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!