Highlights of 9th Annual NARSOL Conference
Weekly Update 2017-06-06
Dear Members and Advocates,
FAC has just returned from the 9th Annual NARSOL conference in Atlanta, Georgia, energized by the encouraging sessions and fueled with the information we brought back.
The highlights of this year’s conference were the sessions led by attorneys heading up some of the landmark cases in our arena. Miriam Aukerman, who represented the Plaintiffs in Does v Snyder (the 6th Circuit Case that held that Michigan’s registry IS PUNISHMENT), Phil Telfeyan, who represented Michael McGuire in McGuire v. Strange (Currently on appeal in the 11th Circuit – OUR Circuit – concerning the debilitating, unconstitutional and impossible to comply with requirements of the registry) and Paul Dubbeling, who represented the plaintiffs in Doe v. Cooper (which enjoined North Carolina’s proximity ordinance), spoke about their cases and the general landscape of “sex offender litigation”.
Speaking of which; another theme of this year’s conference is moving away from the term “sex offender”. The label “sex offender” has a horrible connotation to it. It’s so broadly applied that it can be used to define both a serial child molester or a sexting child. Its use is debilitating to human beings, which is what we all are – Humans. Another important take-away from the conference was that language matters! We need to be cognizant of the language we use and what subconscious impact it has on the listener. Take, for example, the term used to describe the buffer zone around a school, park, playground, daycare, place where children congregate, etc. When politicians refer to that area as a “child safety zone” it offers the implication that children will be safe inside that area (which we know is not the case). Using the term “exclusion zone” gives the same area a completely different connotation – one that excludes a class of individual. Whether in legal proceedings, when speaking with legislators or in our own conversations amongst ourselves, the terminology we use is important.
Annual conferences give everyone the opportunity to reflect on the past year and some of the accomplishments that have taken place. One year ago, we didn’t have the 6th Circuit decision in Does v. Snyder. One year from now, who knows… perhaps it’ll be picked up by the US Supreme Court? Annual conferences also give us an opportunity to share some of what FAC accomplished over the past year. One year ago, we didn’t have a victory in the 11th Circuit on our residency restriction case. One year ago, we didn’t have an Injunction in place for the Internet Identifier requirement. And one year ago, many of you receiving this message didn’t know that FAC existed!
Whether it’s a big gain or a little gain, it’s so important that we stay motivated and push ourselves. Sure there are setbacks, sure things happen far slower than we’d like and sure it’s a pain in the butt to always be fighting, but at the end of the day, year after year, we need to be able to look back and see that we did something!
Reminder that a New Member Orientation meeting will be this Thursday.June 8th. See below for details.
Also, we are in need of volunteers that have internet access and Excel experience. Contact anita@floridaactioncommittee.org or call 407-814-4203.
Sincerely,
The Florida Action Committee
P.S. Please remember to RSVP for the Untouchable Screenings and be sure to invite your community leaders to attend. It’s important! June 14th in Tampa (http://evite.me/zb33fptxt9) or June 20th in Ft. Lauderdale (http://evite.me/Cfe7rmwpHJ)
SOME HEADLINES FROM THIS WEEK
Starting over: Task force examining sex offender laws<https://floridaactioncommittee.org/starting-task-force-examining-sex-offender-laws/>
BLOOMINGTON – At the end of June, Brian Liska will mark the 20th anniversary of two life-changing milestones: the year he was convicted at 21 of sexually abusing a teenage girl, and two decades without an arrest for another sex offense. Liska spent 60 days in jail and…
This is what Marion County’s scare creates…<https://floridaactioncommittee.org/marion-countys-scare-creates/>
Marion County recently launched a campaign of posting warning signs at schools and visiting all the county’s registrants. The hysteria they are creating has prompted individuals to create their own signs. See the article below: ______ A Marion County woman wants…
The Puzzle of Housing Aging Sex Offenders<https://floridaactioncommittee.org/puzzle-housing-aging-sex-offenders/>
When state officials finally released William Cubbage from the Iowa Mental Health Institute in 2010, they predicted he was too sick to hurt anyone again. But the octogenarian only became an even more notorious sex offender. Between 1987 and 2000, Cubbage was convicted…
CA: Senate Passes Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421)<https://floridaactioncommittee.org/ca-senate-passes-tiered-registry-bill-sb-421/>
The Senate today, in a vote of 24 to 10, passed the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421). Prior to the vote, the bill’s author – Sen. Scott Wiener – explained why a tiered registry is necessary. His views were supported by Sen. Nancy Skinner, Chair of the Public Safety…