey will continue to receive special updates about the project.
We are keeping the survey open because we wish to continue to gather market information. If you can, please help us by sharing the survey link with others who might benefit from such a project. Here’s the link:
http://www.zoomerang.com/
We also have established a project website which will grow in content over time. The project page includes a special Embargo List that may be used by former offenders and their families for guidance in making decisions about where they will engage in retail trade or make charitable donations. See the embargo list here.
Please share this link as well.
The Missouri Legislature is pursuing some useful, common-sense ideas about laws that repunish ex-offenders. Contrast that with Nebraska State Sen. Bill Avery’s short-lived attempt to make unwanted kissing a sex crime.
While Nebraska seeks new ways to drive more people onto the public shaming website, and out of their jobs and homes, Missouri is looking at fixing the mistakes caused by the Adam Walsh Act. For more, see Nebraskans Unafraid.
Thanks to those who have participated in our online survey regarding housing and employment support services to former sex offenders and their families. We are encouraged by the results so far, and we would like as many as possible to participate The survey link is here.
One fascinating fact is emerging as the results come in: There is an incredibly rich pool of professional talent among former offenders who filled out this survey. Because most employers do not realize that former sex offenders would make excellent employees, however, these people are not employed.
Part of our vision is to begin making use of this valuable and untapped resource. In a society where ignorance and fear mean others will not hire us, we will just have to create our own jobs, our own enterprises, our own industries. We will just have to create our own housing. Perhaps we will just have to create our own communities in order to survive the ignorance, fear and hatred with which we are besieged. The key is to create an economic community — an economic network — upon which we can rely. For example, why should we shop at places that would not hire us? Why can’t we create our own systems of economic, social and (yes) legal support? It is an ambitious vision, and it will take time but — WE CAN DO THIS. Living life on Nebraska’s public shaming website takes skill, smarts, perseverance and courage. Let us use these advantages for our own good and withdraw our support from individuals and institutions which hate us. We are talking about exerting our peaceful and legal economic power. And we are not talking about isolating — we are talking about using our ability to make smart choices.
If you doubt your ability to make a difference, we offer one small example of how we might bring about change: A few weeks ago, FACTS challenged The Associated Press to stop trying to pin the horrific murder of a 9-year-old Indiana girl on former sex offenders who had been banished to a Warsaw Ghetto-like community in Fort Wayne. The man accused in the case is not a former sex offender, much to the disappointment of those who hate us. The “sex offender” angle appears now to have disappeared from The AP’s coverage. What if we could make use of this ability on a larger scale? What if we expressed our disappointment at media misinformation about former sex offenders by refusing to patronize the advertisers upon whom the news media depend for survival? Better still, what if we just create our own news organization to cover the issue of former sex offenders? It would take only a bit of coordination to work with our brothers and sisters in other states to go nationwide.
Pie in the sky?
Well, think about your last job interview. Think about the people who shunned you. Think about the school district that told you that you may not participate in your childrens’ school life. Think about the landlord who kicked you and your family out, or the neighbor who plastered hate flyers all over your neighborhood. Think about the state senator who wants to make kissing a sex offense. Is there hope there? No, there is not.
Yes, our vision is big and bold — call it OccupyXSO. But many of us do have the time and the energy to carry it out. We have to start working together instead of hiding in the dark. We have to stop wallowing in self-pity. We have to start taking good care of ourselves. Help us and help yourself!
Please help us continue to take this first step in withdrawing support from those who hate us by encouraging anyone who might benefit to fill out our survey. Those who confidentially share their email addresses with us soon will begin receiving special updates on the findings of the survey and on any plans we have to move forward with our support project. Here is the link we wish you to share:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22E9SM8X9VU
From the blog of Karen Franklin, PhD:
“Sex offenses are upsetting, and their perpetrators creepy. Understandably, it’s easy for jurors and even judges to brush aside legal technicalities and burdens of proof in the interest of keeping women and children safe.
“But it is disturbing when forensic psychologists collude in this endeavor, disregarding the limits of science by overstating the accuracy of risk assessment instruments, inventing pretextual disorders to justify preventive detention, and even claiming omniscient truth-telling powers regarding ancient, unprosecuted allegations.
“In an environment replete with such folie à plusieurs, it was refreshing to read the recent federal decision in the case of Markis Revland, a habitual criminal who faced civil detention after serving time for child pornography possession.
“Senior U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman systematically analyzed and rejected the evidence as failing to meet the government’s burden of proof. Not only did the government fail to show that Revland had a serious mental disorder that put him at high risk of molesting children if released, it even failed to prove that the convict had engaged in any hands-on child molestation in the past, the judge ruled.” Read the rest.
In Nebraska, we might have lots of folks who stole a kiss on New Year’s Eve headed for jail.
Then again, maybe not.
State Sen. Bill Avery is having second thoughts about his idea to criminalize unwanted kissing. A lot of folks think it’s just a dumb idea. Not to mention unenforceable. Go over to Nebraskans Unafraid to learn more.
1. Use the Nebraskans Unafraid website to follow news of interest in the Nebraska Legislature, which convenes today.
2. Please participate in our market research study to determine whether we go forward with plans to establish more robust housing and jobs assistance services for former sex offenders and their families.
3. Watch for some significant changes to the FACTS website in the weeks to come as we remake it into a better life resources tool for former offenders and their families.