09/27/2011
By Heather Turner
CORVALLIS - They say good fences make good neighbors, but in the case of one Corvallis neighborhood that might not be true.
Construction on a new fence was completed Monday afternoon at a home that houses three sexual offenders. One of them is a sexual predator. But neighbors say all the fence does is give a false sense of security.
- And the sex offender registry and residency restrictions are a false sense of security as well.
A fence typically provides security and privacy, but for Maria Juarez, who lives right next door, it might as well be invisible.
"The fence is not making me feel safe at all. I am standing here in my door and I still see them and even as they're sitting I can see their face and I know that they can see me," Juarez said.
For her, the fence doesn't do much. She's even given up gardening.
"Very unsafe, and very fearful, I've been feeling very sick physically," said Juarez.
Others who live nearby agree.
"I think that some people may feel a false sense of security. I don't feel any security at all with the fence," said Ramona Fricke.
So Tuesday, the neighbors took their concerns to the Benton County Board of Commissioners for a second time.
"I'm just asking for more help from the commissioners to try to get the state and Renew Consulting to be proactive and help address the situations," said Peter Fricke.
Renew Consulting managers are surprised that their new fence hasn't eased the concerns of neighbors. They hoped it would provide a sense of security and privacy for all.
On the other side of the house, Sandra Lyn Care Homes is having problems of its own with the sex offenders next door.
"My residents, they won't leave their bedroom windows open anymore, they don't want to go for walks, they don't like being out in the yard because of the neighbors gawking at them from the porch," Sandra Altheide, Sandra Lyn Care Homes owner.
Some of her female residents have even talked about moving elsewhere if the three sex offenders with mental illnesses continue to live next door.
So I wonder if killing them all would make them feel safe ? Seems like sex offenders do not have any rights at all . Where are the cops in all this ? I wonder what they are saying . I wonder just who will through the first stone . I see this as the start to some vigilante taking them out .
ReplyDeleteAll I hear going on is the residence are wanting to have them all move out . So just where would be a suitable place for them all to live ? Under a bridge ? Out in the woods ? Just where is a place we sex offenders can live with out being punished ?
ReplyDeleteSo we see that the government and the media has done an excellent job in terrifying it's citizens. I thought identifying people by means of a public registry was supposed to EMPOWER citizens and make them feel SAFER. At least in this article, that doesn't seem to be the case. A more intelligent approach would be for them to go and talk to these offenders.(they are neighbors,after all).
ReplyDeleteMabey they would find out that they are registered for something that happened 20 years ago, mabey one was falsely accused by an angry family member. Mabey,just mabey, the 3 men would admit that they are terrified wherever they go or live for the remainder of thier lives. You never know what you are dealing with until you deal with it. And the government insists that they have made citizens feel SAFER. Well, at what cost ladies and gentlemen?????
I just read this article and noted that no mention of their "mental illness" was made until the end of the article...
ReplyDeleteIs this an assumption on the part of the reporter? Did somebody actually diagnose these guys? For that matter, what are the particulars of their offenses?
If, as the report says, one is a "sexual predator" then who was his prey? A child, a woman, another man, what?
I doubt any of these hysterical neighbors have given the slightest thought to these issues. Thanks to the media and law enforcement, every sex offender is a child molester and/or a monster.
These people are saying they keep their windows closed and don't want to go outside for fear they may be "gawked" at? Get a life people!
You can either become a part of a community and adapt to change or you can move to the desert and wall yourself up in a bunker away from anything that may threaten you!
Here's a novel thought: why not stop by and say "hello" to your new neighbors. The devil you don't know is always worse than the devil you know. You might also find out that they aren't devils at all, just misunderstood...