Very few individuals know that becoming a “sex offender” placed on the Sex Offender Registry could be as simple as dating a 17-year-old when you are 20 or sending a nude photo of yourself over your phone. Whether or not someone is a danger to society should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. When cities decide to exclude any and all “sex offenders” with what they think are common-sense restrictions on living quarters, they ought to be sued. Only the truly dangerous need to be prevented from moving in next door. We, as a society, need to be less fearful and more trusting of the parole system.
— Gail Lightfoot – Arroyo Grande
This article appears in Jul 9-16, 2015.