Founded in 2008, ABSOLUTE ZERO UNITES is a blog covering corrupt politicians and vigilantes who abuse sex offense registries to commit crimes (murder, assault, harassment, vandalism). This is a journalism blog; all articles posted in this blog is covered by Fair Use under 17 USC 107. All opinions are my own, and all persons featured here are (IMHO, of course) criminals and assorted losers.
Facebook 'vigilante' accused of posting rapist's address 25 SEPTEMBER 2014
A man who denies running a Facebook witch-hunt against p*****s is to be asked to reveal whether he posted a rapist's exact address, the High Court heard today. A judge also heard claims that the campaigner was hiding material that could aid the lawsuit brought against him by a convicted child m*****er. Mr McCloskey and Facebook are being jointly sued for damages by the s*x offender. The man, who cannot be identified, is claiming misuse of private information, harassment and breaches of the data protection act. Proceedings were launched after his photograph and details appeared last year on 'Keeping our kids safe from p*****s II', a Facebook page administrated by Mr McCloskey. He alleges that amid abusive comments on it others were inciting violence against him and trying to find out where he lives. One user called for him to be hung while others endorsed shooting him. The man claimed he was then threatened with being thrown off a pier during a fishing trip, hounded out of a cinema and had to use a supermarket trolley to fight off another tormentor. Mr McCloskey told the court he has "named and shamed" 400 s*x offenders through the page set up to monitor p******s. He also claimed his site has helped secure seven convictions. But he denied being responsible for a witch-hunt or hate campaign, stressing that he included a disclaimer opposing any violence of intimidation. In evidence he said he would remove any exact addresses for offenders if they were put on the page. However, lawyers for the plaintiff have now challenged his assertion based on material discovered during a Google search. The court heard postings attributed to Mr McCloskey were referred to on a website for s*x offenders. In one he comments on a rapist "living in flats near...". Other parts of the posting have been blanked out. As legal submissions got underway in the case, Mr Justice Stephens said the potential inference to be drawn was that the defendant does provide addresses. He told Barry McKenna, appearing for Mr McCloskey: "Your client can find out what the un-redacted posting is." The barrister confirmed that he had asked him to do that. Peter Girvan, for the plaintiff, also pointed to other references to hammers despite Mr McCloskey insisting he never incited violence. "It seems he was deliberately hiding materials from the plaintiff that assisted in his case," Mr Girvan added. The hearing continues.
This isn't quite on par with Offendex, but another company has sprung up to make money off Sex Offenders. It is called "Kids Live Safe," yet another company scaring people to buy their private registry. They have been quite aggressive in campaigning; it is not uncommon to see their Facebook posts on comment sections these days. But hey, if some dumb fuck wants to pay $30 a month or $60 a year to see registry info, more power to them. They deserve to be scammed!
It seems they've also been responsible for the email spam alerts that have been popping up with regularity as of late.
Making money off sex offender information by Garrett Bergquist Posted: 10.05.2014 at 7:50 PM Garrett Bergquist
NEW BLOOMFIELD -- How much money would you pay to know if any sex offenders live in your area? Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Kids Live Safe charges its subscribers $29.97 per month, or $59.88 per year, to tell them where registered sex offenders live in relation to their houses, schools or other places they frequent. Users can set up email alerts for up to four addresses, install filters to monitor their children's online activity, and create profiles of their children to give to law enforcement if their children ever disappear. Here's the catch: The sex offender information Kids Live Safe provides at cost can be accessed for free through the Missouri State Highway Patrol's website. Detective Tom O'Sullivan, of the Boone County Sheriff's Department, said state and federal law require anyone who commits a sex crime to register as a sex offender. The registry includes a description of the person and their vehicle, where they live and work and what crime they committed. Missouri law requires the Highway Patrol to make such information available through its website at no cost. Kids Live Safe representatives turned down multiple requests to speak on the record for this story. A company representative reached by phone said the subscription pays for tools government-run online databases cannot provide, such as the email alerts and filtering software. O'Sullivan said charging money for publicly available information is not illegal. "If it's available for free, you ought to try and explore that avenue before paying some money," he said. Kids Live Safe has a B+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and has been accredited by that institution since September 2011. BBB records show 28 complaints have been filed against the company in the last 3 years. Complaint details on the BBB's website showed complaintants wanted to stop emails from the company or had billing issues. Columbia residents Alex Holloway and Michael Lilien said they saw no point in paying for information they could access for free even if the fee brought additional services. "If somebody's a sicko, you need to know," Holloway said. Lilien, who has two young girls, said he checks the area around his address on the Highway Patrol's website every few months. "I would be willing to spend quite a bit if it wasn't something I would be able to get from a free site or to go on some sort of government website," Lilien said. http://kfor.com/2013/10/15/in-your-corner-suspicious-email-no-amber-alert/
In Your Corner: Suspicious email, no AMBER Alert POSTED 10:05 PM, OCTOBER 15, 2013, BY SCOTT HINES, UPDATED AT 10:14PM, OCTOBER 15, 2013 OKLAHOMA CITY – The In Your Corner team recently received word of a suspicious email circulating around the metro. It has the words “Amber Alert” in the subject head and claims “…sex offender activity has been detected in your area.” Gene Thaxton and the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety issue AMBER alerts in our state. amber Email from Kids Live Safe We alerted them to the email creating the stir. Thaxton said, “Nothing that Oklahoma, that I would issue, is going to look that way.” The link takes you to a website for a company called Kids Live Safe. They claim to protect families from registered sex offenders and offers a number of web-based services, including a sex offender monitoring service. You sign up for a trial run, then the company charges your credit card on a monthly basis. Our complaints though aren’t with the product, but the way it’s being advertised. A Kids Live Safe spokesperson sent us this statement: Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention and providing us with a copy of the email. As our attorney explained, Kids Live Safe contracts with 3rd party marketing organizations to distribute its marketing messages. Kids Live Safe has never authorized anyone to send emails as an “Amber Alert”, to use the phrase “Amber Alert” or to imply any connection to a government entity. We are diligently investigating this issue and as soon as we identify the marketing organization responsible for this we will take appropriate action to ensure this does not happen again. Please tell your viewers that if they receive any further messages like this to please forward to us at support@kidslivesafe.com or let us know through the “contact us” form on our website. Kind regards, The Kids Live Safe Team Here’s the In Your Corner bottom line. As of now, the state will never notify you of an AMBER alert by email or text. To verify an AMBER alert, check with law enforcement or a media outlet. DPS will also post an alert on its website. Keep this in mind. You can always access the national and state sex offender registries for free.
You'd think with all of her "research," she would at least post anecdotal evidence that actually proves her argument (in this case, instances of registered sex offenders committing crimes at fairs). Instead, she posts three cases of people WITH NO PRIOR SEX OFFENSE ARRESTS to prove her point. Come to think of it, did she even have a point?
Val, don't try running with the big dogs, you're not very good at it.
I do feel guilty constantly schooling Valerie Parkhurst, though, I feel like I'm picking on someone who is mentally handicapped.
I wonder if the idiots at NPFP considered the fact that if there was a "Purge," some victims of their harassment may decide to rid the world of NPFP? But I digress.
A funny thing happens to those who spend so much time obsessing over their efforts to dehumanize people. They are eager to jump headfirst into any event that allows them to release their venom. But in behaving like fire ants, they tend to miss a few facts. Here are some of their most recent discussions:
So, the report was a false alarm, as mentioned by one commenter (after the "kill him" comment, of course). What is worse is after this revelation, another idiot posts "Get um boys!!" and NPFP "Likes" the comment. So, they "like" the violent comment posted AFTER it was revealed this report was a false alarm? This them is repeated in a post made the day before this post was made:
It seems some people helped get a Registered Citizen fired from his job, which is harassment. Itrerestingly enough, the idiots at NPFP not only released inaccurate info about their victim, they "liked" their own comments (a mark of douchebaggery, something that NPFP members are prone to be). I hope whoever they targeted read this and sue NPFP. I do like that people are starting to question the management at NPFP, though. No doubt they'll accuse all those people of being "pedos" or those detractors are really the people who run this blog in disguise. They are paranoid, that's for sure!
You can't trust a group that jumps the gun and goes after people without having the facts. This is another reason why scum like NPFP should be locked up.
ADDENDUM: Just thought I'd add a few more screenshots of the "debate" at NPFP, if you can call it that.
It seems David Rowe can't control his temper, even with supporters. I am just amazed these random people have not been accused of being me.
I can't stand the term "hacktivist." "Hackorrist" would be more befitting a group like Anonymous. So Anonymous screwed up and put the wrong officer's life in danger in the Ferguson shooting incident.
Let me remind you that I'm not a fan of the police by any means. I support sites like Cop Block. I protested the FOP convention in my city of residence last summer. I also live in a city that has had an issue with race relations. Living in the hood for a few years, I understand the difficulty in trying to maintain peace between the races (both sides have their beliefs about the races and can be racist). It is a volatile situation.
However, in a sensitive incident like the Ferguson MO shooting, it is helpful to have the right info, given that rioting and civil unrest has occurred there.
In the midst of this, some members of Anonymous (because they aren't a collective unit but a bunch of dumbasses using the same group name) proudly proclaimed a man by the name of Bryan Willman was the officer who killed the black teenager in Ferguson:
A Twitter account associated with the hacktivist collective Anonymous said on Thursday that they've named the officer who killed Brown, 18, over the weekend, and have posted photographs purported to be of the man.
Law enforcement has thus far been unwilling to publicize the name of the officer involved in the shooting death despite calls from the public and press alike. Hackers and activists affiliated with the internationally-dispersed Anonymous collective have vowed to disclose the cop’s identity if officials declined to do so on their own, however, and on Thursday said that Willman is the officer responsible. “St. Louis County PD claims Bryan Willman doesn't work for them or #Ferguson PD. We'll see about that,” TheAnonMessage Twitter account tweeted early Thursday.
Moments later at 11:00 am CST, the same account posted screenshots alleged to have come from Willman’s personal Facebook account earlier this week, and outted him as the shooter.
“But the job title says it all. Guessing everyone is forgetting about that,” responded a follower.
“You have a good point. All changed!!” replied Willman.
Earlier Thursday, the official Twitter account for the St. Louis County Police Department declined that Willman was an employee of either their office or the Ferguson PD...
Hacktivists involved in the Anonymous campaign known as #OpFerguson told RT’s Andrew Blake on Thursday that they would continue to steadily release information about the officer they believe to have killed Brown, and promised to post his address and other personal information later in the day if law enforcement failed to name the officer on their own.
When asked if the collective is confident they’ve identified the shooter, one Anon answered: “They shouldn't leave anyone to guess. Period.”
“The US government misfires and accidentally kills citizens all the time, especially overseas, and no one bats an eye. But if a wrong name is released because THEY refuse to release one? That's cool, because we don't have the data they do,” one Anon involved in #OpFerguson told Blake.
Members of Anonymous — the shadowy, snide international collective of hackers and online activists — have played a key role in the growing confrontation outside St. Louis over Mr. Brown’s death, goading and threatening the authorities, and calling the effort Operation Ferguson.
Operations in the collective’s decade-long history have included taking down the World Cup website to protest poverty, helping identify assailants in a rape case in Ohio, cheering on the Occupy Wall Street movement and carrying out coordinated cyberassaults on repressive foreign governments. But this one ran into trouble faster than most.
The St. Louis police said on Twitter that the name given out was wrong, and that the man was not even a police officer. Within Anonymous there was an unusual amount of dissent. In interviews, in private chat channels and on Twitter, members accused those who had initially posted details of producing faulty information and putting one another in harm’s way by openly chatting about their methods online.
On Thursday, Twitter suspended @TheAnonMessage, the account that had posted the dubious information about the officer, although Twitter officials declined to say why. Those behind the account said in an email that they would post information from a backup account, @TheAnonMessage2, while other Twitter accounts affiliated with Anonymous tried to distance themselves from the post.
“But for the record, one last time. Operation Ferguson has NOT, repeat NOT released the name of Mike Brown’s killer, nor have we claimed to,” the individual behind the Operation Ferguson account said on Twitter.
Gabriella Coleman, an anthropologist who studies Anonymous and teaches at McGill University in Montreal, said she was taken aback that members of Anonymous would be so quick to release unverified information, and would speak so openly about their methods in online chat channels.
“My jaw was dropping,” Ms. Coleman said, reading members’ communications. “I was surprised because what I was seeing was suggestive but not definitive. Anonymous tends to care about its image quite a bit, and if they were wrong, it would be really bad.”
In private chat channels early Thursday, she said, members argued about the release of a photo of a man who resembled one of the officers at the scene of Mr. Brown’s shooting...
Members assert that the organization is not a group but a loose collective working to advance similar ideals — but sometimes contradictory ones. While Anonymous espouses privacy, its members also use the release of others’ personal information as a tactic in cases where they believe the authorities are not acting in the public interest, or the news media has not released pertinent information. Members are quick to condemn any individual who claims to speak for the entire collective, and dissent and infighting are common.
Members also sought to explain the internal bickering and uncoordinated communications.
“For those new to Anonymous, it’s a global collective of millions of autonomous individuals and groups,” an Operation Ferguson post on Twitter said. “Each is responsible for themselves only.”...
Some members were desperate in their pleas this week that the man’s photo not be released until more definitive information had been gathered. Ultimately, some members held a vote and decided to release the photo.
But within hours, many had backtracked. Some openly said the “dox” — a hacking term for the release of an individual’s personal information — had been wrong. “The original dox were faulty, it happens, an excess of zeal,” one Anonymous member said in a direct message on Twitter. The infighting seemed to have taken its toll. Those behind the @TheAnonMessage2 account, who were behind the initial disclosures, had grown considerably more circumspect.
I do find it ironic that Anonymous, a group that loves anonymity, uses public disclosure of info that should be private as an intimidation tactic. It is just like a certain public registry.
The people's voice is angry: Outcry over sex offender's release fires up social media — but when does the fire get out of control?
By Sarah Tisinger
MUSCATINE, Iowa — When a 23-year-old Muscatine man convicted of lascivious acts with a child was released from prison after serving four years of a 15-year sentence, the People of Muscatine exploded.
The outrage began after a July 30 post that appeared on the People of Muscatine Facebook page began taking on a life of its own. The post by the page's administrator was asking about the release of Robert A. Howard from prison. Howard was sentenced to prison in 2010 after being found guilty of sexually abusing his girlfriend's baby son. It didn't take long before responses to the post included death threats, graphic descriptions of bodily mutilation, and even jokes about Howard's arrest. The anger wasn't directed entirely at Howard. One post said that the child's mother should be "stomped." Another person, who posted a defense of Howard, was the target of outrage: "I guess Jessica needs to have her baby molested by this [man] to feel different."
The original post, and others after it, generated several hundred comments, nearly 50,000 views, and attracted the attention of KWQC-TV, who reported on Howard's release under the headline, "Child sex offender released early from prison." What got lost in the public's outcry was the fact that Howard's release wasn't really early. He was released exactly when the law allowed.
The case began in 2010 when Howard, then 19, was charged with second-degree sexual abuse and child endangerment following a confession in which he admitted sexually abusing his girlfriend's 17-month-old boy.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison on the charges. The charges were punishable by up to 30 years in prison and he was not eligible for parole until he served at least 17 1/2 of those years.
However, Howard appealed the charges and the case eventually ended up in the Iowa Supreme Court, where the judges granted him a new trial because, according to court documents, "The Detective promised leniency for a confession, which was admitted during trial. The State failed to establish Howard was not prejudiced by the erroneous admission of his confession. Accordingly, the error was not harmless, and Howard is entitled to a new trial on the charge of child endangerment."
During the new trial, Howard pleaded guilty to the amended charges of lascivious acts with a child and child endangerment causing injury. He was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. He served four of those years at the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility, a medium security institution designed for the treatment of men with character disorders, substance offenses, and sexual offenders.
Muscatine County Attorney Alan Ostergren said that Howard was not released early but received credit for time served after his arrest in January 2010, and also received earned time, as per Iowa code.
"He will have essentially served the maximum time allowed under the rules for credit for earned time — 1.1 days of credit for every day served. He will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life. He will also have to register as a sex offender," said Ostergren.
Ardyth Orr, captain with the Muscatine Sheriff's Office, has handled county sex offender cases since 2009 and said that as far as prison time goes, Howard spent more time than most.
"What we see coming out of the Department of Corrections is that inmates are serving about 10 percent of the time they're sentenced to. I think that's something people don't realize," said Orr, who believes that the prisons are simply full so the DOC is granting earned time. "When you're the victim of any crime you want them to spend incarceration time that they were sentenced; it's very confusing to people."
The fact that Howard served what the law said he had to hasn't caused cooler heads to prevail online though. But, according to Lt. Jeff Jirak of the Muscatine Police Department, while people have to right to say what they want on social media, they should exercise caution. "In all of our cases, we have to corroborate what people are saying, especially if it's over social media," said Jirak. "It's unlikely we would base a charge solely on what's being said on social media. Anybody can put anything out there; we try to police it the best we can but we have limitations. We certainly are interested in any death threats and assaultive behavior."
When contacted by the Journal for a response to the furor generated over the initial post, the page's administrator did not wish to be quoted for the story by name. But in a July 31 post, he did warn users to watch what they say: "Note: I take no responsibility of what happens from this post. I'm not the person wishing harm on this man. You guys can argue amongst yourselves but please don't make this page the cause of any actions after this posting. Some of you should probably watch what you type here."
Some Facebook users have made posts claiming to have seen Howard in Muscatine, even posting the vehicle description and license plate number of the car he was believed to have been seen in and the restaurants he visited. Howard's most recent registration on the Iowa sex offender registry has him listed as living in Clinton.
However, since the posters were not following Howard and he was in the public view, this behavior isn't legally considered stalking, harassment or defamation of character.
Orr said sex offenders are still allowed to spend the night in places other than their registered counties.
"I tell the offenders if they're going to be gone for three or four days, they should report it to me. The law is to report anything longer than five business days," said Orr. "It's best for the offender and for the community. That way everyone is on the same playing field. The crime [Howard] was found guilty of does not have living restrictions. He may have some employment restrictions and can't loiter outside the library or go to the public swimming pool. But he can live right next to any one of those."
As for what the public is allowed to do when it comes to sex offenders? They can remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to the police. They can keep a close watch on their own children and teach them to steer clear of strangers. They can keep tabs on where sex offenders live. But taking the law into their own hands puts them at risk of having the cuffs slapped on those hands.
"As the law reads, there has to be specific examples of harassing the person directly," said Jirak of people's actions toward Howard so far. "I may or may not like what happened to this individual, that's not for me to say, but he has rights now that he's out [of prison]. With those rights, doesn't he have protection from someone threatening his life? Nobody in this country has the legal right to threaten another person's life."
“How do we rehabilitate a sex offender? They
cannot be fixed, what they can do, is convinced the Psychologists that they are
‘fixed’ and they are safe to be released into society. The only cure for child
abusers and molesters is to have every member of their immediate family killed.
These nefarious crimes and people should not be allowed to procreate. By
destroying their immediate family members, you purify the blood line. This is
the only way to ensure that they (the pervert or family) cannot ever hurt a
child again. Liberals will think that these statements are immature and that I
must be empty headed. How many people consider the children that were abused or
molested? What about the mental destruction that this child has to live with
for the rest of their lives? How these children will find it difficult to ever
trust another person. How these children may possibly never be able to have
children of their own, because they were raped so severe, that it damaged them
permanently? I don't think my suggestion is immature, I think it's the
only answer, and if you don't agree, then you two should be destroyed[i].” –
Jeremy Moody, “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” Lulu Publishing, 2012. p.5
On
Sunday, June 8, 2014, Jay Maynor[ii]
of Cullman, Alabama shot and killed Raymond Earl Brooks, a registered citizen,
who had served time for a sex crime against Maynor’s daughter 12 years ago[iii].
As with any story involving so-called “vigilante justice,” there are plenty of
individuals coming out of the woodwork proclaiming this man a “hero.” The
killer’s family has set up a Facebook page[iv]
and a defense fund[v],
and has raised $1500 in 10 days (the listed goal is $5000). A few of the
comments from the fundraiser page are frightening and disturbing indeed:
“There is no room in this world for
pedophiles. They cannot be rehabilitated, and there is no cure. They should all
be chucked off a boat and left for sharks.” – Holly Perkins
“We have several sexual offenders living
around us. Unless they start neutering them, I am with Mr. Maynor kind of
justice.” – Kat Perry, who donated $5.00
“As a survivor of abuse I support Mr. Maynor
for seeking justice for his daughter. This demon should have never been allowed
to walk the streets again, to have the chance to abuse another child. You are a
hero to me Mr. Maynor.” – Jeanna Phillips, who donated $20.00
Jay Maynor's Mugshot
A
woman by the name of Kayla Maddux[vi],
whose Facebook picture is a blue variation of the “Keep Calm” internet meme
proclaiming “Keep Calm and Free Jaybird,” posted a comment to detractors at the
Cullman Times, stating, “Dont [sic]
go trying to tell facts when you dont know them.” When has the lack of facts
stop the mass media from exploiting the tragedy for ratings? Even though the AP
story didn’t mention the shooter’s name to “protect the victim’s identity,”
they had no reservations posting the victim’s mug shot and proclaim him a sex
offender[vii].
The lack of details didn’t stop Catherine Connors, an executive with the Walt
Disney Company and “award winning blogger,” from writing a post on the Nancy Grace
HLN site hinting that what Maynor did, although legally wrong, is
understandable and she would be tempted to do the same thing. Connors states, “I
know, if something like this happened to me, I might be tempted to do wrong,
too[viii].”
Michelle Lund from CrimeJail.com called the victim’s father a “pedo-sympathizer”
and claimed that Cullman County Sheriff Mike Rainey cares more about sex
offenders than “a father who had to watch her child suffer[ix].”
Dr. Drew’s “Behavioral Bureau” also added their two cents[x]. HLN
is notorious for focusing on stories such as this one.
The
Dr. Drew show deserves a more in-depth critique. I have had the privilege of
taking on Dr. Drew’s “Behavior Bureau” on two occasions in the past year. This
is how the Bureau works – the show invites a panel of personalities to come on
the show to discuss various topics, and not all of the panelists have explicit
knowledge of the subject at hand. For this particular episode, the panelists
were Leeann Tweeden, a TV sportscaster for poker and baseball’s Anaheim Angels,
Anahita Sedaghatfar, a civil defense attorney and TV analyst, and Jason Ellis,
a journeyman MMA fighter (who only fought two matches) who hosts a show on
Sirius XM radio. Out of three individuals, only one has any degree of criminal
justice experience, so the outcome of the show should come as no surprise.
Defense
attorney Anahita Sedaghatfar stated she was against vigilante violence and that
we can't be allowed to take the law into our own hands, but in the end, she
still stated, “I would definitely defend [Maynor]. I think he has a strong case
for mitigation in terms of sentencing.” As expected, the discussion simply went
downhill from this point. Leeann Tweeden stares glaringly into the camera and
proudly proclaims, “You do that to my child, I will shoot you in the head.” Jason
Ellis gave the strangest statement of all. So, I don`t wanna -- I already said
what I had to say, this -- when you bring up the extra -- I mean, I didn`t remember
until I was 40 who the guy was that molested me. So, I didn`t know until I was
about 26 that I`d been molested. I had to take a bunch of acid and they also
recall it. Then, at 40 I find out who it is, because my body can`t even handle
knowing who it is. You did that to that girl in that fashion, I don`t need to
be related to the girl, I`ll kill him right now [xi].”
It is interesting that Jason Ellis just stated that he “recalled” abuse that
happened decades ago. (The False Memory Syndrome[xii] controversy
continues, but that is a discussion for a different day.) The point is whether
we want a person who took headshots for a living (like Ellis) or some “eye-candy”
model who peddles her body for a living (like Weeden) to dictate the rules of
society, especially not knowing the whole story behind the murders.
Returning
to Kayla Maddux’s statement about knowing “all the facts,” supplemental
articles have put together the facts. This is the complete story up until this
point. The day of the murder, Jay Maynor got into an argument with his stepdaughter’s
boyfriend (investigators say there was “bad blood” between the two men), and
apparently, somewhere along the way, the boyfriend used the sexual abuse
narrative to criticize Maynor, sending him into a rage. Maynor pulled out a gun
and shot into the Berlin Quick Mart gas station where the boyfriend was
sitting. Maynor then went to the home of Raymond Earl Brooks and ambushed him,
killing him in the home of his parents. The defense made the claim that a “catalyst”
or “triggering event” that should considered mitigating factors for lowering
his bail[xiii].
It
is rather ironic that the term “trigger” was used Maynor’s defense since
pulling a gun trigger landed Maynor in jail. The term “Trigger Warning” (or TW
for short) is a relatively new buzzword. “In the area of mental health, a
trigger is something which causes instant distress in a vulnerable person. If
you know what can trigger a bad reaction, you can try to avoid those triggers
in the same way that someone with an allergy might take steps to avoid dogs.” Trigger
warnings first appeared on feminist websites to flag up stories of abuse[xiv].
This word is particularly dangerous because, in the words of Rhiannon Cosslett,
triggers “smacked to me of victimhood.” Cosslett does not believe triggers
hinder free speech, but states, “they do display an increasingly nannying approach
to language that is being used to shut down discourse and to silence. Often, it
is coupled with a sense of passive aggressive glee…I do not doubt that they are
of enormous service to survivors with specific triggers likely to reoccur on
feminist websites, but it has got to a point now where I feel women I have
never met are trying to wrap me in cotton wool, and I detest that. PTSD can
make you hypersensitive and hyper-aware…[xv]”Furthermore,
trigger words perpetuates cultural victimhood; as one example, college campuses
are considering placing trigger warnings on classic literature because people
do not like feeling even slightly uncomfortable. As one RT reporter proclaimed,
“Our kids WANT to be nannied. They WANT to be protected, and feel safe, and
coddled [xvi].”
And fear justifies some very atrocious behavior, like canonizing a man who
shoots into a business establishment because he later killed a pariah of
society.
When
society canonizes a vigilante, society overlooks a lot of things; however, we
should not forget Maynor’s actions have harmed many people, not just the
murdered Registrant. Those victimized by Maynor’s actions found Maynor to be
anything but heroic.
At
Maynor’s bond hearing, “Cullman County District Attorney Wilson Blaylock called
two witnesses, Jeremy Trimble and Bobby Weeks, who were present for the gas
station shooting. Trimble testified he was present in the store at the time of
the shooting and claimed one of the stray bullets came within 10 feet of
hitting his child. ‘I was alarmed for my son’s safety and it made my heart
stop,” he said. “He tried to shoot someone and shot another man.’Weeks was
attending a child’s birthday party at the karaoke business located beside the
gas station and said he heard a gun shot then looked outside to see Maynor with
a gun drawn chasing another man. At that point, Weeks said he gathered the
children together and took them inside for safety. ‘It sounded like he was
yelling, ‘Come here you motherfucker,’ Weeks testified. ‘It scared me and the
kids[xvii].’”
Jay Maynor shows us how he feels about society's rules
“Mike
Hays, who cooks and operates a small barbecue restaurant inside Berlin Plaza
Quick Stop, where the shooting occurred, said he came face-to-face with the
shooter after the man opened fire outside and then entered the store looking
for his intended victim, who wasn't hurt. ‘People here are calling him a hero
for killing a child molester. I'm calling him a psychopathic lunatic for
endangering peoples' lives, including mine,’ Hays said. After stopping his
motorcycle at an intersection outside the store, the father fired once at a man
who was standing beside an ice cooler, Hays said. The bullet entered an
exterior wall of the store and chipped a window but no one was injured. Hays
said he retrieved his own weapon and confronted [Maynor] near the cash
register. ‘He had the gun down by his side. He was calm, as calm as you are
standing there now. But he had that look in his eye,’ said Hays. ‘I have no
problem with him shooting a child molester, just not 12 years later. If it was
my daughter he would have died back in 2002[xviii].’”
“Brooks'
father, Ralph Brooks, told WBRC-TV in Birmingham that his son did not deserve
to die. He said Raymond Earl Brooks turned his life around after his conviction
and lived a godly life that included being active in his church. Because his
son's conviction happened so long ago, he said he couldn't be sure if the shooting
was a form of revenge. ‘It would be unbelievable to hold animosity in your
heart for 12 years,’ Brooks said[xix].”
It
should not be surprising with anyone that Jay Maynor had a criminal history.
Maynor had made several court appearances over the years—once for DUI and three
times for domestic violence (though the domestic violence charges were
eventually dropped). It is laughable Maynor’s defense attorney brought these
prior charges up in attempt to show the court that Maynor would come to court
responsibly and should thus receive a lower bond. Thankfully bail was not
reduced[xx].
This
story has played out numerous times over the years. This brings me to the
statement by Jeremy Moody at the beginning of this article. Moody’s proclamation
could have been written just as easily by any anonymous commenter. But Moody’s
proclamation was written in a self-written skinhead manifesto, alongside
discussions on racial purity and ethnic cleansing. (Ironically, the head of
Moody’s skinhead group, known as “Crew 41,” is a Registered Citizen[xxi].)
Patrick Drum, who murdered two registrants in Washington State in 2012, had 47
criminal convictions over a 15 year period, including assault, drug, and burglary
charges. One of his victims landed on the list for a consensual act with a teen
when he was 17 years old. Drum and the Moody clan were unrepentant thugs with
disgusting pasts. Had they killed anyone else, society would not have given any
of them a second thought except to call for the heads of these men on a silver
platter. But because their victims were Registered Citizens, people want to
give murderers a free pass.
Even
the Neo-Nazi skinhead Jeremy Moody had support from the public, as illustrated
by this statement from a CNN commenter:
Kimberly269life
– “In this case the dude had been convicted of a sex crime on a child!where is
the good old killemall mindset we normally apply to pedophiles?What is your
prob people? Pedophilia is a well known incurable condition-even castration
doesn not cure this despicable condition in many men! He def needed killing.His
wife on the other hand seems to have been collateral damage-but thats the price
you pay for being connected to child molesters! Its true that many wives allow
crimes against children-their own and others-by doing nothing and turning
away.They are culpable.They are helping ! Nazis and other white supremists are
really disgusting people-yes-but the pedophile is probably even lower
...frankly its a win/win from what I can see[xxii]”
[Kimberly’s grammatical errors included]
The
vigilante violence and the people who support them are definitive proof the
registry, or any degree of public disclosure of Registered Citizens in the
community, should be abolished. Until the registry is abolished, we will see
this same story play out repeatedly in the coming years. Patt Morrison from the
LA Times says, “Justice in a
democracy cannot be some tit-for-tat clan vendetta, or determined by bribes or
bias. It must be the dispassionate act of the people and the state, whose good
order and laws have been violated. Vigilante justice erodes the authority and
regard for a legal system that can’t be about vengeance or passion…And when an Alabama father or a
California mother usurps that role, they are not heroes, because vengeance is
not justice. And justice, not just someone’s child, becomes a victim too[xxiii].”The
registry is a “catalyst” and a “trigger event” that enrages the community, and
when a person is assaulted or murdered because of this registry, justice is
perverted.
[ii]
In terestingly enough, the AP did not publish the perpetrator’s name, stating “The
Associated Press doesn't identify victims of sex crimes, and it isn't naming
the man charged with murder to protect his daughter's identity.” Yet, they
published the victim's name and picture and proclaimed him a sex offender. See
Jay Reeves, “ALABAMA MAN CHARGED IN SLAYING GAINS SUPPORT.” AP, June 10, 2014. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/alabama-man-charged-slaying-gains-support
[iii]
Trent Moore, “Cullman man charged with murder in Berlin shooting.” Cullman
Times, June 9, 2014. http://www.cullmantimes.com/breakingnews/x1396881180/Cullman-man-charged-with-murder-in-Berlin-shooting
[vi]Apparently Kayla the daughter of
Jay Maynor, though she does not list him as her father on her Facebook page.
[vii] Jay
Reeves, “ALABAMA MAN CHARGED IN SLAYING GAINS SUPPORT.” AP, June 10, 2014.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/alabama-man-charged-slaying-gains-support
[viii]
Catherine Commons, “Avenging a horrid crime: Right, but still wrong?” HLN, June
18, 2014. http://www.hlntv.com/article/2014/06/18/catherine-connors-dad-kills-sex-offender-two-wrongs-right
[ix]
Michelle Lund, “Jay Maynor, Hero Shoots Man Who Molested His Daughter.”
CrimeJail.com, June 14, 2014. http://crimejail.com/jay-maynor-hero-shoots-man-abused-daughter/
[x]
Dr. Drew staff, “Father charged in shooting death of daughter's molester.” HLN,
June 12, 2014. http://www.hlntv.com/video/2014/06/12/father-kills-daughter-sex-offender-decade-later
[xiv] “Trigger
warnings: What do they do?” BBC, Feb. 24, 2014. http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-ouch-26295437
[xv]
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, “Why I don’t agree with trigger warnings.” New
Statesman, Jan. 29, 2013. http://www.newstatesman.com/sci-tech/2013/01/why-i-dont-agree-trigger-warnings
[xvi] “Our
Kids Want to be Nannied. We’re Screwed.” The Resident (Russia Today), May 27,
2014. http://www.theresident.net/our-kids-want-to-be-nannied-were-screwed/
[xvii]
Trent Moore, “BREAKING: Bond reduction denied in Maynor murder case.” Cullman
Times, June 19, 2014. http://www.cullmantimes.com/breakingnews/x1669975480/BREAKING-Bond-reduction-denied-in-Maynor-murder-case
[xviii]
Jay Reeves, “ALABAMA MAN CHARGED IN SLAYING GAINS SUPPORT.” AP, June 10, 2014.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/alabama-man-charged-slaying-gains-support
[xxi] “Killing
Sex Offenders: The Apparent Hypocrisy of Crew 41.” Southern Poverty Law Center,
July 29, 2013. http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2013/07/29/killing-sex-offenders-the-apparent-hypocrisy-of-crew-41-2/
[xxiii]
Patt Morrison, “Opinion Does an angry parent killing a child molester ever
serve justice?” LA Times, June 17, 2014. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-jay-maynor-ellie-nesler-child-molesters-justice-20140616-story.html
The website was full of lies and unfounded allegations. And for at least two months, the garbage site known as Evil-Unveiled has been offline.
It was never a useful site to begin with. Essentially it was just junk Perverted-Justice members created to assassinate the characters of their detractors. PJ got rid of the project after they were sued, and a mentally ill disgruntled ex-PJer took the info and created the website.
It seems under independent ownership, interest in the operation was virtually non-existent, so much so even the owner of the site doesn't want to spend the money on optimization. So for now, the trash site is gone. May it stay gone.
Here is the thing, the person at the center of this story did something he shouldn't have done, even if it is legal to do so. However, it should be illegal for people to harass registered citizens, something Valerie Parkhurst is known to do. Yet, the Florida registry website has no disclaimers stating it is illegal to harass or bully registered persons in the state of FloriDUH. The other question: Why, if this man is conveniently in violation of state law at his residence, was he given the green light to move in to begin with? Smells fishy to me.
Val, an "activist?" As much as the KKK are race relations activists.
If Davie PD had some balls, they'd find a way to eliminate this vile piece of slugshit from their city.
Police Give Alleged Photo-Snapping Sex Offender 30-Days To Relocate May 16, 2014 6:05 PM By: Ted Scouten DAVIE (CBSMiami) – Police have given a registered sex offender who was seen allegedly taking a photo of a 9-year-old girl, inside of a Publix supermarket, 30-days to find a new residence. The case began when the mother of the 9-year-old girl, Maria Leon, said she learned about the incident that happened Monday. “This sex offender started taking pictures of my daughter. She was there with my father. Someone in line saw him doing it and notified my Dad and called the manager.” Activist Valerie Parkhurst, along with Leon are grateful that stranger noticed and spoke up. “We need to look out for our fellow human beings,” said Parkhurst. “It’s just imperative that we look out for one another and be alert for something like this. These guys are prolific, they’re everywhere.” Davie Police were alerted and investigated 64-year-old registered sex offender Joseph Fezza. While police found the picture “inappropriate,” they could find anything illegal about the sex offender’s actions. Captain Dale Engle of the Davie Police Department said, “Initially he wasn’t truthful. He denied taking pictures. We found pictures of the girl. It was inappropriate but no violation of the law.” Davie Police checked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the state of New York and found no provisions barring Fezza from taking such pictures. They can also not prove Fezza violated the state’s voyeurism law. “First we have to be able to prove he took the pictures for lewd reasons,” he said. “Second there has to be an expectation of privacy and in such public places as Publix, there is no expectation of privacy.” Engle said that police deleted the picture they found on Fezza’s phone of Leon’s daughter. Fezza, however, was told though to stay away from the supermarket and police said he was given a 30-day notice of violation of a city ordinance that as a sexual offender he lives within certain distance of a school, daycare or park. A manager where Fezza lived told CBS4 Friday that he has been evicted. Leon plans to join other mothers Saturday at 8:30 a.m. in passing out flyers about the sex offender being in the area of Pines Boulevard just east of University Drive where Fezza lived. Parkhurst is an activist. She plans to join the protest and pass out flyers. “Normal people don’t do this. this guy isn’t normal. he got caught.” Leon told CBS4’s Peter D’Oench, “It is disgusting. I am angry. I am really determined to warn other parents that this is happening.” A warning was posted on Facebook about Fezza for parents in the area of Davie, Hollywood and Pembroke Pines. Police want to know if anyone has noticed other suspicious activity in the area. Call Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS.
Maybe that Maria Leon woman should get better associates that the Valcoholic.
The one thing that stands out to me in this story is not the award but who was the award-- an actual registered citizen. To me, it seems if Chuck and Brent of Offendex limit themselves to extorting actual registrants, then this jury gave them the green light.
Jury awards $3.4M to victims of sex offender websites Robert Anglen, The Republic | azcentral.com 7:33 p.m. MST May 15, 2014 Jury delivers unanimous $3.4 million verdict against sex offender Websites operator Victims targeted for harassment on sex-offender websites pleaded with a Maricopa County jury to financially punish the owner and take away his ability to continue operating. On Wednesday, the jury listened. In a unanimous verdict, jurors hit Valley businessman Charles "Chuck" Rodrick with a $3.4 million judgment on behalf of three people profiled on websites such as Offendex.com, SORArchives and SexOffenderrecord.com. Rodrick is accused of running an Internet extortion racket that used public records maintained by law enforcement to demand money from sex offenders, harassing those who complained. The jury awarded victims almost $500,000 in actual damages and $2.9 million in punitive damages, agreeing Rodrick defamed them, invaded their privacy, put them in a false light and abused the court system by filing lawsuits against them as a form of retaliation. : Sex offender data is used to collect money and intimidate : Scrutiny suspends websites' dealings : Court hammers operator of Internet intimidation sites The decision came after the court last week declared Rodrick the defendant in defamation lawsuits he filed more than a year ago against those who publicly decried the websites, including his ex-wife, her boyfriend, a convicted sex offender from Washington and the offender's mother. Superior Court Judge Douglas Gerlach also allowed several of the victims' counterclaims against Rodrick to go forward, reversing the roles of the defendants and making them plaintiffs. The move effectively put Rodrick in the position of defending himself in his own case. Rodrick, 52, of Cave Creek, appeared unperturbed by the separate verdicts. The court clerk had barely finished reading the judgments when Rodrick leaned sideways in his chair and called out to the opposing parties with a promise to appeal. "Well, gentleman. You know the drill," he said in a loud, mirthful voice. Rodrick, who for more than a year has refused to discuss his websites, declined comment after court Wednesday. His victims said they were elated by the decision. "I am super glad justice has been served," Phoenix resident David Ellis said following the trial. "I did ask (the jury) to make their verdict significant enough to keep him from ever climbing out of his hole, and they did." Ellis said he was targeted after he began dating Rodrick's ex-wife while the couple were going through an acrimonious divorce. Court records show Rodrick posted information on several websites suggesting Ellis, a decorated combat veteran with no criminal record, was a child molester. Ellis, who is co-owner of an airplane-parts manufacturing company in Phoenix called American Aerospace Technical Castings, said Rodrick posted false information accusing his company of making shoddy equipment. Ellis said Rodrick also accused him of workplace sexual harassment. "It's kind of a shame. I fought for people's civil rights," Ellis said. "Then this guy, he used the First Amendment to attack me." Rodrick's ex-wife, Lois Flynn of Chandler, said she felt vindicated. Rodrick's websites accused her of having an adulterous relationship, being an alcoholic and working with child molesters who sought to discredit the websites. Flynn said the Internet postings damaged her reputation and affected her relationships at church, where she once worked with kids. "In church Sunday, if anyone looks at me sideways, I can hold up the judgment and say I have been judged the right way." The jury awarded Ellis almost $2.2 million. It awarded Flynn $780,000. It also gave $467,000 to Susan Galvez, the mother of a convicted sex offender in Washington sued by Rodrick after her son launched an Internet campaign challenging Rodrick's websites. In court, Galvez called Rodrick a "bad man." Her son, Adam Galvez, 39, pleaded guilty to child molestation in 1996. The jury did not award him any damages, dismissing his claims against Rodrick. Adam Galvez said he considered his mother's win a victory for the family. He said he felt vindicated the moment the judge declared him a plaintiff and he no longer faced the threat of Rodrick's lawsuit. "I had nothing to lose," he said. "The jury did what was right. If they had gotten the time to get to know who I am, they probably would have ruled differently." Galvez said he was putting his life back together in 2012 when he discovered his profile on Offendex.com. When Galvez refused to pay to have his name removed and began complaining publicly, he said, operators retaliated against him. Galvez said he launched his own site, Offendextortion.com, as a way to fight back. He said Rodrick sued his mother as a way to get at him. Galvez said two jurors told him after the trial that his conviction and background made it hard for them to award him damages. But he said they both wished him well. None of the eight jurors on Wednesday commented on the case. A Call 12 for Action investigation in 2013 found Rodrick's sites mined data compiled by law-enforcement agencies across the country and used it to collect money from sex offenders. Operators did not always take down profiles after payments were made, and they launched online harassment campaigns against those who balked at financial demands or filed complaints. The investigation found the websites listed individuals as sex offenders who no longer were required to register or whose names had been removed from sex-offender databases. The sites included names and personal information of people who had never been arrested or convicted of a sex crime. The Internet-savvy operators ensured anyone in their databases could be found easily on a Google search. They prominently profiled specific individuals, published their home and e-mail addresses, posted photographs of their relatives and copied their Facebook friends onto the offender websites. In court filings, Rodrick repeatedly denied owning the websites. In March, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge found Rodrick controlled the websites, owned the domain names and was the only person capable of posting and removing information on the sites. The judge sanctioned Rodrick for violating court orders and for failing to take down posts about Ellis, Flynyn and the Galvezes. The judge also sanctioned Rodrick's girlfriend Traci Heisig, a court reporter and owner of Desert Hills Reporting in Phoenix. The judge said Heisig, who joined Rodrick in defamation lawsuits, willfully refused to comply with court orders. After she and Rodrick were declared defendants, Heisig was dismissed from the case. Rodrick's former partner, Brent Oesterblad, testified he helped disguise Rodrick's ownership interest by opening bank accounts and filing corporation papers for him. He said Rodrick further hid his role by registering website domain names in foreign countries and running them through proxy servers. His claims are backed by court and financial records. Rodrick and Oesterblad, both of whom were convicted on fraud-related charges in the early 1990s, were at the center of state and federal lawsuits. Sex offenders and others named on the websites have accused them of running an extortion racket. Rodrick and Oesterblad are also accused of posting inaccurate or old information and using the threat of exposure as leverage in their operation. Lawyers for Ellis, Flynn and the Galvezes credited Oesterblad with coming forward and providing crucial financial and operational data about the websites. They described his testimony as articulate and truthful. Claims filed against him in the Maricopa County case were dropped. Rodrick, who represented himself in court, painted himself as a victim. "It's not easy to be a defendant when you were the plaintiff," he said in a rambling closing argument Wednesday in which he denied ownership of the websites, argued about the amount of money they generated and complained about various court rulings.
