Prisoners in own home

Dear Editor:Much is said about international terrorism with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, among others, and the threats they pose to our society. Little attention is paid, however, to domestic terrorism as exemplified by the many crimes committed by sex offender John Gardner, recently sentenced for the murder and sexual assault of 17-year-old Chelsea King, 14-year-old Amber Dubois and maybe many others. I have the unfortunate luck of having a convicted sex offender move across from my home and one block from a park and elementary school. When I first learned about this criminal from the Megan's Law website, I contacted the police department to find out if anything could be done to remove this criminal so that he would not be so close to a park and the children from an elementary school. Much to my surprise, the police lieutenant who took my call chastised me for interfering with the person's civil rights and told me that I should be more concerned with my friends and relatives who were more likely to attack my children. I realized then that I am very fortunate because I am a first generation immigrant - I don't have any relatives in this country. Also, I am shy and an introvert and don't have any friends either, so my children are safe from those possible threats. That still leaves me with a convicted criminal living across from my home. All research proves that sexual offenders don't get "cured" from having been detained in jail. So it is only a matter of time before this person strikes again. Interestingly, government statistics don't show many sexual offenders returning to jail which simply proves that after their first jail term, they become smarter and don't get caught again. Having a convicted sexual offender across from my home has dictated that we had to invest in electronic security systems, trained dogs and protective weapons to repel any possible attack from this criminal. It has also caused us to adopt a behavior code which does not allow my wife to tend the flowers by herself and can only be outside when another armed adult is with her. The children can not go out to play and we are constantly monitoring the criminal's activities near us to be sure that he does not catch us off-guard. So we are prisoners in our own home. Why should responsible citizens and our children have to suffer this kind of threat? I am in agreement with those that have suggested that convicted sex offenders be shipped to the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. Furthermore, I believe that these criminals should never be allowed to live in any U.S. city and should instead be kept in jail until the end of their natural lives. - Jorge Montero, Downey

********** Published: May 21, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 5