# A Georgia County Puts Up Signs Outside Sex Offenders’ Homes Warning Trick-or-treaters To Stay Away.



## Leeda.the.Paladin (Oct 25, 2019)

A class-action lawsuit has been filed over signs warning trick-or-treaters about visiting sex offenders’ homes.



Police in Butts County are preparing to put up the signs outside registered sex offenders’ homes for a second year, warning kids heading out to trick or treat to stay away from their homes.

Some residents in the county think it's a good idea.

“Everybody needs to know. It is just a matter of protecting your family,” Janie Bruce said. “I even showed my kids I was like see there, don’t go to that house. So to me it is keeping your kids safe.”






Sex offenders in a class-action lawsuit against the Butts County Sheriff disagree, arguing Georgia’s sex offender registry statute does not require signs like that to be placed at the homes of offenders.

In a statement, the attorney representing the sex offenders said in part: “The sheriff’s actions in entering these citizens property without permission and placing signs thereon violates multiple legal and constitutional rights, particularly the right to free speech, which may not be compelled by a government actor.”

The sheriff said he doesn’t want to comment until after the hearing. But on Facebook, he did post that “regardless of what the judge rules Thursday, he will do everything within the Law to protect the children of this Community.”


A federal judge will rule Thursday whether the signs will stay or go.


A mother said she wants to see them stay.

“I understand that all sexual offenders are not the same but as an overall consensus I believe that we need them,” Cassie Kelly said.


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## Kanky (Oct 25, 2019)

I think that the sheriff will lose this, but it isn’t a bad idea. Those people should be publicly shamed.


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## Black Ambrosia (Oct 25, 2019)

The sheriff will lose his job and the sex offenders will get paid. He may have had good intentions but you can’t put the equivalent of a scarlet letter on someone’s home and think it’ll be cool.


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## Everything Zen (Oct 25, 2019)

Lord knows I won’t be marching for sex offender rights anytime soon as a Black women just trying to make it day by day...


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## Everything Zen (Oct 25, 2019)

^^^I can’t even stand. 

I’m laying down in bed flat on my back posting resting after my week focusing on self-care.

I have a white coworker that I met that is a feminist  that insists on taking every scrap of recycling with her if a facility does not have the means to recycle. We travel up to 80% for a living and she just turned 30. What type of an energy vibrancy and unbothered life does one have to have to carry tons of  around with you for days on end?


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## winterinatl (Oct 26, 2019)

Whenever super extreme punitive measures for criminals like this are brought to life, I think about the MANY examples of black folks who get harmed. Like all the folks who got branded a sex offender for dating another kid two years younger. Or kids who took naked photos of themselves and sent to their boy/girl friend sexting (that’s child pornography). I think measures like this are not for crimes like those examples. 

I also think, if folks are so scared of these individuals and want to make their lives forever difficult - keep them in jail.


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## lesedi (Oct 26, 2019)

No sympathy for paedophiles, sorry.


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## LdyKamz (Oct 26, 2019)

I don't agree with this. I, like everyone else, hate pedophiles and rapists but I'm learning that the sex offender list covers a broad range of crimes. Yes, they all should be punished. There is a registry where we can all see their names and addresses and everyone can make sure they stay away from those houses as well as making it a stipulation of the offenders parole or whatever not to participate in trick or treating (the same way they aren't allowed in certain spaces, etc.) I know this doesn't always work but the signs are a no go. If the sheriff is trying to get them to leave the neighborhood that may be the only thing he succeeds in doing...after the sex offenders get a huge settlement to go anywhere else.


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