Update on the “Beyond the Label” Documentary, Dec. 15th, 2012

Update on the “Beyond the Label”  Documentary, Dec. 15^th, 2012

Derek W. Logue

                First, I wish to thank the dozens of people who have invested their time, energy, and support of this landmark documentary. I promised a formal update upon my return from Port Angeles, WA, so here is the trip in a nutshell. But first, the technical aspects. I had raised $700 in the raffle for this project, which paid for the trip and other expenses. It is divided as follows: Round trip bus ticket, $260, hotel fare $100, video editing software $40, extra memory cards to handle all the filming $60, gas $25, new travel bag $20, and sending out the raffle prizes $20, so that’s $525 accounted for thus far. I don’t count food and personal expenses as production costs. (I already own a tripod, and an HD Camcorder was already donated to the cause).

                Long distance bus rides are always interesting and unpredictable. My ride to Port Angeles was quiet and uneventful until I reached Missoula, Montana for our layover. The bus was four hours late due to a snowstorm, and after it arrived, it had a wiper malfunction, and thus we were delayed two more hours. It served as a harbinger of things to come.

                I arrived at Seattle six hours late so I missed the shuttle to Port Angeles. Thus, I had a 14-hour layover. The station was locked down and I was one of only five people who spent the night in the station. Greyhound fed us some pizza and sodas and I slept in the terminal for a few hours. Sunday morning, with eight hours left to kill, I decided to do a little sightseeing. I visited the Space Needle and the Pike Street Fish Market to watch the famous fish-throwers. After a lunch of fried Calamari, I headed back to the station to await the shuttle.

                The shuttle ride was great. We rode across the Kingston Ferry and instead of going all the way to Port Angeles, I got off at “Discovery Bay.” I ate a fried oyster po’boy while I waited on Erik Mart from monstermartorg.blogspot.com. I spent Sunday night with Erik and his girlfriend and toured his quaint little Pacific paradise with envy.

                The next morning I began my work at Port Angeles, setting up interviews and collecting information for the documentary. I spent the evening with Leslie, who was to be my liaison with the Blanton family, but I was receiving little cooperation from her in this matter. As my time went on, Leslie became less cooperative and as communication broke down, I became a target of her anger. Eventually, she took it upon herself to cross a certain line and at that point I found it prudent to permanently sever a working relationship with Leslie.

                This ending of our business partnership, of course, means there will be some slight changes to the premise and direction of the film. For now, I am still referring to the film as “Beyond the Label” but without Gary Blanton Jr.’s name in the title. It is even possible the project will be renamed. There will still be a documentary but since the majority of the footage revolves around the murder, most of the film will revolve around that. This changes my original premise of the film, which was intended to be largely a portrait of Gary Blanton himself, whereas now it is more a traditional journalism piece.

                This is not to say this was a wasted trip. There still successful interviews from one of Gary Blanton Jr.’s friends as well as audio from the DA who handled the case. In addition, I received the case files from the county prosecutor’s office, which has answered many questions I had about the murders themselves, in addition to some extra stock footage of the city.

                So at this point, I feel there is enough footage to proceed to the next step. I will have to revise a few things at this stage, including the instructions to some of my narrators.

                Once Fallen Productions, Inc. is still dedicated to producing a quality product for the sake of all those impacted by these laws. 

ANNOUNCEMENT: The winners for the Beyond the Label Raffle

First off, I wish to thank the two dozen wonderful individuals who contributed to the Beyond the Label documentary.

I have notified the winners by email they have won. For the sake of anonymity here are

1st prize -- Initials B. K. (raffle #155)
2nd prize -- Initials L. R. (Raffle #15)
3rd Prize -- Initials L. A. (Raffle # 75)

To all those who didn't win, I still thank you for supporting the Beyond the Label documentary, and I wish to reward you by adding you to the credits at the end of the film. If you wish to be added to the credits, please contact me at iamthefallen1@yahoo.com as soon as possible.

Once Fallen Fundraising Drive: Raffle to raise funds for the "Beyond the Label" Documentary"

It takes a fair amount of money to create a documentary, more than I first thought. Unfortunately I've been in need for newer equipment and travel expenses as there is still a little fundraising left to do. So I have an idea.

Between now and Nov. 30, every dollar donated to Once Fallen will give you one virtual ticket towards any one of the three items below, so if you donate thirty dollars you have thirty chances to win. The drawing for the items will be December 1st. I will post the winning numbers rather than names on my sites and notify the winners personally.

TO ENTER, donate to the following--

By Paypal: derek_logue@hotmail.com (don't forget the underscore)

By US Mail:

Derek W. Logue
2559 Eden Ave. #14
Cincinnati, OH 45219

Be sure to include your email address. I will send you your ticket numbers in the return email, verifying your entry. Every bit helps, and ALL the proceeds will go to covering the expenses.

If you have any questions, email me, iamthefallen1@yahoo.com or call me at 513-238-2873

On to the items.

ITEM #1

Toshiba DR430 DVD Recorder: This device records TV, VCR and camcorder footage onto DVDs. Everything you see here is included, guaranteed to work, and includes 5 unused DVD+R discs to get you started. For full specifications, visit the following link: http://us.toshiba.com/video-electronics/dvd-players/dr430/

ITEM #2

Item #2 is a huge collection of mostly family oriented DVDs. Most are Christian/ Religious but not all. Below is the full list of movies:

1. DC Talk: The Movie
2. Karen Kingsbury's Dandelion Dust documentary
3. The Pistol (Pistol Pete) 
4. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
5. The Christmas Blessing
6. Mandie and the Secret Tunnel
7. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed Documentary
8. Billy; The Early Years of Billy Graham
9. Steve Harvey: Don't trip- God's not through with me yet
10. Natalie's Rose
11. WWJD: What Would Jesus Do?
12. Believe In Me
13. The Wild Stallion
14. The Last Adam
15. The Courage To Love 
16. Come What May
17. Comedy: The Road Less Traveled (documentary)
18. Relative Stranger
19. The Gospel
20. Blessed and Cursed
21. Angels Love Donuts
22. The Cross and the Towers (Documentary)
23. A Greater Yes
24. The Time Changer
25. Come Dance at my Wedding
26. Secret at Arrow Lake
27. Daniel's Lot
28. Change of Plans

Since someone begged me for the Chonda Pierce DVDs I will replace them with two more movies of my choosing. 

ITEM #3

Item #3 is a very good pair of amplified computer speakers. If you are a bit hard of hearing, like I am, you won't have much trouble hearing these. 

Two Once Fallen-created videos from the RSOL Conference

I created two video clips from the RSOL Conference, giving two people the opportunity to promote their projects, as well as give me some experience with film making.

Lynn Gilmore, SOSEN CEO, promotes www.sosen.org

Jon Cordeiro of New Name Ministries promotes his new book, "Unprecedented"

Of all the residency and proximity restrictions I've seen, this one takes the cake.

"White man says, 'Pass AWA or your federal aid and sovereignty go away.'
White man smoke too much crazy weed."

You may have heard about it by now, but during the RSOL conference some Native Americans brought their own tribal law they recently passed, and once I've seen it, all I could do was shake my head. I don't know whether to laugh or to cry, this is the most ridiculous residency restriction I've ever seen ever. Ever.

This is from the Laguna tribe of New Mexico, retyped verbatim as it is written on paper:

____________________________________________________________
Other requirements
section 15 – 17 – 10

I. prohibited areas for tier 1, two, and three sex offenders
a. Schools, public library, parks/village playgrounds, bus stops
II. prohibited areas for tier 2 and tier 3 sex offenders
a. The following is a list of social events that are considered prohibited areas, including but not limited to:

Public ( a.k.a. general public) means a population of individuals in association with civic affairs, or affairs of the village or villages..

1. Social events open to the general public
2. Village feasts
3. Craft shows
4. Fundraisers
5. Sporting events
6. Traditional and ceremonial activities
7. Organized walks or runs
8. Church
9. Grab days
10. Cultural enrichment classes at the Kawaika center
11. graduation ceremonies
12. Events advertised at the village meeting where everyone is invited
13. dances with in the villages
14. Plaza dances
15. Social dances at recreation halls

**Note: Sex offender participating in village meetings, grave digging, ditch work will be at the discretion of the village officials and communicated to the compliance officer.

The following opinion was drafted and approved by the sex offender compliance committee.
____________________________________________________________________

Now, let that soak into your mind for a minute.

I have seen many crazy laws over the years, but this one takes the cake. This law was hastily passed for the purpose of coming into full compliance with the Adam Walsh Act. The federal government has threatened Native American tribes with not only a loss of federal grant money, they threatened to take away their sovereignty in handling their own criminal justice affairs. But this is still overkill. It is sad to see a once proud nation of people debase themselves for the sake of a few American tax dollars.

Choosing what to do with sand

In just a couple of days, a number of us are going to the 2012 RSOL Conference in Albuquerque. There has been a lot of publicity, some good and some bad, about the upcoming conference. Many of those who are involved in the efforts to fight the myriad of American Sex Offender laws are relatively new. There are a lot of fresh, new faces in the movement. So to them, the fear of negative publicity is a brand new experience. But to a seasoned activist like myself, the threat of confrontation and negative publicity is nothing new.

*****

On December 1, 2007, a group of reformists descended upon the city of Columbus, Ohio. Members of groups like SOClear, SOSEN, Roar 4 Freedom (now RSOVA), and others attended and participated in what was called the "Silent No More Rally." The intent was to protest Ohio's version of the Adam Walsh Act.

Vigilante groups like Absolute Zero United got wind of this rally early in its creation and staged their own counter rally. They mocked and threatened would-be attendees, even posting private info, in hopes of scaring us. But it didn't work.

There were individuals within our cause, like the SOHopeful Board of Directors, who opposed a public showing. They felt we should keep a low profile and work "behind the scenes" to propagate changing of the laws. In fact, SOHopeful went so far as condemn the rally, which led to a mass exodus of activists from the SOHopeful forums to the SOSEN and Roar 4 Freedom forums.

Sure enough, when I arrived at the rally, the counter-protesters were there -- Judy Cornett from Predator Patrol, Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) and AZU, under the banner of "Women Against Sexual Predators" (WASP)-- holding derogatory signs and looking menacingly at the rally attendees. Some took pictures, others yelled obscenities. The only thing keeping the peace was a row of uniformed members of the State Patrol, paid for by the rally committee.

That didn't deter the dozens of us who came to the rally, despite the counter-protestor's efforts. This rally was the catalyst for a major growth of our cause, and from it sprung the concepts of state affiliate websites and, of course, the annual RSOL Conference.

*****

Nearly five full years after the Ohio Silent No More Rally (the official name of the 2007 Event), we are going to a conference which has received a decent amount of publicity. The city of Albuquerque has even gone so far as to hold a town hall meeting to address the public's fears about RSOL coming to their city. A few vigilantes have spread propaganda claiming the group is full of evil pedophiles or are advocating sex with children in an attempt to discredit the conference. Despite the allegations being completely false, we recognize some members of the general public will listen to the trolls or the misinformed media. To some, it may even feel like you're walking into a lion's den.

It won't be my first time.

New Mexico is known for deserts and sand, among other things. We have two metaphors about sand. It is up to you to decide what you want to do.

BURYING YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND: Some in our cause feel it is better to keep a 'low profile' until the conference blows over. It would have been easier for Rosa Parks had she kept a low profile by scooting her butt to the back of that bus. Some of us feel we need to be politically correct in our speech and actions. We can't get "angry" in public. We can't say words that burn virgin ears. Some of us even want those of us with records to stay in the stands and not participate in the game at all. I'm so glad Martin Luther King decided to sit on the the civil rights movement and waited for some great white savior to come in and speak on his behalf, aren't you? [sarcasm, of course]

This cause needs to recognize there is a need for us to stand our ground. I understand there is a time to be politically correct, but not within the confines of our own groups. Censorship of ideas and words within our groups is wrong.

In regards to worrying about external interference in the conference, do you think any group with an unpopular agenda never had the threat of outside interference? MLK and others in the civil rights movement knew they were going to be targeted; rallies were met with resistance, members were threatened or attacked, and danger loomed behind every effort. Not every saboteur rode into town in a pointy hat and matching white sheet.

It is scary. But greater and lesser people have been hurt or even killed for their beliefs. Jesus was hung on a cross, MLK was killed, and thousands of their followers were ridiculed, teased, and harassed. "But Derek," some will say, "they did nothing wrong." That's what what their enemies believed. So what if I'm on the list? I have served my time. I apologized to the victim's family. I fulfilled my obligations to the state. Now I'm a reformed individual forced to live a label that does not define who I am. just like those before me judged by a label and a stereotype, I can either bury my head in the sand, or....

DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND: MLK wasn't a "violent" man, but he drew a line in the sand, and was willing to stake his stand. Rallies, marches, and sit-ins were held. They marched in the faces of their enemies, some here hurt or killed, and some were arrested. But they were willing to do what they felt was necessary to achieve their goals.

We should be willing to have that same mentality.

Some of us have things to lose-- they have families, jobs, and creature comforts. I imagine MLK did too. He was a preacher man, after all. He had a wife and kids. He had a home. He had a life. He had freedom. He had a lot to lose.

He also risked that for the sake of a greater good. Even his peaceful approach made him a target. I imagine there were times of anger, doubt, and sadness. He was a human being.

Even Jesus wept, lamented for Jerusalem, and drove the money changers from the temple, and seemingly felt doubt while on the cross. Emotions are part of the human nature. Jesus never told us never be angry, the bible said to be angry but not to sin while in anger. Anger can be used for a greater good.

I have been loyal to this cause no matter how many despair, have philosophical differences, get angry with me, or reject me, both outside the cause and from within. But until some of you pull your heads out of the sand and instead draw a line, don't expect much in the way of change.

You don't have to see this cause as a "war." War, after all, has casualties and innocent victims caught in the crossfire. Are we under siege? Do we resort to caving into the enemy because we're getting desperate? Are we at the point where we eat our horses and dogs out of desperation and have defections? I don't think so. We are a far bigger movement since 2007. We are more organized, have more members, and have made great strides since that time.

But at the same time, there is a lot of fear, and we are still a small grassroots campaign. We should have EVEN MORE members, more active members, more rallies and conferences, and more meetings with the media and legislators.

When you go to the conference, decide what you want to do while in Albuquerque. Bury your heads in the sand? Or draw a line in the sand.

There is plenty of sand to do either one.

Why I "chose" to be an activist

What you are looking at is my very first post on a forum about sex offender topics. The day I found this website, I had been homeless for about three months, and decided to Google the topic of finding employment and housing for someone forced to register as a sex offender. I had stumbled across this particular website back on April 15, 2004 and I found this poll asking what we should do with homeless sex offenders. Some of the individuals there were in favor of indefinite incarceration, and one even suggested castrating homeless offenders simply for being homeless. It sickens me to see how heartless individuals could be.

My comment: "How CAN you punish someone who is trying to comply with registration laws but can't because he has no place to live? I am speaking from experience. I did all my time, got out and I'm homeless. Every day I go out looking for a job in vain, I'm not allowed to stay in shelters, and I'm supposed to be able to find a place to live without assistance. So am I supposed to go to jail because circumstances are beyond my control?"

The first responder to my question was a probation officer from FloriDUH using the screen name DP1. I felt her response was very condescending. She expected me to understand that the laws more important than the pain I was experiencing from being homeless and jobless. From that moment on, I began researching the impact of these laws. This website I had stumbled upon had a decent amount of information, and I learned over the Internet how difficult it was truly going to be to be given a second chance in an unforgiving society.

About two months later, I finally got a job and a place to stay. While neither job nor residence was ideal, it was better than nothing. Slowly, I moved away from the online community, kept to myself, and continued working. I was doing everything that society expects of a person who has served his time, and in return I expected to be left alone.

Society had other ideas. The county had reclassified me for no reason at all, then they determined I was living to close to a place where people can go get a GED, and soon they were going to force me to move. I had nowhere to turn for help. My girlfriend at the time got scared and broke up with me. Not long after, I lost my job. I had done everything right, yet society chose to ruin my life on a whim.

Eventually I was forced out of my home. Luckily, I had found a new residence, but no sooner than I had moved in, the city of Cincinnati decided they were going to increase their local residency restrictions, putting my new home in jeopardy. Again, I was faced with homelessness, so I went to City Hall and fought back. As a result, I was able to keep my apartment.

From that moment on, I dedicated my life to fighting Megan's law and other oppressive sex offender laws. And it all began with a simple question that received a heartless answer. I never really chose to be an activist; I was forced into it. But if we don't fight back, who will do it for us?

On April 1, 2013, I will celebrate my 10th year of my release from prison, however, I never proclaim it my 10th year of freedom, because I am not truly free. I was not allowed a second chance. Rather than wither and die, I choose to fight back. a fellow registrant I've known for years but is not an activist asked me why I put myself in harms way. I asked him why he didn't. He didn't want to make waves or be targeted. Like me, he wanted to be left alone. He was also homeless. Still, our local TV station targeted him in an exposé about homeless sex offenders, and claimed he was not homeless but was circumventing the law. He asked me when all this would end. My response was it would end when enough of us takes a stand against all the abuse and oppression we face on a daily basis. 

I still live in the apartment I fought for. My friend is still homeless. When I feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle, I just look around at my apartment, and I remind myself how far I have come since that April day when I found a random poll on a long forgotten website.

__________________________________________________________

 Feel free to read the other answers that people left on that very same question. If you have a heart, you'll be as angry as the hate as I was that day.

Vigilantism, America's next spectator sport

Now that the Jerry Sandusky trial has wound down and America waits for the next high profile case to incite the masses, we can take a moment to look at the stupidity surrounding the Sandusky media swarm.

Someone dressed as the Internet meme known as "Pedobear" garnered media attention outside the courthouse as the trial was conducted inside.

A large number of illiterate internet trolls have spammed hate messages at the Twitter account of Baltimore Ravens broadcaster GERRY Sandusky (no relation). That is Gerry with a G, not a J.

At least Gerry Sandusky can take it in stride:

Speaking of confusion over the name, consider the woes of the resort town Sandusky, Ohio. The resort town has reported that tourism has declined as a result of the Jerry Sandusky Trial. In one instance, the social network site Twitter automatically hashtagged a tweet posted by a Sandusky area spa and redirected people to the Jerry Sandusky trial instead of to links to the resort town. One comedian even exacerbated the problem by creating a phony YouTube commercial using plays on words from the Jerry Sandusky case:

Other recent cases like the Casey Anthony trial had similar stories, like the Oklahoma woman attacked for looking like Casey Anthony. There are reports of white men being beaten by gangs of black men proclaiming they were getting "Justice for Trayvon Martin." But sex crime accusations hold a place of prominence in our culture.

High profile cases are on the news daily, and without a doubt, it is having a negative impact on our society. We live in a culture where vigilante attacks are applauded. Two recent stories have illustrated this point.

The Texas who who beat a man to death he claimed was molesting his daughter was heralded as a hero and not charged with murder. An overwhelming number of people called him a "hero" instead of a killer.

In Washington state, serial killer Patrick Drum is being held without bail after killing two registrants. The prosecutor expressed concerns over online comments approving the vigilante's actions. Later, Drum was allowed in general population, where he attacked a 19 year old in on a failure to register charge. The victim was only age 13 when he was added to the sex offender registry in 2006.

We have turned trials into spectator sports and canonized vigilantes as heroes. Every night, celebrities like Nancy Grace and John Walsh make their living riling up the public and exploiting these high profile cases. We have created the "abuse excuse," allowing people to kill so long as the killer claims abuse.

 How much further do we allow the solemnity of the criminal justice system to degrade into the realm of that other infamous "Jerry," Jerry Springer? Maybe we should just borrow another Roman idea and turn our courtrooms into arenas and replace prosecutors and defense attorneys with gladiators and exotic beasts. We could even hire Gerry Sandusky to do play by play, courtesy of HLN Sports.

Enough with the Bread and Circuses, the reality TV attitudes, and the misguided blind vigilante injustices. It is beyond time to place limits on the registry; the registry needs to be abolished.

Sandusky's Guilty. Now what?

The Jerry Sandusky guilty verdict undoubtedly surprised no one, except maybe for the news breaking so late in the evening. This time is a good time to point out a few things about this entire debacle. .Now that Sandusky is convicted on 45 counts of sexual abuse, you must take a hard look at this man in relation to Megan's Flaw.

Megan's Law and subsequent laws, like the Adam Walsh Act and Jessica's Law, were birthed in high-profile cases. When we think of the registry, we think of people like Sandusky. However, if you look on the Megan's Law list, you would not find Jerry Sandusky's face. I discussed this detail in a previous blog post.No registry, no residency restriction, no GPS monitoring, no signs in the lawn, and no scarlet letter law could have prevented this man from committing sex crimes, because he is among the about 95% of sex crime cases that are committed by those with no prior record.


The second point. We think everyone on the registry is a Jerry Sandusky type offender, they all got a slap on the wrist, and so on. Well, people like Jerry Sandusky will never see the light of day. Then there are those who are out and on the list. All 750,000 of them will pay for what Sandusky did somehow. Some new law, some more tightening of the screws, and more vigilante violence.

Across the country, in Washington state, two people were being put to rest as a criminal with a history of drugs and assault shot and killed two people on the list and planned to kill a third. Both were free, they served their time and had been out for years without incident. One of the men was a 28 year old man who, at age 17, had a consensual relationship with another teen who was deaf. The parents did not approve and the boy was charged with the ominous sounding "first-degree rape." Since then, he got married and had two kids. These two children will grow up with out their father, and the person who murdered their father is declared a hero by society with Jerry Sandusky on their minds.

Patrick Drum did not kill two "Jerry Sanduskys." Nor did Sandusky's victims ever find him on the list.

The registry protects no one.

For another take on this, read Shana Rowan's blog:

http://www.iloveasexoffender.blogspot.com/2012/06/jerry-sandusky-never-was-never-will-be.html

Another take on this, from Shaun Webb:

http://amotionforinnocence.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/i-believe-sandusky-did-it-but/

ACTION ALERT: Please help Leslie Blanton lay her husband, and father of two sons, to rest

This is a cross-post from the ESCAPE website, none of this is my work, I'm merely re-posting for other people's benefit.

To learn how to donate, go here: http://www.endsexcrime.org/helptheblantons.html


Please help Leslie Blanton lay her husband, and father of two sons, to rest



Last week, 28-year-old Gary Blanton was gunned down in Port Angeles, Washington. He left behind a widow, Leslie, and two little boys, Skylar and Gary Junior.

Leslie is a young now single mother struggling to carry on; the funeral home has been very generous in allowing her extra time to come up with the funds to bury Gary and hold a service for him. However, she is still just over $3,000 short and out of options as of tomorrow.

Any amount you can contribute will be greatly appreciated and put towards funeral expenses for this dearly loved husband and father. Leslie and her loved ones thank you very much for your compassion!

From Megan's Law to Mug Shot Magazines: Citizen involvement in the growing police state

Many Americans are in a constant fear of a "police state." This concept is not new. In the 1930s, the Nazis epitomized the police state. In fact, we still refer to overbearing police as "Gestapo." Powerful as the Gestapo was, they were not large enough to act alone; around 70% of the arrests made by the Gestapo were initiated by the tips or information of the general public. The Nazis employed propaganda to influence the people, and the people in turn, played a major role in sending millions to their deaths in concentration camps.

America is slowly becoming a similar police state. But just like the Nazi era, the police is not the only concern. This generation has done the same. We are a nation of nanny cams, background checks, and a growing number of public pillories known as "registries". Right now meth maker registries, domestic violence registries, and animal abuser either on the books are in the process of creation. Hell, we even have registries for your dog!

Bad Dog, Go Register!

But even that is not enough. Someone has decided that taking mug shots and putting them in a newspaper format and selling them is a great business opportunity. Somewhere along the way, we've turned the criminal justice system into the next spectator sport:

Someone should make a rag with pics of those who sell this crap

http://www.kypost.com/dpps/news/the-newest-tabloid-craze-mug-shots_7554544

Imagine going to the Internet to search your name only to find a mug shot from years ago posted on multiple websites. There are publications and websites whose sole purpose is to feature police booking photos. Some make a profit selling advertising around the photos, while other websites are offering, for a price, to remove or hide these images permanently. *****  McMahon learned about the mug shot business the hard way.

In 2003, McMahon woke up one morning covered in blood, with stab wounds and evicted from his home. McMahon was fired from his job and slept in a gas station bathroom that night. McMahon knew his life was in need of a change. At the time, the then-bartender was dealing with the deaths of his best friend and sister within months of each other, along with a family history of drug abuse. McMahon started using cocaine at age 12 and lived in a drug-induced haze until he was 23. During those tumultuous years, McMahon was arrested several times, including two instances for driving under the influence of alcohol.

These days, McMahon is a happily married, churchgoing father who works at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. His wife, ***** McMahon, is a part-time student at the University of Georgia earning a master's in social work. When they're not working, life for the McMahons revolves around their 2-year-old daughter, ******. It is a much different existence than McMahon once had.

Congratulations are in order. This man turned his life around, rehabilitated, cleaned up his act, etc. He's a happily married man with a wife and kid, works hard, and even goes to church. Who would want to mess that up? Enter the Mug Shot Magazine Business:

As part of his recovery, McMahon went to the Internet to check his online image after he read that employers use Google to search the names of potential employees. Having served the time for his crimes, McMahon was shocked to find his mug shot still posted on a website along with others. He contacted the site to have the image removed. He paid a another site to have the mug shot removed only to see his photo show up in four other places. "It's like killing one flea and then saying, 'OK the flea problem is done,'" McMahon said. His frustration built when he contacted the website Reputation.com, which said for $7,500 it could not get rid of his image, but could "bury" it in Internet purgatory.

McMahon is not alone in finding his murky past displayed for the public.

So you not only have a business that posts your mug shot, no matter how old it is, but for a high price, you can pay to have it removed. But then it shows up elsewhere, because now that you have paid one site, other sites know you are willing to pay. It is like the South Park "Underpants Gnome" equation, only instead of collect underpants, someone collected mug shots, and they found that missing step to turn mug shots into profit.

I'm pretty sure a phase 2 involves something illegal.

Yes, I went there. 

Caught Up is a Tennessee-based weekly that dubs itself a "crime-fighting publication." It features police booking photos. Found primarily in smaller communities throughout Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, and Kentucky, the publication showcases people's names and alleged crimes listed below their mug shots. Caught Up and other similar papers collect mug shots, which are public record, from sheriffs and local police departments, who hand over the information with the names listed in alphabetical order, detailing the criminal charges. These photos are also featured and archived on the publication's website caughtuplive.com...

"Sometimes I say I'm the most popular woman of the small counties because police departments are so grateful," said Lori Broderick, the media liaison for Caught Up. Broderick is involved in the publication of every paper, which puts out more than 25,000 copies weekly. Broderick, who is also a paralegal, joined the Caught Up team in December 2010. She feels the mission of the paper is to give people the ability to keep an eye on their communities.

Well in the interest of fairness, I will post a link to Lori Broderick's Facebook page here in case any one is interested in suing her. So if they are putting out 25k+ copies per week at a dollar a pop, and assuming they are making at least a 50 cent profit ($12,500 weekly), then they are racking up $650,000 per year. That is a lot of dollar rags. 

The flip side is how the publication affects the people showcased. Broderick recalled a man who was a sex offender and had finished serving his sentence. The man was trying to rejoin the community but felt he couldn't with his mug shot in the paper and online. Broderick said she and her team discussed the issue, but ultimately felt their need to inform was more important than helping the man overcome his past.

"When you're talking about the safety of the community and the safety of children and seeing as how these are already public records, we just made the determination that it was in the best interest of the public to have this information available," Broderick said. "The lack of knowledge was not a chance that we were ready to take."

Here we get to the meat of the issue. The paper really should have said "their need to publicly humiliate in order to sell papers was more important than helping the man overcome his past. In other words, increasing the likelihood of recidivism is LESS important than selling papers. 

Mug shots: Informative vs. slander?

Caught Up consists mostly of mug shots with a few related written pieces and various games that it calls "informative fun." There also is some local advertising. Caught Up Vice President Geoffrey Bar-Lev said in today's economy the profit margin for this business is relatively low. However, the demand for the publication in smaller communities has remained the same. The business makes money even if the lives of the people who make up its content have changed, which leaves someone like McMahon out of luck.

Again, I broke down the profit margin. What is disturbing is Caught Up calls this "informative fun." So what can you do about it?

Several clients have asked Kavan Singh-Grover, an Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney, about removing their mug shots from the sites and about what legal action can be taken. "They are using a person's image for commercial gain without their permission," said Singh-Grover. "To me, its extortion, maybe not legally, but the common use of that term." Singh-Grover said legally, there is nothing that can be done. The only thing that could stop the publications and websites is legislation that forbids them. That legislation does not exist.

That legislation NEEDS to exist. That being said, I'd argue False Light and misusing my image. And yes, these papers have been sued in the past, HERE and also HERE. 

Caught Up's Broderick said she understands the concerns and said other publications might have a lower standard, but their purpose is to encourage safety in communities, not promote public humiliation. "People think we are in the business to mock," Broderick said. "They believe that we have photos of a person who has been arrested to allow the community to thumb their nose at and that's not our purpose. If people find some of the mug shots amusing, that's more or less a side effect." McMahon isn't laughing.

Oh, really?

It is hard to claim that when all the mug shot papers' web pages resemble this. 

"But that's the main way they make profit, right," he said. "We can read a paper without looking at a picture and know that seven people were arrested for DUI -- we don't need the picture. It just -- to me -- seems like the way that they're making money is because the pictures are pathetic or sometimes funny."

RemoveSlander.com is a website that erases mug shots from the Web once a person has been legally cleared. The site said it uses "trade tools" to eliminate the mug shot. Spokesperson Philip Lee said he does not feel RemoveSlander.com should be "affiliated with the mug shot website."

RemoveSlander.com via ImageMax Mugshot Removal said it is the first reputation management firm to offer the service. For $399, RemoveSlander.com allows a customer to specify one website from which to have a mug shot deleted. For $699.00, the mug shot is removed from three sites. Remove.Slander.com has 14 business days to remove the mug shot from the website and Google or the customer gets their money back. If a customer has multiple arrests with more than one booking photo, that costs more.

In his suburban Atlanta home, McMahon seems at peace with his new life and everything that comes with it. However, he's eager to talk about his past if it means more people are aware of publications like Caught Up and sites like RemoveSlander.com.

"I'm human, I made a couple of mistakes -- it's not a secret I made more than one," McMahon said. "Everyone has a past. It's just unfortunate that mine is exploited for profit."

Again, this is all about the money. 

With 65 million Americans with criminal records, including 750,000 or so on the sex offender registry, the business opportunities are endless, at the expense of the people.

I have my own story to tell. During the lowest point in my life, the week my mother died, they released my mug shot in a Mug Shot rag, leading to harassment as I was grieving over my mother's death. A neighbor told my now ex-fiancee Brandi's mother that I was a "bad man" who "hurts people." The same could be said for that person as well as the people who run the Mug Shot Magazines. 

My original premise is this phenomenon is merely an extension of the Gestapo generation. Megan's Law, the flint that ignited this fire, has expanded over the years to other crimes. The justification has been to "inform the public." However, we have seen that argument fall apart when you see how these papers are viewed by the general public. It is the return to the scarlet letter and public pillories. These methods have been proven ineffective, so there is no other reason to have them than for entertainment value. Roman society crumbled while its citizens were distracted by "bread and circuses." American society is falling into an equally dangerous trap.

It is past time for legislation putting an end to these practices once and for all.

How the Media "BUT-fucks" (tm) an article

If there is one thing I've learned about the media over the years, it is they are biased and full of shit. We all know that, but while we poke fun at Faux News and their ilk, there are plenty of brain-dead sheeple who take them seriously.

There are plenty of these articles and it goes something like this. You are reading an article and 90% of the story is good, but in the interest of showing the other side, the reporter finds some random schmuck to spout some dissenting catchphrase. This person is generally introduced (not always but often) with the word BUT, and it is a big ole BUT.

This article has just been BUT-fucked. 

There are two recent articles that illustrate this trend of media sodomy. 

EXAMPLE #1: http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=541902

Sex Offender Registry and Community Safety: Does it Work?

By: Marci Manley, KARK 4 News

Updated: May 17, 2012

In 2010, KARK took a look at the sex offender registry system and how well it works. Changes in state law and the way information is reported had us taking another look to see if the system keeps communities safe.

"I'm a level three, which is called a high risk sex offender," he said across the desk. 

Robert Combs is required to check in with Little Rock Police every six months to make sure they know where he lives. 

"I think we have to step back from that one-size fits all approach to the way we deal with people on the registry," Combs said.

Combs is a Level III sex offender, but he's also the Executive Director of an  advocacy group for sex offenders in the Natural State, called Arkansas Time After Time, pushing for fewer barriers for some offenders. 

"It's the knee-jerk reaction to pass further laws like residency restrictions that people think it's going to make communities safer but really it makes communities less safe," he said. 

His reasoning? Combs said the restrictions on residency  make finding a house, a job, or a normal existence next to impossible, so some offenders will try to skirt the system.

"It's harder for their probation parole officer and their supervising team to watch them," Combs said. "They'll move to the countryside and if they're in the city they will go underground. That actually makes communities less safe." 

Paula Stitz, the Arkansas Sex Offender Registry manager, disagrees. (Here is the "but fucking")She said two major strides in the past year have made the Sex Offender Registry more efficient and more capable of keeping communities informed. 

"You can't tell me having the registry does not save people's lives," she said. "I know, I hear stories every day, where it has and continues to keep people safe. Information is power. Sex offenders have relied on our hesitancy to say the word sex or sex offender. It allowed them to stay in the dark. But now, this system is shining a light on them, and they don't care for that. It doesn't really allow them to live the lifestyle they want to live." 

EXAMPLE #2: http://www.wktv.com/news/local/Woman-engaged-to-sex-offender-registry-ruined-our-life-143561776.html

Woman engaged to sex offender: registry ruined our life

By HILARY LANE

Story Created: Mar 20, 2012 at 6:19 PM EDT

Story Updated: Mar 20, 2012 at 6:19 PM EDT 

ONEIDA, N.Y. (WKTV) - A woman engaged to a man who committed a sex crime is calling for the New York State Sex Offender Registry to be eliminated.

Shana Rowan's fiance committed a sex crime in 2004 and served four years in jail. Now her fiance's name is cemented in the New York State Sex Offender Registry forever and Rowan says it is impossible for them to move on.

"As long as the registry exists, I am always going to be living in fear," said Rowan. "I already had my car vandalized. My car is on the registry since he drives it. My neighbors won't talk to us, they think we are scum, and I never know how long my relationships are going to last. I never know if they are going to find out and think that he is scum and decide I am not worth it."

Rowan has now dedicated her life to advocating for families of sex offenders tormented by the registry and openly talks about these issues on her blog: iloveasexoffender.blogspot.com

"We don't believe sex crimes shouldn't be punished. We don't believe it is okay. We are not condoning it," said Rowan. "All we are promoting is safety and equality for families. All families. Part of that is allowing families of registrants to be safe in their homes."

(Here comes the BUT-fucking)

Richard Ferrucci, Senior Investigator for the District Attorney's Office, said the Sex Offender Registry is vital to society.

"The public has the right to know these people were dangerous, probably still are dangerous, or can be dangerous in the future to young children," said Ferrucci. "Children don't really have a means to protect themselves. By having a means to access information that is out there about crimes these people commit is paramount to keep their children safe."

I each example, the big BUT comes in the form of two people, Paula Stitz and Richard Ferrucci. Stitz is a disgraced police chief who was fired over corruption yet got a job with Arkansas sex offender registry. Richard Ferrucci, who is this clown? What is his credentials?

In each story, the focus of the article was supposed to be collateral consequences of life on the registry, the impact of life on the registry, BUT(fucked) then, someone pulls out the big BUT and fucked the entire article. What was the article about again?

The position of the big BUT is important, because for those who don't simply read the headline and actually take the time to read the article will remember the BUT because it is usually at the end of the article. So the article looks more like this:

The real story is this person we inconvenienced to tell his/her important story, BUT! This random expert spouts a myth and this person is important so listen to this random expert and fuck the first person.

This is your media article on the sex offender issue in a nutshell.

I'm not sure what to offer by way of remedy but Tom Madison, former CEO of SOClear Media, came up with this term in a recent conversation and it is worthy of use. I have been a victim of media sodomy as well. The media will approach me for an interview, butter me up (oh wait is that butter or vaseline?), then when the article comes up, my story is overshadowed by someone's big fat BUT. I'm not the only one. Perhaps we should register reporters that do these things. What do you think?

At Ground Zero for the war on sex offenders

In the shadow of Ground Zero, with the new construction of the "Freedom Tower" in the background,
the media frenzy over the possible Ground Zero for the war on sex offenders was bustling with activity.
This photo (c) 2012 Derek Logue of www.oncefallen.com, not to be reused w/o permission.

"In many ways, it was the end of an era of innocence. And parents suddenly became much more protective and much more hovering over their children." -- Ernie Allen, NCMEC


"We want kids to walk around smart and not scared," -- Alison Feigh, Jacob Wetterling Resource Center


"I said to him, 'If you got a sense from us that the world is a scary place, it came from Etan Patz. That's where it came from. And I'm sorry if we did do that. Because it's not a good thing to imbue in a child." -- Cass Collins, wife of the father of a child in Etan's playgroup, to her son



"Though I realize that the likelihood of any one of my own three children being abducted is likely less than them being struck by lightning, that doesn't mean that it's not a real, albeit slightly irrational, fear."-- Jodi Halkin, of Palm Beach, Fla., who grew up around the corner from Adam Walsh. Halkin won't even write her children's names on their T-shirts or backpacks out of fear that a stranger might be able to call one of them by name.

All above quotes came from the Christian Science Monitor article, "Etan Patz: His disappearance started the era of parental anxiety," by Meghan Barr, April 23, 2012

This past weekend I went to New York City to be on the Paula Gloria Show. As I was sitting at the station awaiting my transport, the Etan Patz case was all over the CNN channel, which was playing in the lobby. Who is Etan Patz? He was a young boy who went missing on May 25th 1979, and his disappearance was the catalyst for the current era of parental anxiety, and ultimately the war on sex offenders.

The Etan Patz disappearance was among the first disappearance to trigger a massive search for a single missing child in the modern era, and while overshadowed by the death of Adam Walsh and the activism by his John Walsh (who helped begin the NCMEC and the milk carton campaigns), the Patz case is still Ground Zero for what would ultimately become the "war on sex offenders." Patz was the first child features on a milk carton, according to AMNY, a free local newspaper handed to me by a local.

A local TV reporter tries waving off a fan while reporting on the Etan Patz search.
This picture (c) 2012 Derek W. Logue of www.oncefallen.com. Do not reuse w/o permission

It seemed no mere coincidence this 33-year-old case would make national news as I began my trip to the Big Apple. With my copy of the AMNY in hand, I made my way to the corner of Prince and Wooster. In the distance, the Freedom Tower, the new World Trade tower replacing the Twin Towers destroyed on 9/11, loomed in the background barely a mile from the other "ground Zero." The narrow streets were packed with media vans lined up around the block, and dozens of portable metal fences separated the crowds of people from the media and the investigators searching a basement in an effort to find the missing child. The media swarmed around a short, balding man in a way reserved only for Hollywood stars surrounded at the Red Carpet by the Paparazzi.

The short balding guy in the beige clothes is swallowed by the media frenzy.
Behind the media antenna to the right stands Freedom Tower.
This picture (c) 2012 Derek W. Logue of www.oncefallen.com, do not use w/o permission.

As I took my own shots of the media frenzy, people began asking me what was going on. Many never heard of Etan Patz. I can understand. After all, it is a case older than my ex-wife, 33 years old. Without knowing much about the latest developments, I mused doubt they would even find anything more than mere speculation. The speculation was based upon a maintenance man who worked in the area around the time of the disappearance and was spotted with the child the day before.

The FBI and NYPD cordoned an entire block for nearly 5 days in a futile search.
This pic (c) 2012 Derek W Logue of www.oncefallen.com. Do not use w/o permission

The next day, I was on the Paula Gloria show, with the site of both ground zeroes still on my mind. I was only two years old when Patz disappeared. The site reminded me why the war on sex offenders was as poorly fought as the wars of the past, including the ongoing "war on terror." Media frenzies, misinformation, and knee-jerk reactions helped create this costly and ineffective war. It became a point I could use to resonate with those locals tuned in to the local access channel and help them understand the faulty logic behind the war on sex offenders.

Etan Patz's parents left a note outside their apartment asking to be left alone

As I unpacked my bags at home, I turned my computer on and read the search had yielded nothing and was called off despite digging up tons of earth believing the boy to be buried under some newer concrete. I'm not surprised. To me, it merely validated my feelings about the war on sex offenders. We have reached a point in our society where we spare no expense in finding a lost child no matter how vague the clue may be. We did the same with the Adam Walsh case recently, announcing vague new evidence which turned out to be no evidence. Police went by the nose of a cadaver dog, which might have sniffed a dead animal or even the blood of a human who cut his hand while working. We'll never know.

Whatever the case may be, if indeed the "era of innocence" was lost, so has the age of common sense. one look at the frenzy over this case is all it takes to see how far we have gone in exalting missing child cases in this country. For the war on sex offenders, as in the equally misguided war on terror, the war began in downtown New York City.

The sequel no one wanted: Bookville II, return of the Miami sex offender camp

The fourth and final of my Examiner.com articles. In the future, I will NOT support The Examiner as they discriminate against ex-felons.


Bookville II, return of the Miami sex offender camp

Derek Logue
Cincinnati Crime Examiner

You cannot have your cake and eat it too. -- Old proverb
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Five long years ago, Miami's stringent 2500 foot residency restriction laws forced the city's registered persons into a handful of locations where it was still legal for them to live.The Julia Tuttle Causeway "sex offender camp" began with five men forced to live under the bridge connecting Miami Beach to Miami's Midtown. Over time, the camp grew to over 100 residents before the camp was destroyed in March 2010, and the former residents were scattered among the remaining available locations. 

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At the heart of the Julia Tuttle Causeway Sex Offender colony is Ron Book, a powerful South Florida lobbyist who, with the help of his daughter, Lauren Book-Lim, spearheaded the efforts to create the toughest residency laws in the country. The result was a residency restriction law barring sex offenders from living within 2500 of any place children may congregate, leaving the Julia Tuttle Causeway and a handful of isolated areas as the only legal places for registrants to live.
.
Ron Book has not been without controversy. Ron Book was convicted of violating Florida's campaign finance laws multiple times, and now has a criminal record. Book still holds power in South Florida despite being under federal investigation for more political corruption. Corruption seems to be par for the course in South Florida.
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In a cruel twist of fate, Ron Book is also head of Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, entrusted to assist the homeless. Thus, Ron Book was charged with the task of assisting the very people he forced into homelessness in the first place. Needless to say, Ron Book was not well liked or trusted by those he forced under the bridge. The JTC registrants even posted a sign proclaiming "Welcome to Bookville." At least when pandering to the media, Book claimed he was doing everything he could to help the residents. He even admitted he was "wrong" to promote residency laws.
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The solution seems simple enough-- abolishing or reducing residency laws, as Iowa had done. But since we are talking about South Florida, the natural law of logic does not apply. Consider the following from Senator David Aronberg:
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"Aronberg — at 37, the youngest member of the Senate — said when the state passed a law in 1993 prohibiting sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, and day care centers it seemed like a good idea and local municipalities soon followed suit...
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"Ironically, Aronberg said, what started out as a well-intentioned way to keep kids safe from sex offenders has actually put them in greater danger. Unable to find housing after being released from prison, sex offenders have become homeless or have gone underground in record numbers. He noted Miami-Dade County made national news recently when sex offenders there were sent to live under the Julia Tuttle Causeway...
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"In an attempt to remedy this situation, Aronberg said he has put forth legislation — with the support of law enforcement, prosecutors, and child safety advocates — to create a single, consistent 1,500 ft. residency restriction throughout Florida. Aronberg said the bill, which passed the Senate last year, but was not taken up by the House, would end the confusion caused by 128 different ordinances, and would eliminate the homeless sex offender problem that endangers public safety."
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To sum up Aronberg's statements, sex offender residency laws do not work because it creates homelessness and puts lives at risk, therefore, the solution is increasing statewide residency restrictions to make more restricted areas across Florida and increase homeless registrants across the entire state. That makes perfect sense.
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Back at Bookville, Ron Book pandered to the media once again, proclaiming he found federal funds to relocate the JTC residents. It was the perfect plan--hide the city's international embarassment under the guise of assisting the homeless, and the media bought it hook, line, and sinker. The camp was closed and the residents were moved to temporary shelters. The media soon forgotten about the debacle (or more accurately, swept under the rug), but for those who once lived in Bookvville, the story was far from over.
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It wasn't long before Book pulled the funding he collected to aid the registrants, and they were forced back onto the street. Since the Julia Tuttle Causeway was now off-limits, the registrants were sheltered at a Department of Corrections parking lot. Meanwhile, Ron Book was back to his old tricks, defending his support of the residency laws and mocking those who appose him as "advocates for predators" and "suspect."
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It may have been the end of the Julia Tuttle Causeway camp, but not Bookville. The Emperor of Bookville found a new spot for his empire; Emperor Book began a conquest of Shorecrest. Soon Book found himself back on damage control. Here is a statement from Ron Book from the Miami Herald in November 2011:
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Whatever the merits of Book’s resettlement efforts, he cautioned they were temporary: “I can’t pay rent for these people forever. It runs for a period of time and runs out.” Indeed, soon afterwards, Book declared an end to the Trust’s aid for the Bookville exiles: “As far as we’re concerned, our help for people under the bridge is done.” He acknowledged, however, that without this aid, many would “end up back somewhere on the streets,” adding ominously “We just don’t know where.”
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And here is his statement in response to the media's uproar over his new Shorecrest kingdom:
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“I’m shocked. It makes me crazy. We worked very hard to make sure this crap didn’t happen again.”
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It does not look like Ron Book is being honest. Book has done everything to keep his law on the books, including using his daughter Lauren to promote his laws. Lauen has increased her yearly "awareness" walk by 500 miles each year; this year she allegedly walked 39 miles for 39 days, or about 1,500 miles. The books are sponsoring even more legislation to ensure more residents of Bookville in the future. The motivation behind it is Lauren Book's abuse at the hands of her nanny, who was not listed on the public registry. Nothing the Books have advocated would have prevented Lauren's abuse.
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Ron Book wants to have his cake and eat it, too. He wants his residency restrictions yet wants the homeless camps swept under the rug. It is the bad sequel nobody wanted for everyone involved. Once again Miami finds itself the center of international embarassment, and once again, Ron Book is the star of the show. 
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More on the Julia Tuttle Causeway/Bookville Saga can be found at Once Fallen.