New homes not for sale to sex offenders

[georgiagirl]

This is happening in Cherokee - where I live....


New homes not for sale to sex offenders

By DAVID A. MARKIEWICZ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/08/06
A group of Cherokee County developers thinks it has found a way to help keep kids safe from sexual predators.

Before anyone can buy a house in Iris Park, a 54-acre tennis and swimming community planned for south Canton near I-575, they'll have to undergo a background check. The one question the project's developers want to know: Is the buyer a registered sex offender?



If so, that person can't live there.

"Is this a 100 percent fail-safe solution?" asked Edwin Swords III, one of the developers. "No. All we're doing is making an effort to create a safe family environment."

Is it legal?

Apparently so.

Under federal law it is illegal to refuse to sell or to negotiate the sale of a house because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin.

But sex offenders are not a protected class under the federal Fair Housing Act.

"Personally, I think it's a good idea," said Canton resident Carol Cone. "We all like to be protected in our neighborhoods."

But the idea of doing background checks on homebuyers also raises concerns.

"This just seems to be a cheap marketing ploy to play on people's fears and not a sensible reaction to the real threat to children," said Kristine Burk, a lawyer with Criminal Defense Associates, a California firm that specializes in sexually based felonies.

For Canton resident Bill Fiscus, the plan has a "Big Brother" element.

"Any intrusion by government is bad enough," he said. "It's probably a sales technique. Anything to sell a house."

The idea of screening potential homeowners in the Iris Park development comes as Georgians continue to debate the merits of a tough new sex offender law.

The law prohibits sex offenders from living, or loitering, within 1,000 feet of any place minors might congregate, including churches, parks, gyms, swimming pools and schools.

In a federal lawsuit, the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta has challenged a provision of the Georgia law that forbids sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of bus stops approved by local school boards.

More than 10,000 registered sex offenders live in Georgia, according to a recent count, nearly 100 of them in Cherokee County.

But some residents have found that keeping track of where sex offenders live isn't always easy.

"A lot of times with sex offenders you may not know when they move in even though they may be on the [state sex offender] registry," said Swords. "Here, if they're on the registry, they'll be disqualified from the purchase."

Iris Park — a 77-home subdivision with houses starting in the $300,000s — would not be the first housing development in the country to ban sex offenders.

A Texas developer has placed similar provisions on projects in Lubbock and Kansas City.

"It's been a tremendous success," said Clayton Isom, co-owner of I&S Investments. In both markets, sales have exceeded those of nearby subdivisions, he said.

more at link
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/cherokee/stories/0808metdevelop.html

 

[curious1]

Good for them. It's a 'Private' development. Now I can just see the ACLU and other liberal orgs getting all bent out of shape and fighting this. But you know, now that I think about this....it's not foolproof. What if someone passes the background check, but they have a friend or relative who comes to visit who is a sexual predator?

 

[MREG2]

There is never going to be a fool-proof way to keep our kids safe unless we fry them as we find them.

 

[curious1]

I say lets use 'em for target practice. Hey......I think LE should be able to use them in the simulations some depts have for their officers every six months or so to stay qualified to carry their weapon.

 

[TheShadow]

Sexual predators are not necessarily registered sex offenders. This practice will only weed out the ones we know about, not the ones that haven't been caught yet. I worry that this practice might lull parents into a false sense of security.

 

[curious1]

Sexual predators are not necessarily registered sex offenders. This practice will only weed out the ones we know about, not the ones that haven't been caught yet. I worry that this practice might lull parents into a false sense of security.

Excellent point.

 

[CyberLaw]

I saw a program on TV, a perv was "teaching" an undercover cop on how to "gain the trust and abuse kids" and told in explicit detail of how he has groomed his Foster daughter and daughter.

This man has been doing this for a long time, and was never caught.

He was even approved to be a Foster parent.

He was computer savvy, kid savvy and a perv.

But alas, he was not on, never has been, on the radar of any LE.

He was not a registered sex offender, not did he have any criminal record.

But he abused kids.........

So my question is: The nice guy is a nice suit, who has a good job, a house, a car, well respected, volunteers at his church, is a "family" man, who has no criminal record a sex offender or not.

Because he is the person who moved into this "housing development".

This just gives me a "feeling" that parents will "think" that their kids are safe beause there are no registered sex offenders in the neighborhood, so parents may let down their guard and be less dilligent.

That is a false sense of security and I put money that if a child is abused, the same old mantra: He seems like such a normal guy, he did not have any record of any criminal offences, and is not a registered sex offender.


He lived next door to us, he seemed so normal and this neighbourhood seemed so safe. I had no idea that the reason that he "targeted" and moved into this housing development is because everyone would let their guard down and he knew that and "exploited" it, because parents seem to think that only the "registered" sex offenders are not allowed, but what about the ones who have never been caught and are unregistered.

 

[georgiagirl]

I agree that this is certainly not foolproof. What about renters?? And friends and relatives of a homeowner? Parents should not feel totally secure about something like this but I am glad that the developers around here are at least making it harder for these scumbags......

 

[christine2448]

I saw a program on TV, a perv was "teaching" an undercover cop on how to "gain the trust and abuse kids" and told in explicit detail of how he has groomed his Foster daughter and daughter.

This man has been doing this for a long time, and was never caught.

He was even approved to be a Foster parent.

He was computer savvy, kid savvy and a perv.

But alas, he was not on, never has been, on the radar of any LE.

He was not a registered sex offender, not did he have any criminal record.

But he abused kids.........

So my question is: The nice guy is a nice suit, who has a good job, a house, a car, well respected, volunteers at his church, is a "family" man, who has no criminal record a sex offender or not.

Because he is the person who moved into this "housing development".

This just gives me a "feeling" that parents will "think" that their kids are safe beause there are no registered sex offenders in the neighborhood, so parents may let down their guard and be less dilligent.

That is a false sense of security and I put money that if a child is abused, the same old mantra: He seems like such a normal guy, he did not have any record of any criminal offences, and is not a registered sex offender.


He lived next door to us, he seemed so normal and this neighbourhood seemed so safe. I had no idea that the reason that he "targeted" and moved into this housing development is because everyone would let their guard down and he knew that and "exploited" it, because parents seem to think that only the "registered" sex offenders are not allowed, but what about the ones who have never been caught and are unregistered.

Yep, you are so right! Excellent post, IMO.

 

[CyberLaw]

Thank your Christine, for your post, much appreciated.....

Well I put money, that there is a clause in the Purchase of Sale, that if a sex offense happens that the developers are not responsible.

Any lawyer would insure that the developers are not held responsible for the unregistered sex offenders.

There will be parents who will try to blame the developers if their child is harmed, as in: The reason we spent all of this money and bought this house is because we "THOUGHT" our child would be safe as the houses cannot be bought by registered sex offenders.

So I allowed my five year old child to go to the park with his 8 year old sister and 10 year old cousin alone with no adult supervision.

But the son of my neighbours, who was an honor student, has a University Degree is a pervert.....his parents are both "professionals" who have no criminal record and they are both the registered owners of the house......