ROAR FOR FREEDOM
MEETING MAY 20, 2009
By EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BETTY PRICE
WITH WV COMMISSIONER OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN
I met with the WV Commissioner Jason J. Najmulski of Family and Children Services. He had requested the Governor allow his office to be the ones I meet with since this has to do with Children. The Commissioner was very hospitable to me and very eager to listen and learn. The Commissioner wanted me to explain what Roar for Freedom was all about. I told him the members of our organization were a mixture of victims, survivors, sex offenders, professionals, law enforcement, and friends and family of all. I asked him to join Roar for Freedom so that he could better see how everyone gets along and see the empathy the sex offenders have for the Victims and Survivors. He is all in favor of joining and I hope he can also bring something to the discussions we hold.
I told him it is my desire to go to every single school and day care center in WV for an Assembly on The Education and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. I explained different things I would talk about at different age groups. He loved the idea. He stated that if any Counties Boards of Education refused me, to let him know and he would set them straight that I would be holding Assemblies in all of their schools and child care centers. The Social Worker in the meeting wanted to know exactly what I would be saying to children. I told her it would depend on the age group. For example, in Middle and High Schools I would clearly discuss the age of consent in WV being 16 and if anyone over 16 had sex with their boy/girlfriend and they were under 16, they would be committing a crime and the boy/girlfriend would be a victim of the crime, whether they felt they were or not didn’t matter. The law is the law. She disagreed with me telling them that because I used the word Sex, but the Commissioner agreed with me that they do need to know these laws so that the rest of their lives will not be ruined and they were old enough to hear the word sex. The Commissioner and the two Vice Commissioners had all been researching for today. They used www.talkshoe.com/tc/29032 , http://www.oncefallen.com and http://sexoffenderissues.blogspot.com/. They also looked up Jill Levenson http://www.nacdl.org/sl_docs.nsf/issues/sexoffenderresources?opendocument
and read all that she had to say and they couldn't understand why the Florida Legislature would not listen to her as most of the WV lawmakers agree with what she had to say. I told them about the Oklahoma child that was 2 years old and what happened and what he was charged with. I encouraged them to look up Robert Longo for the facts of that story. As well as the child who supposedly rubbed his face over the Teacher’s Aide Breasts while giving her a hug. The three men stated neither of those were crimes. The Social Worker said, “Yes they were crimes; they were things against the law”. The Vice Commissioner beside me said, "You tell me how children of that age can know something is a crime? Especially the two year old, how did he even know how to plea, he probably couldn't even say "lewd and lascivious" and there was nothing wrong with the entire incident. She said well according to the law there is. The Commissioner told her there was no such law in WV so how was she forming her opinion? Her answer was, "I have dealt with the same issue with young children and have taken them from their parents. He told her she was wrong and he wanted a log of all of her work by the end of the week.
The Commissioner then asked me what were the things I had wanted to discuss with the Governor and he would let him know as the Governor had already asked him to do this. I told him the first thing isn't just about Sex Offenders, but is about all Felons. There is a bill that they didn't get to discuss stating that no Felon could vote in WV. I then asked him, what does the Constitution state about when a person is released from prison? He said, “They are to get all of their Civil Rights and Civil Liberties back”. I asked,”does the WV Constitution state the same and he said yes. I then asked him, is voting a Civil Right for all, he said yes. You are right, that law should not be made again. I then told him the sad thing was that Sex Offenders have the lowest recidivism rate of all other crimes and that WV was lower than every other State. I then said but Sex Offenders do not get their Civil Rights and Civil Liberties back. I told him it wasn't so bad in WV, but in other states it was a witch hunt. When I said that Sex Offenders have the lowest rate of recidivism, the Social Worker shook her head no. So when I finished speaking to him from what I said above, I looked at her and said, “I noticed you were shaking your head no. Do you know something different than me”? She said, “Sex Offenders have the highest rate of recidivism of all crimes.” The Vice Commissioner, sitting on my left turned around to her and said you are totally wrong. I read through the Dept of Justice site last night and what Mrs. Price just stated is the truth. I then looked at her and said, “Just put a search in for U.S. Dept of Justice and you will be lead to the site and can see for yourself”. The Commissioner then stated that he knew WV had the lowest of all states, but he hadn't looked at the Country rates on the Dept. of Justice sites but he believes what I said, because he knows I did my homework.
I also told him the way WV was going about the length of time on the Registry was wrong. For one thing, at the very beginning of Megan’s Law, they didn't include incest on the registries because it was 1/2 of 1% recidivism rate and still is. I said but the law here for the length only goes by the Childs age. There should be a clause that those who have abused a child less than thirteen years would have to register for life unless it is an incest case. I stated that one of the reasons for that is because if the Parent is put on the Registry and the Family reunites, that puts the Victim on the Registry as well. He agreed. I also told him that there were many innocent people on the Registry. The Social Worker said, “And what makes you think that the courts aren't fair? I said, “Because I know too many people that are innocent but took a plea because the States Attorney and Defendants Attorney talked them into the plea, because it would be easier on the child, etc. She said, “The children that say nothing happened are just lying because they don't want their loved one in trouble”. I said, that isn't the case and I know that for a fact. The Social Worker said,” these children lie”. I said, “If these children lie, then how did a Step-Father in another state get an innocent verdict”? He refused to listen to the States Attorney and his Attorney and take a plea. He took his case to court. When the child was put on the witness stand, the States Attorney asked her what her Step Father had done to her. She said, “Nothing, my Mommy just told me to say those things because she didn’t want to be married to him anymore. Thankfully, the Mother was then arrested for coercion and perjury. The Step Father gained full custody of the child.
I then asked them if any of them knew about the Julia Tuttle Causeway Bridge in Miami, Florida? One of the Vice Commissioners had heard of it and thought it was disgusting. He also thought it was against the Constitution due to not allowing them their right to domain and it was grossly inhumane treatment. I let them know that Roar would be going there hopefully by the end of the month to take supplies they badly need, Medical Supplies OTC, blankets, drapes, Clorox, Lime to put over where they potty, clothing and gallons of water. We will be taking them as many supplies as we can. They have no bathroom. No garbage dump, two men in wheelchairs, one is a paraplegic and has had the same catheter in from when he was put there 3 months ago. He is a large staph infection threat. He gets it the others will get it and where they work those people will get it and carry it home to their families and their children will then take it to the schools. It will be an epidemic.
I then told him that I also wanted the Governor to know that with WV having the lowest recidivism rate of all states then we are already doing right and don't need any other laws. When I heard him state on the news that WV would not be doing the AWA Act, the Social Worker stated that is a Federal Law and it has to be followed. I told her she needed to read that act further. If a state doesn't follow it they will lose 10% of their grant money. The man to my left and beside her turned to her and said that is exactly how that law reads. I read it last night. I said, “Fortunately Governor Manchin had the forethought to have the Financial Dept go over it with the way we have things now and losing 10% or following the Act and gaining 10%”. Following the act and getting 10% would put WV in the hole very badly so he chose to lose the 10% and he made the right decision. I told them that CA, FL and many other states are hurting extremely financially because they are following the AWA act. The CA legislature is right now trying to make changes. I told him to tell the Governor that I also disagree with the $25.00 registration fee. I said,” WV is a poor state anyway, everyone knows that. If a sex offender is lucky enough to find and keep a job and home he or she would not be able to afford the $25.00. He said they would only pay it once a year wouldn't they. I said that depends. If they get a different car, they have to register it and pay $25.00, If they move, they have to register that address and pay $25.00, if they get a cell phone, they have to register it and pay $25.00, If they have a computer and they add an email to it they have to register it and pay $25.00, if they join a group, they have to register it and pay $25.00, so it is possible they would pay $150.00 a year if they follow the law and register what they are supposed to register. I told them the internet was in my name and we had to register that in my name as well. Which I told them was not right; I am not the person that has to register. I said there are many things that could make them go in several times a year to register something. This law is not needed and will only resort to many offenders not following the law because of the $25.00 every time. Then we fill up the jails and prisons more and we can't afford that either. He agreed and wrote every single thing I said down for the Governor. I then told them there was a bill for them having to register their social security number. I told them if the wrong person gets hold of that they could really do a lot of damage to a person’s credit. I will be writing Governor Manchin again and tell him my feelings and that I wish he would use his open door policy and allow me to speak to him and the legislators that I asked to be in attendance.
Betty Price, Executive Director
Roar for Freedom
Phone: 304-651-5998
