Plan to Purge Predators Bad News for Rural America, Says Activist
by Jody Brown
May 4, 2005
(AgapePress) - An activist in Florida says a plan put forth recently by the mayor of Miami Beach to rid that city of sexual predators may appear to be a good idea -- unless you live in rural America.Under Florida law, registered sexual offenders cannot live within 1,000 feet of areas where children congregate. But Mayor David Dermer wants to more than double the limits of that buffer zone so that convicted offenders whose victims were under the age of 16 cannot live within 2,500 feet -- almost half a mile -- of any school, school bus stop, day care center, park, or playground.
Dermer's proposal has already been approved by the city commissioners, who will consider it again on May 18. If passed, it would take effect ten days later, effectively eliminating sexual offenders from the 7.5-mile long city that has 15 schools and 38 parks -- at least, that is the mayor's objective. "The intention of the law is to deal with very serious offenders, to not have them living within close proximity of potential victims," he tells CBS affiliate WFOR in Miami.
According to a report in the Miami Herald, the Miami Beach mayor's proposal has spurred "dozens of cities" across Florida to begin clamoring for wider buffer zones in their communities as well.
Chuck Pardee is president of the Internet forum called Newsbull.com, based in Florida. Pardee says Dermer is trying to place the burden of convicted sexual offenders on someone else: small-town America.
"On the surface, this sounds like a great plan -- until you consider that predators would be forced from large cities to the smaller communities of our nation," Pardee says. "Millions of Americans have chosen the small town lifestyle to raise their families [and] violence is one of the main reasons for moving from large metropolitan areas."
The Newsbull founder makes it clear he does not favor predators' rights, noting that a man convicted of raping three women lives directly behind him and that nothing would make his family happier than to have that person leave the neighborhood. But he does not think Dermer's plan is the proper solution, calling it "band-aid legislation."
"Every politician in America is searching for a 'silver bullet law' to kill this invasion of predatory vampires," he says, adding that not all ideas should necessarily become law. "Can you imagine the results of 50 gung-ho state legislatures passing four or five predator laws each? The rush to pass band-aid legislation could provide a temporary sense of security and may serve to re-elect some politicians -- but [it] will only add confusion to this complicated issue."
Pardee contends that any laws passed solely for political gain should be frowned upon, and urges communities to be united in their efforts to stop predators from getting to young victims. "[But] moving predators from one person's backyard to another's is not an acceptable solution for any responsible community," he states. "Mayor Dermer's plan is a slap in the face to those fighting this scourge on America."
There are currently about three dozen registered sex offenders in Miami Beach, according to news reports. They could face up to 60 days in jail if and when the new law takes effect.
