Letter - Sex offender concentration
In fact, there is a state law that forbids the “concentration” of sex offenders in Minnesota communities. What, exactly, constitutes “concentration” is not defined by the law. The law was a watered-down compromise of the original bill, sponsored by a state legislator from North Minneapolis, a community that is besieged by Level III sex offenders seeking housing from slumlords who don’t have to reside next to their own tenants.
To the editor:
This is in response to the article about Level III sex offender Gale Landeen moving to Alexandria [Echo Press, November 11, 2011]. Sorry about the delay in writing this letter but I only just today received a copy of that Echo Press in a care package that my sister sent me here in Afghanistan.
The article states the local police and Minnesota Department of Corrections may not direct where offenders do or do not reside. This statement may be true on the surface, but the whole truth is a bit more complicated. I’ve looked into this issue deeply and written about it on my blog, JohnnyNorthside.com.
In fact, there is a state law that forbids the “concentration” of sex offenders in Minnesota communities. What, exactly, constitutes “concentration” is not defined by the law. The law was a watered-down compromise of the original bill, sponsored by a state legislator from North Minneapolis, a community that is besieged by Level III sex offenders seeking housing from slumlords who don’t have to reside next to their own tenants.
If small communities don’t want sex offenders moving in, then these communities need to lawyer up and seek redress from the courts. Somebody needs to define what “concentration” means. I think it should mean “more than one per ZIP code.”
John Hoff, Combat Outpost Arian,
Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
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