Knox bans registered sex offenders from county libraries

[The Straight Story]

Knox bans registered sex offenders from county libraries

KNOXVILLE — Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett by executive authority today banned those listed on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry from visiting county libraries.

He said if they need to use the services, the offenders can access the library catalog and electronic resources online or have someone else check out and return library material on their behalf.

"What they are, these sex offenders — I just don't want them anywhere around our kids," Burchett said.

"The ultimate decision is how we pursue it. I want to get out in front of this. There's no need to toil around with it. I don't want them anywhere around our kids."

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/sep/12/knox-bans-registered-sex-offenders-from-county/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Unconstitutional.

One thing to limit proximity to public schools. Another thing to ban access to a public building with a service exclusively located there.

[KansDem]

6. Many libraries have children's' departments

"What they are, these sex offenders — I just don't want them anywhere around our kids," Burchett said.

If you limit proximity to public schools, then can you limit proximity to groups of children in public libraries?

[Chipper Chat]

2. Isn't Amanda Knox in enough trouble already?

Why bash sexy fenders?

[bluestateguy]

3. This will not survive judicial scruntiny

MAYBE they could get away with banning them from the library's children's section, but being a registered sex offender does not disqualify one from access to government buildings that we all pay for with tax dollars.

[Shandris]

8. Why not? They're banned from parks which their tax dollars pay for.

They're banned from picking up their own children from school. They're banned from living ANYWHERE that can be said to be within a mile of a 'children's program' (for those not keeping score, that's ANY CHURCH IN AMERICA if their Sheriff decides to be a prick about it). So what makes you think they'll suddenly change their mind on libraries?

If you were talking hardcore I'm-here-to-steal-your-child-and-rape-them criminals, I -might- be inclined to see the point. But you're talking about every single person tagged with a so-called 'sex offender' law (except for the wealthy, who can get prosecuted AND CONVICTED for 2,400 explicit images of child pornography and trying to arrange a 'child sex tour' overseas but not register as a sex offender while the guy who thought a girlfriend a couple years younger than him was something that anyone could reasonably understand is barred from working as anything more sophisticated than a garbage man for the REST OF HIS NATURAL FUCKING LIFE and will never be able to rent a home anywhere that isn't the heart of the ghetto - and if a new school, kid's group, park, playground, or anything else moves in? He has to sell his home IMMEDIATELY and move or else be a 'recidivist offender').

People in this country lost touch with the meaning of the Constitution a long time ago, and while people can still abuse the letter of it, its' spirit is dead. But that's irrelevant -- 99% of the population thinks 'sex offender' means 'hardcore child rapist' and spout off such enlightened liberal platitudes as 'Id kill em all if I could!' and 'Who cares, theyre sex offenders!'.

[white_wolf]

4. I wish I could vote against this guy, but i live in the county so I'm just supporting on his

opponents. Madeline Rogero. I don't know her stance on this, but on everything else she's been great. Pro- green energy in Knoxville,pro union and living wage. On the topic, I think this law is unconstitutional and just another sign of how bad our criminal-"justice" system is. I'm not even sure I agree with the sex-offenders registry, I mean we don't have one for murderers or other criminals.

[NeedleCast]

5. More (illegal) Feel Good Laws

Down the rabbit hole we go.

(Suspect that it won't take long for someone to accuse me of "defending pedophiles").

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. And when this fails under legal challenge, he'll have no choice

but to close all the public libraries. For the kids, you know.

[Nye Bevan]

9. I would have no problem with this *if* the register had only "real" sex offenders

as opposed to people who have urinated in public and 17-year olds who have slept with 16-year olds.

Banning convicted pedophiles from libraries seems like a no-brainer.