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June 02, 2005
Out of the Pit and into Activism
by Traci Fonte`
Spring 2005
Drowning in the hellish pit of Parental Survivorship of murdered and sexually abused children, Mr. Lunsford has managed to focus on the root of the evil that propelled him there. For him it is the miracle of his daughter that keeps the rage within from consuming every fiber of his being. As it is for many other parents of a victimized child, the proactive stance he has taken in honor of Jessie is the lifeline out of that hellish pit. This pain and anguish is all too familiar. In 1999 my daughter, then 11 yrs old, was a victim of a man who, to date, remains un-prosectued therefore unrecognized as a sexual offender. This monster was arrested then released, only to be rearrested weeks later for the 1985 murder of a 15yr old Connecticut boy.
Founder and President of a local grassroots, non-profit organization Protect Our Children Inc. and editor of the Guardian Brevard Newspaper, Kevin Gillick offered me a medium in which I was able to vent my frustrations and affect change on a local level. It was on! I climbed out of that pit and jumped into the battle to protect and save our children. Over the past seven years I have served this small organization with the powerful voice as Secretary, Founder of the Internet Sting Team, Member of the organization’s Court Room Monitor Program and now as Executive Director. "The Guardian Brevard" is published by Protect Our Children and released quarterly. It identifies Brevard County Sex offenders by photo, mapped address and the crime they committed against somebody’s child. The victims are never identified. We drive infinite miles delivering countless copies of The Guardian to the driveways of residents in neighborhoods where these sex offenders live. This system works but it is not enough.
Current registration and tracking methods of these sex offenders are failing our children and their families. There are far too many offenders for our already taxed system to keep up with, and the numbers are growing. Legislation must be passed in which these individuals are tracked by Global Positioning Satellite Systems. Bracelets or Ankle Monitors are only effective if the offenders keep them on. Once removed, though an alarm would alert in the monitoring system, the offender would have ample time to disappear. A surgically implanted chip strategically placed beneath the skin of the offender would rectify this issue and would allow for consistent effective monitoring of these dangerous offenders. In addition to registration, if insertion of these devices were imposed as a condition prior to release, we would not have to rely upon sex offenders to notify law enforcement of a change of address or their movement through out our communities. This legislation should also allow for free public access to map and trace the offenders’ beacons via the Internet.
Protect Our Children’s Court Room Monitor Program boasts of diligent conspicuous adults who advocate for the greatest possible prosecution and sentencing of sex offenders of children. These advocates attend the bond hearings, trials and sentencing of the sex offenders who harm children of Brevard County. Their purpose is to ensure the offender is prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent allowed by law. Your participation is needed! Call 321-638-3711.
Posted by uspoc at June 2, 2005 07:42 PM