Reply #10: But seriously folks.... [View All]

[litning]

targeting homeless sex offense registrants because there has
been a spike in their numbers ... hmmm.  Did anyone stop to
wonder why?  HINT: it might have something to do with the
registration requirements which are making it impossible for
these people to get jobs, rent homes, attend worship services
or otherwise reintegrate into the community.  The laws are not
making us safer, they are creating an excluded underclass.

In politics, Halloween is when demagogues take their latest
fear mongering tactics out for a spin to see if a gullible
public will bite, and how hard. As the National Post put it,
“A one-night festival of ghoulish subject matter, unhealthy
food and talking to strangers, it is no surprise that
Halloween is an annual magnet for moral criticism. Halloween
is when parental paranoia is 'market-tested,' American
columnist Lenore Skenazy wrote in a 2010 blog post. 'If a new
fear flies on Halloween, it’s probably going to catch on the
rest of the year, too.'”

Which is how we get this annual flurry of sex-offender-related
stories on Halloween. Forget for a moment that there are only
two instances that anyone has identified in the history of the
nation of kids being sexually assaulted on Halloween, and in
neither instance did the offender have a criminal record that
would place them on the sex-offender registry. Reality isn't
as important as the opportunity for hyping fear.

All local stories on the subject stem from a press release
from the local Sheriff, probation department, or some other
official, local source, so really it's law enforcement hyping
the issue that drives coverage. Since it's not actually news
but really just self-interested spin, I doubt the media would
bother to produce these stories on their own without explicit
prodding from officialdom.

Bottom line: Your kids are in FAR greater risk from traffic
accidents, drunk drivers, or even being struck by lightning
(not to mention obesity and tooth decay) on Halloween than
from sex offenders luring them with sweets. Indeed, in terms
of sex crimes against children, Halloween may actually be the
safest day of the year. If you're lecturing your kids on the
risks from sex offenders before they go out instead of making
sure they can safely see through their Halloween mask and
reminding them to watch for traffic, you're probably diverting
their attention - and yours - from the most serious public
safety issues surrounding the holiday.

MORE: there is indeed a crime spike on Halloween, but it's not
sex offenses against children but workaday street crime that
routinely increases on that day and should be the main
policing focus.