Life in a Florida ghetto — uh — a registered sex offender camp
Photograph courtesy of OnceFallen….
By Sandy . . . Derek Logue – OnceFallen – has followed the situation of homeless registrants in Florida ever since abhorrently stringent residency restrictions created the Julia Tuttle Causeway scandal in 2007. After being ousted from there, the homeless population bounced to other communities, forced to move time and time again, from Shorecrest, to Allapattah, and as of 2016, to an industrial park parking lot in Miami.
In spite of relatively few tents staying permanently erected – some go up just at night and some registrants sleep in cars – the location is known as “Tent City.” Derek put up his own $25 tent and observed and conversed as curfew was approaching and the lot was filling up. Among Derek’s observations of some of the residents: “… an elderly man in a wheelchair, a man weighing in at nearly 400 pounds with severe arthritis, another man who had recent knee surgery, and even some women. Mr. T (Derek’s host and guide) told me many at the camp do try to look out for each other. One of the older guys at the camp helped the man in the wheelchair perform tasks and gather donations that came to the camp.”
Generators and power cords are connected and utilized where possible in order to keep GPS tracking devices charged. The greatest challenges are cleanliness, hygiene, and bathroom necessities. The residents of Tent City, being registered as “living” at this location, are not allowed to leave between 10 pm and 6 am, so even though some nearby stores are accommodating in the use of their bathrooms, these options are off limits during those hours.
Derek had determined some months ago to do something to make Christmas for these registered citizens better. He reports, “Over the course of two months, I raised roughly $900 to bring much-needed supplies to the camp. The funds were used to purchase enough underwear, socks and laundry pods to make 200 care packages containing two pairs of socks, two pairs of underwear, and two laundry pods. We also brought hygiene products, used clothing, and some camping supplies to the camp, and there was even money left over to make a few on-demand purchases.”
Most of the actual purchases were made there in Florida by representatives of Women Against Registry of Florida. A member and Florida registrant traveled with his wife and the purchased items from Tampa to Miami where they met up with Derek, organized the supplies, and put the packets together.
Derek reports that he could not have completed this mission without the help of WARofFlorida, and WARofFlorida has this to say: “[We] give thanks and appreciation to Derek for starting this drive and to those that donated to bring a bit of holiday spirit to these homeless Miami registrants…. No one should be forced to live their lives in ‘third world country’ conditions such as those. These registrants need help…laws need to change.”
While there is hope that these onerous residency restrictions will be stricken, supplies and help for those living in Tent City will continue. Contact Derek at his Once Fallen website if you would like to help.
NARSOL is grateful to all who helped in any way to bring a degree of Christmas cheer and hope to registered citizens who, due to heartless and useless laws, are living in our nation under these conditions.
Speechless……so is this nightly curfew for all registrants or just those on Parole? I can’t believe those that are homeless are denied simple access to a bathroom after a curfew it’s not like most of these people want to be homeless. I’m sure the residency restrictions have led to many of these people being homeless so they get extra punishment because of it….wow and that’s just the tip of the iceberg on the list of what’s wrong in this article.
Curfew is just for those on parole. However, pretty much everyone there IS on parole and wear ankle bracelets.
And speaking of tall orders, the oldest resident there is in his mid 80s and in a wheelchair. He is dependent on folks to push his wheelchair to get around. It would be great if we could get an electric wheelchair for him since he’s been unable to get one, but every dollar I raised could not have bought him one,.Anyone got ideas?
Derek,
What’s even sadder than just him being in a wheelchair and being in his mid 80’s is the fact that it’s conditioned into the brains of the ignorant law enforcement and the general public that a man in his 80’s in a wheelchair is a threat to public safety.
These are the types of arguments that need to be thrown into the faces of the courts/politicians when lawsuits are filed against the registry. But more so….lawsuits have to be filed against the PROBATION DEPARTMENTS for forcing these people into homelessness.
I can’t stress this enough – If you want to end homelessness of RSO’s you HAVE to start with Probation and maybe even Parole departments.
Not all states have laws against where you can live just because you’re on the registry (after completing probation/parole).
For example: In Connecticut there is no residency restriction if you’re registered but no longer on probation. Only while you’re on probation does that apply because wherever you want to live will first have to be “approved” by your probation officer. And they can say “No”.
How is this ‘helping people get back into society’ as the P.O.’s claim that’s what they’re doing?
Maestro,
When is your probation up? And when it is, will you enjoy the same level of freedom as most Americans who have not been convicted of a sex offense?
Instead of traveling hundreds of miles to hand out socks or underwear, I made several phone calls to relocate 2 people from Florida to the Texas and Montana.
One of those two people had family but their family is planning to relocate to Texas to be with their loved one. The other person has no family but I located a homestead in Montana for the person to go to. The guy is lined up for a job this week as well.
I tried to explain why I felt people’s “help” isn’t really helping. Few RSO’s actually listen to me. I was recently kicked out of SOSEN so I couldn’t share any good news there.
This hell is a perfect reason that SCOTUS should throw out social media bans. This camp Shiism do live feeds, Q&A Etc. Self advocacy never had so much need.
You know they say wisdom is foolishness to the wise. I don’t want to be wise. Living out ones’ life with its ups an downs is hard enough unless one is perfect and upright, Yes we all face trails in life but when ministers of Justice or God compound things for some people. One has to wake up and take a look around and say are they no better than me
Derek I commend you for your observation in the “Tent City” ordeal and actually they are taking basic human rights away from those that got up, in some ways in this sex jam “sexual jam”. Now weather those in the Tent Citys” are hard core sex offenders or not, all flesh is weak and while compassion from the government is out of balance and taken out of context it seems to me that some are bowing down to the establishment.
While i know some on here don’t like me talking about religon but if you didn’t have the word of the Lord to fight with what would you have. Man’s wisdom or a more just approach to all this delimna. I would put an article like this in a local newspaper and see how others comment on it. Dehumanizing others is out cruel and unusual.
James Townsend,
Putting an article like this in the newspapers will only generate comments such as:
“What about the VICTIMS?”
And that’s ALL it will generate. Not an ounce of sympathy. Former drug addicts and dealers, car-jackers and home invaders (who could have or did kill someone in the process) will gain more sympathy and ‘second chances’ than someone who used his penis OR at least THOUGHT about using his penis (i.e. CP downloading or chatting with under age teens online).
I come from a third world country and I have to say that the situation is much much much better than what the author has mentioned in this article. It’s a shame that US citizens are treated like lepers in the ancient days.
Just to clarify…you are saying that life is much better in the third world country from where you come that it is for these registrants in this situation in Florida…correct?
*than it is…..
yes that’s what I meant Sandy.
To clarify my statement “the wisdom of this world is foolishness to the wise and he is right people should not treat people like this even the government. We all can talk about concentration camps or pow’s if that’s more social form of punishment..
And of course I was always a fan of Hogan’s hero’s, but this is serious business.
It seems to me that the sex offender’s constitutional rights and personal freedom’s are taken away. While those in tent city’s are doomed by being labeled a sex offender with a degree of sexual behavior that is somewhat depressing to public status, it appears to me that the government is going a bit to far in their humanistic approach of all this sex hoopla.
While Maestro has his point of view as well as others on here. It is still a human behavior matter.
While my offense as well as others on here might be light compared to those in the tent city’s, we as sex offenders are all lumped up into one title. Did some kill anyone, did some induce a personal into sex, where some caught off guard in all this sex offender ordeal, or did some have the intention to just grab the cookies and run as some would say.
Talk about Me and bobby Mc/Gee. This is what the United States has came up with punishment when jail’s and prison’s are full of innocent folks that were only caught up in some type of cyber net sex offense.
Yes, hurting and murdering a child is serious but courts deep it expulsion from main stream America. Now that is cruel and unusual punishment for any man to do to another fellow man. While I look at simple internet rights those in this “tent city” ordeal are compounded to live a lifestyle of a degrading society one can call America.
Fred,
To answer your questions:
1) My probation ends in June of 2018 (a full 10 yrs of this crap)
2) Not sure if I will ‘enjoy life’ like any other free American because the best (youthful) years of my life where I should be traveling, sight seeing, interacting with people, dating whomever I want whether they have kids or not (altho I’ve never been fond of dating women with kids but whatever), being able to up and go to a NYE event out of state at the drop of a hat with the rest of my friends, etc…. will all be gone. Getting older while on probation and having to have missed out on so much is not going to leave me 100% happy. As I’m sure others feel the same way.
I’m sick of living in the boring state of Connecticut, but, until my probation ends, I won’t dare move to another state where i have no idea how much harsher the probation officers will be.
I’d like to live and work in NYC which is where I like to go to get something more than rural or ghetto areas out of life. I love big cities with lots to do. Including having ADULT fun. Be it a strip club or a cool little dive bar during happy hour where I can mix and mingle with OTHER ADULTS. Since probation doesn’t want me around “children” (even tho they treat us as if we are children)…at the same time they also don’t want us around adults either. Unless it’s adults that are homebodies and I am the farthest thing from a homebody.
But imagine, NYC, with a damn “park” or some type of recreational place around every corner….how the hell would probation enforce their nonsense in a city like that? I damn sure would not comply. Screw them! I’m gonna live! If I have to walk by Bryant Park to get to my job or home there, than that’s what I’ll do (if I lived and worked there).
Probation is USELESS. It’s proves NOTHING, it accomplishes NOTHING, and it protects NO ONE. It’s a farce. And the court systems know it.
Are you aware that there are sex offender laws you will have to comply with even after probation is completed, that will likely restrict where you can live, work and travel? You will still be on an online database for all to see. You will still have to report to the police probably 4 times a year or anytime you make some kind of change; such as new car, new home, new internet identifier or new job.
All of this after your full sentence is completed.
Well said my commrad. I feel the same as you do. Screw them all.