While GA law enforcement, neighbors, and friends, were searching everywhere for a missing six year old boy, later to be found murdered and dumped in a trash bag, Judicial committee hearings were being held on the 13th and 14th in Annapolis.
It had been over 20 years since I had been asked to testify at a hearing and my first at this kind of hearing.
The first time was to testify in support of incorporating burn prevention programs into all public schools. At that time, there was no such program and, as is typical, we had a high mortality rate in our pediatric patients.
After creating the BRBC Outreach Program at our regional burn unit, we went out to surrounding schools to teach burn prevention and how to stop, drop, and roll.
We felt this was an important step in lowering the high mortality rates and preventing the unbelievable suffering our little patients would have to endure for years down the road.
I remember being very nervous at the time. Although I was very comfortable speaking to various groups and school assemblies, I did not relish having to speak to our lawmakers. This was out of my territory.
However, whenever our esteemed director softly asked us to do something, we didn't dare question. We just did it. And I knew I was there for an important reason, one very close to my heart.
I remember at the time, however, getting the distinct feeling that no one was interested in a single word I said. It was disheartening, to say the least.
I remember wondering, if any of those gentlemen there, leafing through their materials, obviously more interested in other matters, had ever had to hold a dying child in their arms.
I wondered if any of them had ever had to go through watching a chatty, endearing little four year old be fine one day, then gone the next. Sepsis can set in quickly in one so young.
I wondered how they would feel, having to care for a little two year old, who had been held down in scalding water by their mom's boyfriend. I wondered if they would have cared then.
Years later though, long after I had left the burn unit, I was very happy to see that burn
prevention was finally a standard part of our elementary schools' health curriculim.
So here I was again, twenty years later, a very minor, unknown person, trying to speak on another topic very close to my heart as well.
I was glad that my kids and I had claimed seats early, as the hearing room was packed with supporters of House Bill 930.
First there had been a rally, then Mark Klaas began the testimonies in the hearing by talking about the kidnap and murder of his beloved daughter Polly.
I could feel the anger in his voice, as he spoke of the offender saying, '"Within moments he had the other two girls tied, bound and gagged and had stolen
Polly in to the night," said Klaas.'
'"He received a 16-year sentence he
was out in 8. Three months later, my daughter was dead," he added. "You don't
cure, you don't rehabilitate, you don't fix pedophiles. You don't cure you don't
rehabilitate, you don't fix psychopaths."' (from WJZ TV article)
There was a lot of anger and pain shared in that room on Tuesday. From Chip St. Clair, an associate of Jessica Lundford's father, who had suffered at the hands of an abusive, sadistic father; to a mother of three, from Montgomery county, whose young children had been molested and sodomized* by their babysitter before one of the children finally spoke up.
My own tears welled up as I heard the pain in her shaking voice. Her story broke my heart. How easily that could have been any one of us.
One after another, these brave people stood up to recount the pain and devastation child sexual abuse had caused in their lives.
One after another, they asked that our legislature go further to protect our innocents.
And one after another, it seemed that most of our delegates disregarded their words, their heartache, and the need to stand strong against predators of all sorts; not just the strangers, but from those at home as well.
By the time I finally got called, after listening for almost five hours, my heart was down to my feet. The delegates looked like they were pretty tired of hearing story after story. Chairman Vallario was holding up his gavel, hurrying people along. You got three minutes!
Perhaps it was my imagination, or maybe my own nervousness, but I got the distinct impression Chairman Vallario was not happy when I talked about CPS telling us they had no problems with a child sex offender residing in the same home as children. I saw the gavel up and ready to fly.
Unfortunately, in my desire to quickly get through my testimony, I feel like I wasn't able to really make the point I needed to make - that I feel Jessica's Law will help to protect our children from both kinds of registered child sex offenders - both inside the home and out.
By increasing the minimum sentencing, without parole, we can keep these monsters in jail longer. Keeping them in jail longer, will keep them away from our kids longer.
A bill, introduced by Delegate John Olszewski, Jr., would prohibit registered sex offenders from living within 2000 feet of schools, day care facilities, and parks.
By requiring that a registered child sex offender can't live any closer than 2000 feet from a school, day care facility, or park, we are 1) keeping them away from areas where children congregate and 2) keeping them from homes near those areas - many of which have children residing in them.
Most families with children tend to buy homes near schools and day cares, etc. If a registered child sex offender can't live within 2000 feet of a school or day care, that should mean he can't reside in any of the homes with kids within that range either.
Many sex offenders gravitate back to their families when they get out of jail. As my family and I recently found out, many of those families have children either residing in (at least part time) or visiting in their homes.
In fact, in our situation, the home where the violent child sex offender now resides, backs right up to a parochial elementary school playground.
There are day care centers around the neighborhood and a children's dance studio one block over. The neighborhood is, in fact, full of children.
I don't know who it was who filed the original complaint with CPS but apparently, they were just as concerned as we've been since we found out.
As disheartening as it was, feeling that some of our delegates don't care enough to institute strong measures to protect our children, I'm still glad I went.
I got to meet some wonderful, dedicated individuals who are committed to fighting for our children's safety.
These are not just people whose names you may (or may not) hear on TV, or read about in the paper, but real people who have gone through the most indescribable pain anyone could ever go through.
These are people whose hearts have been broken, and souls destroyed, in a way no one else could ever imagine.
Yet they are also people who are bravely standing strong - trying to do what is right by protecting those who can't protect themselves.
I wish I had known about our state laws sooner. If I had, I would have been speaking out long before now, whether it affected my own family or not. But I didn't.
Neither did my colleagues. In all our various training, no one had taught us what happens after the offender gets out of jail. Like many others, I had just assumed that our own state was more proactive than 20 years ago.
I was wrong. They aren't. In fact, currently, our state seems to be more concerned with the rights of the convicted offenders than protecting our innocent children.
In the last few weeks, I have spoken with many colleagues, as well as neighbors and friends. Not a single person knew. All were as outraged as us that this could happen in our state.
Not a single colleague thought it was acceptable for a registered child sex offender to be anywhere near a home with children. Maryland does!
Not a single colleague thought it was acceptable that a convicted sex offender should have full parental rights if a child is conceived from a rape. Maryland does!
Not a single colleague believed it was acceptable that a paroled child sex offender should be allowed to have visitation with the very child he/she abused. Maryland does!
I encourage all readers to please check your own state laws. Hopefully, they are more protective of your own innocents!
Twenty years ago, I worked for and spoke out in favor of something that, not only was near and dear to my heart, but that was desperately needed.
This past week, again I spoke out about something near and dear to my heart that is desperately needed.
As I sat there, watching the delegate's reactions, and listening to their challenging questions, I wondered how many had ever had to face a little child, as he or she painfully accounted their tale of hideous abuse.
I wondered how they would feel if their own child were abducted, raped, and murdered.
I wondered how, as a divorced parent sharing joint custody, they would feel being forced to send their young children over to a home every week, in which a convicted child sex offender sat waiting to groom them.
At the end of the day, I wondered how Chairman Vallario, and some of the other delegates, could sleep at night.
** In the next posts, I am enclosing, with permission, letters sent by members of our own Coalition for Jessica's Law, addressing the behavior of our delegates at Wednesday's hearing.
I think it's important for people to see an example of our tax dollars (and votes) at work.
*Correction
Modified 3/18/07 2:35pm
Recent Comments