Public Health and Safety Complaint Lodged Against Forced Homeless Encampment
FAC has reported a public health and safety concern to the Broward and Miami-Dade County Health Departments, the Florida Department of Health, the US Department of Health and Human Services and OSHA. The letter, which can be read below, seeks to end the practice of forcing thousands of individuals who are labeled sex offenders to to live like animals in homeless encampments throughout our state.
Our goal is not to displace people, but to stop this inhumane, degrading, unsanitary and unsafe practice that has been going on too long.
_____
August 3, 2017
Broward County Health Department
2421 SW 6th Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315
Miami-Dade County Health Department
1350 NW 14th St
Miami, FL 33125
Florida Department of Health
Broward County Administrative Center
780 S.W. 24th Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315
US Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
US Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20210
RE: REPORT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERN
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
To the Above-Listed Agencies:
I am writing to report a public health and safety concern located in the City of Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida.
A recent South Florida news station reported that dozens of registered sex offenders were living homeless at a Walmart1 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. A similar situation was reported as occurring in Cocoa, Florida2.
A search of the Florida Sex Offender Registry3 reveals that there are over ONE HUNDRED individuals living homeless at or near the Target shopping plaza located at the corner of Oakland Park Boulevard and Federal Highway in Ft. Lauderdale. Similarly, there are approximately TWO HUNDRED FIFTY individuals living homeless at or near the corner of 71st Street and NW 36th Avenue in Miami.
Studies4 report, that thousands of individuals in Florida are rendered homeless, not because they are unable to afford suitable housing or live with supportive family members or friends, but because sex offender residency restrictions prohibit them from doing so. Further, the severely limited housing options force these individuals to cluster in very limited areas that available to those on the registry.
The consequence of these severely deleterious residency restrictions is the situation the media has been reporting on; hundreds of homeless sex offenders living in a supermarket parking lot.
The Florida Action Committee (FAC) is a not-for-profit public safety advocacy organization. Our concern is both for the individuals who were legislated into homelessness and the community in those areas in which they are clustered.
For the individuals; indefinite forced homelessness exposes them to health and safety issues. Their physical health, mental well-being, susceptibility to violence and triggers for substance use and recidivism are a concern.
For the community, unquestionably public safety should be a concern, as should public health and workplace safety of the people who live, work and shop in those areas. Environmental concerns should also be taken into consideration. One must wonder; where do these one hundred people urinate and defecate at night?
Our request is that your agencies formally investigate the impact of having hundreds of individuals living homeless and clustered into such concentrated areas. While the knee-jerk reaction might be to close off the area and disburse the homeless, we strongly discourage this measure, since there is nowhere for these people to go that is compliant with the residency restriction laws and dispelling them will only serve to stress and destabilize them and drive them underground.
Our hope in formally reporting this public health and safety concern is that you will work with local authorities, politicians and other stake-holders to find solutions to address this problem.
Sincerely,
Gail Colletta, President
Florida Action Committee, Inc.
1 https://www.local10.com/news/local-10-investigates/are-sex-offenders-living-where-you-shop-some-use-shopping-centers-as-addresses
2 https://www.news4jax.com/inside-edition/registered-sex-offenders-including-sexual-predators-found-to-list-walmart-as-home-address
3 http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/offenderSearchNav.do?link=advanced
4 Yung, Corey Rayburn. “Banishment by a thousand laws: Residency restrictions on sex offenders.” Wash. UL Rev. 85 (2007): 101.
Levenson, Jill S. “Collateral consequences of sex offender residence restrictions.” Criminal Justice Studies 21.2 (2008): 153-166.,
Levenson, J., Ackerman, A. R., Socia, K. M., & Harris, A. J. (2015). Where for art thou? Transient sex offenders and residence restrictions. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 26(4), 319-344
Wernick, Steven J. “In Accordance with a Public Outcry: Zoning Out Sex Offenders Through Residence Restrictions in Florida.” Fla. L. Rev. 58 (2006): 1147.
THANK YOU, FAC!
Dehumanizing any group of people is morally wrong. Ask any Jew who lived in Europe during WWII or African American who lived through slavery or segregation.
Sex offender registration was started for public safety but rapidly became a political bastardization all the way from Our National level & down to Town councils. Get a clue politicians! Destabilizing already desperate people can lead to disastrous public consequences. Deplorable!
“The registry is for public safety”….
FAKE NEWS!!
It’s interesting or perhaps ironic that in today’s political/social climate that when an issue is discussed and there’s an opinion that differs from yours that the easiest way to disagree or discredit the idea is to label it “FAKE NEWS”…… there’s no need to discuss any facts or reputable research, simply holler FAKE NEWS and swagger on before an intelligent dialogue can take place. I am a registered sex offender and am on the list. It’s not something that I’m proud of nor I do not treat it with a cavalier attitude. I can say with 100% certainty though that I could live anywhere in the country, next to ANY park, school, or playground, or daycare and there would be no danger to any of your children from me. In fact, I can say that the safety factor would be higher because I would be extra vigilant in making sure that there were no instances of ANY questionable behaviors that would draw scrutiny to my family or me.
I was incarcerated for 3 years and was exposed to many differing degrees of offenders in prison and continue to be out public. There are some that absolutely need strong oversight and accountability. The majority of registered offenders are just like myself however and simply want to return to a quiet, productive, self-supporting life. We’re not looking for a free ride or pass, we simply want the opportunities to work hard and succeed on our own merits.
Painting all offenders with a mile wide brush however is actually counterproductive to public safety. By creating a “no win” system where offenders can’t find stable housing or work you are actually creating fertile ground for the issues and addictions that led to their offending in the first place.
Well said.
Couldn’t Of Said It Better Myself !!. You’ve touched on points that nobody wants to hear !! Like I’ve always said, ExOffenders DON’T ReOffend !! Now like you stated, There are some that need supervision and to me, That is where the “Government” should focus their laws/rules on !! In Florida they are called “Predators” !! And no I’m not saying that any or all Predators will ReOffend !!. But compare the Crimes between the average OFFENDER and PREDATOR, And stats prove that the Predator is the “Most Likely” to ReOffend !!!!. Also as you stated, 99% of Us OFFENDERS will/would NEVER ReOffend because either we’ve learned what caused us to do “Whatever” we did, And avoid that situation at ALL COSTS, Or like me, Was young and was lied to about the age of my victim, And I’ve outgrown my issue, Being Married and having family/friends to count on, And a STABLE environment in my life, Has helped me “Move On” !!! The condition (s) that caused me to “Commit” my “Crime” is gone!!! There’s no way I could or would EVER ReOffend !!. This scenario applies to 99% of offenders !! The “Registery” just keeps our “PAST” up to date and CURRENT in our lives !! Makes the General Public think we’re all out Still commiting these (very) OLD crimes !!!. While in “Treatment” ( That my therapist went to court and released me from early), I met MANY Offenders & Predators. And we all “Talked” outside of class. And in the 2 years I was around all those “Monsters as we’re called”, I never heard one peep about ANY of them Wanting to “ReOffend” !!! All I heard was, Man I’ll never put myself in that situation again” !!!!! . That’s “Real Talk” people !! 99% of us that was “PUNISHED”(and still are being) will NEVER ReOffend !! So IF there is going to be a Registery, It should focus on the Tier that is the HIGHEST chance to ReOffend, And stop throwing us ALL in the pot and stirring it !!. 99% of us DESERVE to be left alone to live !! We’ve MORE than Paid Our Debts !!!!.
My offense involved my daughter 18+ years ago and we have since resolved the situation and are back to our original father/daughter relationship…as God intended. My offense was in Virginia and I was not considered a predator there. I moved to Florida to help my ailing father and mother who needed my support. Even with my counselor telling the judge that with my background the possibility of re offense was at zero, Florida in all its misplaced knowledge designated me a predator. I have been around children all of my life and they are/were safer around me than around most teachers and policemen. I am no more a predator than I am “the man in the moon”. Yet my aspirations in life have been put on hold for 17 years and my daughter who has moved to be close by is having to endure another form of ‘victim-hood’ at the actions of a bunch of bureaucrats who use their power to destroy lives and families…and believe they are doing a service.
Captain,
Sir, glad you and your daughter have made amends sir. My crime involved my wife within the confines of our marriage in 1991 after returning from deployment during Desert Storm. No war hero here. Played in the Norwegian Snow while a war played out in the desert, and my wife played at home (motivation for crime).
I would have shaken her hand had she slept with the 7th fleet if I had a crystal ball. What I did was a cowardly thing to a woman I promised to love and protect, in defense of naught but my ego. Wish I could tell her so, but sometimes the best amends are to leave folks alone. God willing I’ll get the chance one day. I ain’t pushing it. Been happily married 14 years now and have two beautiful girls. Why I despise this registry so much. It punishes families as well as the offenders.
God bless and God speed Skipper. He forgives. Don’t know about you, but I’m disgusted I was once willing to die for what has become anything but a Constitutional Republic. Semper Fi!
May God bless you and your family and may we all one day be able to once again enjoy this beautiful country that we were willing to lay our lives on the line for. Traveling is one of the events on my ‘bucket list’.
Awesome work Gail!
just wondering how many homeless sex offenders Ron Crook has in housing assistance currently
I am overwhelmed by what is happening in our state. As a parent of a son still incarcerated, when do we gather together and file suit on the effects it has on us, the families. Don’t we have rights, it seems not with a loved one facing the registry. The worries and grief of parents, spouses and children etc. cannot be dismisseed any longer. This reaches beyond repercusions of any other crime. Personally, it has us in a state of continual confusion and unanswered questions, which continue to affect our lives in a negative way every day! How can we help our loved ones if at every turn we are told NO!
Miss Donna, you are giving voice to the actual outcomes associated with these laws.
You are doing what you can do. Support FAC. They are truly a God-Send and working on your son’s, and many other’s behalf. They recognize how negatively these laws impact the lives of innocent relatives, and are fighting these laws in our courts.
I too feel overwhelmed and know the stress of trying to protect my family from being adversely affected by these laws is taking years off my life. Keep the faith.
God bless you and yours.