Washington residents outraged over proposal to release sex offenders into community
Tenino resident Glen Morgan and Enumclaw resident Cathy Dahlquist joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss their concerns and the public safety implications surrounding the measure.?
Washington State residents are outraged at state leaders for releasing some of the highest-level sex offenders into the community, shining a light on how the effort has become a "cash cow" for those involved.
Tenino resident Glen Morgan and Enumclaw resident Cathy Dahlquist joined "Fox & Friends First" Wednesday to discuss their public safety concerns surrounding the measure amid growing angst over kids' safety.
"Clearly, this has been promoted by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and AG Bob Ferguson, as well as the Democrat senators that sponsored that bill. Originally, it was mostly a Democrat bill," Morgan told Ashley Strohmier.
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"These locations have become cash cows. The state is paying as much as $35,000 a month for these private people to basically, in their companies, set up these violent sex predators, and they're paying them so much money that they're willing to do almost anything to put them in these homes, regardless of how much it puts the neighbors and kids in the neighborhood at risk," he continued.
The initiative moved level-three convicted sex offenders, which includes pedophiles, into group homes called Less Restrictive Facilities (LRAs). They are moved after they depart McNeil Island's Special Commitment Center (SCC) for long-term treatment.
The SCC programs aim to provide resources to convicted sex offenders, after they complete their prison sentences, with the ultimate goal of rejoining society.
Victim’s advocate with the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center Martha McGinnis sparks outrage after telling parents it's their job to keep their children safe.?
The small town of Enumclaw held a meeting at a packed local church over the initiative to address residents' concerns over a facility placed less than 500 feet from a local school bus stop.
Victim’s advocate with the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center Martha McGinnis sparked outrage when she told residents at the meeting that it is incumbent upon parents to keep their kids safe.
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"I want to address the school bus stop," she said Feb. 9. "I don't have a dog in this fight, and I'm going to simplify this… the onus of keeping your kids safe is on you."
The audience erupted with rage.
"Obviously, anybody who hears that is going to be furious, because the whole point of people being concerned about it is because bureaucrats like this are the ones who are deciding to release the most violent sex predators," Morgan said.
"That's their designation into our communities without letting anybody know and even lying to neighbors about what they're doing in the first place."
Washington residents erupted with rage during a meeting addressing a proposal releasing sex offenders into the community.?
But the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center has since issued an apology following the meeting, backtracking on McGinnis' remarks.
"The King County Sexual Assault Resource Center has had a decades-long relationship with the people of Enumclaw," CEO Mary Ellen Stone said in a statement. "We made comments at the community notification meeting on Feb. 9 that were disrespectful and failed to recognize your concern, frustration and fear. These comments gave the impression we were blaming victims."
"As an organization we share your frustration that perpetrators too often are not held to account, and that victim needs and community safety often seem like afterthoughts," it continued. "We deeply regret exacerbating the confusion and frustration over the decision by the state to place this offender in the community."
Morgan argued there is no reason to funnel convicted predators into neighborhoods in this manner and believes the public outcry could force a reversal of the policy.
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"There is no logical reason for them to remove these violent sex predators from there and then just dump them willy-nilly throughout neighborhoods all over Washington state," Morgan said.
"And I think that if we make a big enough noise, and we draw as much attention as we can to this and the corruption, I think it inspires and paying so much money to house these guys, that I think we can reverse this policy."
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