Miami Residency Restrictions Force People to Live Under a Bridge

Today in Miami there exists a group of people living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway Bridge. Homelessness is not new so why is this group news worthy? These people, I say people because there are both men and women living there, are not homeless for the usual reasons. The local laws have made them homeless and they are told they have to live there by their parole/probation officers. Why is this? It's because Miami has passed some of the most restrictive residency laws in the country. And to compound the problem the other localities are passing the same restrictions. They are afraid that RFOs will come live in their towns and they don't want that to happen. So now other colonies are springing up under other bridges. Florida has made this group of people worth less then animals. As I watch these laws being passed around the country I wonder where it all will end? It is not politically expedient to come out against these type of laws, politicians don't want to look like they aren't as tough on Sex Offenders as their colleagues are. I fear that in time we will have encampments of RFSOs living in remote areas away from sight of the communities. Out of sight out of mind. Remember the encampments created during WWII? The only thing the people forced to live there did wrong is be oriental. Media hysteria during that day created the mindset that they would spy on us and want the Japanese we were fighting to over take the country. Today RFOs are in the center of a campaign of media hype that drives the public to fear a stranger will snatch their children. In spite of the facts that show over and over again that children are more then 95% of the time molested by members of their own family or trusted adults in their family circle. Another fact that is ignored is that over 90% of offenses are first time offenses, and that Former Sex Offenders have the lowest re-offense rate of any other group other then murders. Various Law Enforcement studies have placed the rate of new sex offenses committed at 3.5% .
Here in Maine the Justice committee has introduced and worked hard on a bill that is currently waiting to be voted on by the Legislature. This bill will make a state wide limit that towns can chose to adopt or not but they can not make their ordinances any harsher. The bill would place a limit of 750 feet around schools and public parks. A lot more reasonable then what some towns like Westbrook already have on the books. Even though there is no evidence that having residency restrictions in place do anything to make children safer, Maine Law makers seem to be trying to appease the public hysteria while at the same time allowing RFSOs to stay in their communities and not end up homeless like they are in Miami.