“Freedom” As a Level 2 Sex Offender
“”Freedom” as a level 2 sex offender” is the section title of a federal lawsuit filed by Anthony Broadwater against municipal officials and the government following his wrongful arrest for a sexual crime in NY that took place decades ago.
The complaint reads, “Mr. Broadwater was finally released from prison after reaching his maximum conditional release on December 31, 1998. While the New Year is a time of optimism and setting intentions for most people, Mr. Broadwater’s New Year as a “free man” came with conditions. Mr. Broadwater was finally released from prison after reaching his maximum conditional release on December 31, 1998. While the New Year is a time of optimism and setting intentions for most people, Mr. Broadwater’s New Year as a “free man” came with conditions. As a Level 2 sex offender, Mr. Broadwater was required to register as a sex offender for life. Every year he had to verify his address and employment. Every three years he had to update his photograph with law enforcement. His name, photograph, exact address, crime of conviction, alleged modus of operation, among other information, was readily available on the internet and could be disseminated by any entity. The publicly available nature of this information limited employment opportunities. He lost several jobs because of it.”
Despite having spent 16 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, he could not even find relief in his release because of his designation as a sex offender! His lawyers correctly put the word Freedom in quotes to show that even though he’s free, it’s not real freedom on the registry.
We hope he is successful in recovering millions from those who wrongfully prosecuted him and convicted him. We hope his case gets tons of publicity and sheds light on the fact that being on the registry is nowhere close to being free… even off probation. And we hope that now that he has been removed from the registry he will get a taste of true freedom!
Just abolish the registry already. It doesn’t work. It shouldn’t take 80 years, like the war on drugs, to eliminate laws that don’t work.
This is a man who never surrendered, even though he surely would’ve benefitted from doing so. Thanks for sharing this inspirational sotry.
“Prison Without Conviction”
Although I myself never did hard time, had Adjudication Withheld with no Felony and placed on Probation in Florida for 8 years being released from the courts in 2001, I remain a registrant for 25 years.
Its by all definition of the word most certainly not Freedom. Freedom to travel freely, Freedom as defined Constitutionally and Freedom of mind, body and soul.
The failed Registration process strips away any Freedom you have in a normal life in Society and turns you into a hunted down monster living a paranoid nightmarish life.
Remember most sexual crimes are non violent and most violent sex crimes are committed by family members or they know their victims.
Its time to repeal on the Federal level all Registry Laws.
JEV
TRUE CONFESSIONS
This is too choppy and confusing to have been written by FAC. You can tell from the comments that we’re all reading our own interpretation into it.
The registry has been deemed non punitive by the nations highest court so he won’t receive compensation for being on it.
It seams to me that there is a link between the Sex Offender Registration Laws and FAILURE to Register Laws. The failure to register, report new phone, internet names, vehicle ID, periodic re-register… any one of these can be punishable by imprisonment, a punitive act. Doesn’t this punitive linkage make the Federal as well as State laws PUNITIVE in nature?
Are there other laws that are Non-Punitive by statue but result in Punitive results if NOT obeying?
If it Quacks like a Duck……
No one has “freedom” in this country. The appropriate legally viable word to use would be “Liberty”. For example, a dog does not have freedom on a leash, a dog has Liberty on a leash.
On the registry one has even less liberties than others. I don’t know how anyone can use the word “freedom” with a straight face anymore.
-Taxes
-dependency on a consumer based economy
-restrictions on growing your own food
-laws restricting travel
-vax mandates
-mask mandates
-mandatory school attendance
-jury duty
If you have to deal with any of that, you are not free my friend.
PA: panic as community notification triggers new call for 2,500’ SORRs
I agree he is not truly free in any shape or form free from prison but not from the hardships he has to endure in the future to come I do agree there should be no registry because obviously it does not work but as a RSO I do believe there are some offenders who should be on a registry for law enforcement only as the original purpose of the registry what I fail to see is the complete numbness and disregard that people do not understand or read the Constitution or the law the registry is illegal simply because it is biased as the law is supposed to be unbiased SO’s are the only convicted felon that has to register and pay to be on that registry no other convicted felon is on a registry nor do they pay to be on one that in itself makes the registry illegal under the Constitution but I do find it odd that more and more countries are agreeing that the US’s registry is illegal and violates human right laws and more and more countries are not honoring the US’s RSO registration even the UN voted that the registry violates human rights but yet the US is so animate that they honor human right laws the registry in itself is a conundrum it is also a politician’s tool and that is all it is for besides it being a scam where registrants have to pay again to be on a registry or no other convicted felon has to
So. My wife and I go to renew our TSA pre check last Tuesday. My wife gets approved in 2 days and me, who knows if I get approved or not, TSA is working on my application.
I lost my trusted travelers pass. This is such BS!
Not punishment! I think not!