I can attest that the public has blood in its eyes and the system has every tripper installed to destroy anybody who is on Megan’s list – no matter there offense or level of danger to the public. Even those that help will not escape the hatred and fear.
While it has been years since I rented an apartment to a ministry helping reintegrate cons the cost and stigma has not abated. It has cost untold thousands and thousands as subsequent tenants come down to rent and have great interest until they go up to the restaurant to eat or talk to one of their friends. As example just the other week (years later) I had a couple ready to sign. At the last minute the guy says. “I was told I have to be careful down here – there are a bunch of pedophiles that live on main street somewhere.” Once he realized it was here they were talking about [though I told them it was years ago] they split like I was Freddy Crugar.
Thus even anyone who tries to throw a meal into the leppers ravine to feed them will be attacked.
I’ll never forget [and have on film] the “Torch” meeting they had at the firehouse [hundreds and hundreds of citizens called an emergency meeting to figure out how to attack the X-cons]. I called it the torch meeting because the local firefighters had been rumoring if my place caught fire they would be slow responding and there was rumor a fire was going to be set to burn them out.
Even DA Craig Stedman spoke to fire up the crowd and gain political kudos. He said he would put these guys back in jail. He didn’t mention that they would have to do anything wrong first. The sense was he was going to find something, anything that he could to put these guys back in jail forever and again.
The most interesting component was how the Lancaster Christians responded. We know this is a very Christian county, yet the Christianity we witnessed was like the torch mob going to get Frankenstein. Other than the ministry itself that is. There was no spirit of healing through Christ for any of these guys.
On the upside – One of the original tenants still lives here. He has been able to regain some of his life and will most likely never re-offend [his offense was downloading smut – he had already done two years in prison on a PV and was convicted he would never escape return to jail again]. The other two guys are dead and back in jail – subsequent to leaving the structured and moderated living environment.
There is the proof – Everyone on Megan’s list should not be taken out and shot – even if it is the popular “Christian” thing to do round these parts.
