Former Detroit City Council president just before prison release: ‘What I did was wrong’
In searching for stories to post, I sometimes find the articles depressing, particularly the ones that discuss the offense or have negative comments. This particular story shows that we can have hope,though, even in the direst of situations. For me personally, I am thankful for “the days of small things”, as those small things, when all put together, can add up to a monumental one over time.
A previous Detroit City Council president and reporter/anchor for a news station in Detroit lost everything because of his sex crimes. He is now on the Michigan Sex Offense Registry for life after serving 5 ½ years in prison.
This returning citizen accepts that people will characterize him as a person who committed reprehensible actions, who violated the public’s trust. But this is a man, similar to thousands of registrants in Florida, who has turned his life around, taken responsibility for his actions, and refuses to dwell on the bad things as he wants to rebuild his life.
A longtime Detroit resident posted on Facebook that he hopes this former Detroit City Council president is given a second chance. Every law-abiding registrant deserves a second chance.
Then there is the commenter who asks, “Where is the sympathy for the victims?” There was great sympathy expressed for the victims after the arrest was made. Hopefully there were also services provided for these two male victims. One victim was awarded $250,000 and has every reason for the registrant to reintegrate back into society successfully with a decent-paying job. The other said there was nothing further to discuss. I am not hearing either of these victims reaching out for help anymore, even after the journalist tried to contact them for interviews. Maybe these two victims have been able to move from a victim to a survivor, which all mental health experts say is the goal.
So, where is the sympathy for the victims? Hopefully, there is an enormous amount of sympathy for any victim along with other resources to help them. There surely is plenty of help now in Florida because of a recent statute, but there has to be a time when the victimization period moves into a time of recovery. Then we begin to focus on restoration for the perpetrator of the offense by giving them a second chance, let the healing process begin, and society will be better off if all of this can occur.
Victim to Survivor…that should be sent to the CO SOMB for their consideration in their effort to think about different terms people should be labeled with in their minds. If people can go from one to the other in that vein, then the person who has a conviction can go from someone people think of as an offender (regardless of the crime) to a client when it comes to brass tacks of reintegration, rehabilitation, and moving forward. Everyone who wants to remain a victim by label should be asked if they want to become a survivor one day.
Victim to Survivor, Offender to Client…novel concept in labels.
He was lucky in having a lawyer who got a plea deal to avoid the first degree csc that he actually committed. Always seems to be a lesser time served when the victim is a boy rather than a girl.
Deciding only to ask registry bearing question, my personal attempt to stay positive, and offer hope, all I can say is yeppir. Registrants and their family all yearn for the productive assimilation into society. A pathway to removal seems just. C’mon 2022. Break it open .
In America, we unfortunately live in a victim-centric culture which is emotionally one-sided and steers public opinion. If that weren’t bad enough, victims and lawmakers attempt to “humanewash” the registry by pontificating: “It’s not meant to be punishment..”
It’s really cringey and creepy how “I only care about the victims” has been legitimized as routine and used to romanticize vicmtimology. Victims will always suffer from unrealistic expectations and a false sense of entitlement.
If their “recovery” means our suffering, then those are some insane unhealthy boundaries being normalized.
How can they even claim to be acting in good faith if it means dehumanizing others in order to achieve their goals?
When something bad happens anyone can be a victim, but it takes courage to be a survivor making oneself whole again. Why let the person who caused you harm run your life thinking the pain will go away? Living with someone else’s actions live rent free in your head is not a good choice causing more harm. Living life to the fullest will bring you more joy and can’t be achieved by staying a victim.
A step further, @Brandon beyond your excellent points, is “victim” can apply to anything bad, not just a person on person event, when one looks it up online for a definition, e.g. there are victims of the recent tornado outbreak in five states who will be survivors from here on out. It is only a person on person event that the term victim is maintained for purposes only those who use it know and not moved to survivor. This I will never understand why. There is the obvious reason, e.g. sympathy, for it because it draws on emotion, but beyond that, it really is an anchor holding people back.
TS
Are you serious?
It’s done preliminarily for the media attention, settlements, book deals,and paid speaking events. You can actually make a career out of being a professional victim in America because they’re glorified as folk heroes. .
It’s the whole “good vs evil” trope where everyone gets paid but us.