PROPONENT SAID IT WOULD PROVIDE
JOBS AND APPROVE TERRORISM.
THEY ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE FINAL
APPROVAL NEXT THURSDAY.
RESIDENTS SAY THEY PLAN TO
PROTEST TONIGHT AND EVERY NIGHT
AGAINST A POSSIBLE RELOCATION
OF HOMELESS PEOPLE INCLUDING
SECTS OFFENDERS TO THEIR
NEIGHBORHOOD.
RIGHT NOW THEY ARE LIVING IN
TENTS OUTSIDE OF HIALEAH BUT
HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY HAVE UNTIL
THURSDAY TO PACK UP THEIR
BELONGINGS AND LEAVE.
COMPLICATING THE MATTER EVEN
MORE, THE ACLU AND LEGAL
SERVICES OF GREATER MIAMI HAVE
FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST MIAMI-
DADE COUNTY TO STOP EVICTIONS
FROM THAT CAMP.
JOINING ME ARE JEAN BAKER A
BOARD MEMBER OF THE ACLU AND
RON BOOK THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY HOMELESS
TRUST.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.
WHAT IS THE ACLU HOPING TO
ACCOMPLISH BY FILING THIS
LAWSUIT?
IT IS FOCUSED ON A CAMPING
ORDINANCE THAT WAS ENACTED BY
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND AMENDMENT
-- AMENDED A COUPLE OF MONTHS
AGO.
IT WAS AMENDED IN A WAY TO MAKE
ITS READILY AVAILABLE TO BE
ABLE TO ARREST AND CHARGE FOR
TRESPASSING.
THOSE WHO ARE FORMER SECTS
OFFENDERS WHO HAVE BEEN STAYING
IN THOSE ENCAMPMENTS. IDEALLY
WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO BE ABLE
TO FIND HOMES IN MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY.
THEY COULD DO SO IF IT WEREN'T
FOR THE EXTRAORDINARILY STRICT
AND EXTREME RESIDENCY
RESTRICTIONS THAT THE COUNTY
HAS IN PLACE.
2500 FEET FROM SCHOOLS.
AND THAT IS VERY STRICT.
IT HAS FORCED THESE FORMER
SECTS OFFENDERS INTO
INVOLUNTARY HOMELESSNESS.
THEY HAVE BEEN FORCED OUT OF
SHELTER BY THE RESIDENT
RESTRICTION AND NOW THE COUNTY
WANTS TO PREVENT THEM FROM
LIVING WHERE THEY HAVE BEEN
LIVING.
LET ME ASK ABOUT THOSE
RESTRICTIONS.
YOU WERE VERY INFLUENTIAL IN
COMING UP WITH THOSE
RESTRICTIONS.
WITHIN 2500 FEET OF SCHOOLS,
PARKS, PLAYGROUNDS, AND PLACES
WHERE CHILDREN CONGREGATE.
WHAT A NOVEL THING TO DO TO
KEEP CONVICTED SEXUAL PREDATORS
--
WE HAVE A MAP THAT SHOWS
WHERE THEY CANNOT BE.
THAT EXCLUDES A LOT OF MIAMI-
DADE COUNTY.
WHERE ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO GO?
LET ME ANSWER MY QUESTION
COMPLETELY.
PEOPLE CONVICTED OF SEXUALLY
DEVIANT BEHAVIORS SHOULD NOT
LIVE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO
WHERE CHILDREN ARE ON A REGULAR
BASIS.
YOU CAN SHOW ME THIS CONCOCTED
MAP THAT THE AMERICAN CIVIL
GROUP, THE FAR LEFT THINKING
INDIVIDUALS WHO THINK THE
CRIMINALS TO COME OUT OF
PRISON, ESPECIALLY AS THOSE WHO
OFFEND AGAINST CHILDREN AND BE
RESTORED TO THEIR NORMAL LIFE.
NOT HAVE A REGISTRY OR ANY
RESTRICTIONS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE
A MAP.
OUR MAP SHOWS WHERE THOUSANDS,
THOUSANDS OF PREDATORS AND
OFFENDERS LIVE IN MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY. AND JUST TWO NIGHTS AGO
WHEN WE HELD OUR LAST MEETING
OUT THERE AT 71st AND 36th
AVENUE, WE HAVE HELD CLOSE TO A
DOZEN OF THEM OUT THERE, WE
BRING NOT ONLY ARE HOUSING
NAVIGATORS AND ARE CAREERSOURCE
FOLKS TO GET THEM PLACES TO LIVE
AND PROVIDE FINANCIAL RESOURCES.
WE HAVE ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO
BROUGHT 15 ADDRESSES AND MUCH
TO THE CHAGRIN AND
DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE ACLU AND
LEGAL SERVICES.
SIX OF WHICH, SIX OF WORDS,
GOOD ADDRESSES AND THEY DON'T
WANT THEM TO BE HOUSED.
THEY WANT THEM TO CONTINUE TO
SIT OUT THERE IN A MARTYR LIKE
APPROACH TO THIS ISSUE.
THAT IS COMPLETELY UNTRUE.
WE WANT OUR CLIENTS TO BE
HOUSED.
THERE IS NOT SUFFICIENT
AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN MIAMI-
DADE COUNTY. THERE ARE 455 --
WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO LIVE
IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
I WOULD BE HAPPY FOR ANYONE
WHO HAS DONE HIS OR HER TIME
AND WHO IS ON PROBATION OR
FINISHED WITH PROBATION.
THERE IS EXCELLENT TREATMENT
FOR SECTS OFFENDERS.
THE DATA IS CLEAR THAT THERE IS
NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
PROXIMITY TO SCHOOLS AND
OFFENDING.
IN FACT, 95% OF SECTS OFFENSES
OCCUR WITHIN THE HOME.
YOU ARE INTERRUPTING ME.
HOLD ON A SECOND.
YOU WANT PEOPLE TO BELIEVE
THERE LOWER CITIZEN SINCE AND
YOU IGNORE THE FACT --
LET ME BRING IN THE HOMELESS
TRUST.
RESIDENTS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY
PAY A TAX.
WHEN THEY GET THEIR PROPERTY
TAX BILL THEY PAY A TAX TO THE
HOMELESS TRUST TO HELP IN
SITUATIONS LIKE THAT.
THE HOMELESS TRUST WITH RON
BOOK HAS STEPPED IN AND SAID
THEY WILL HELP THESE PEOPLE
FIND HOMES.
WHY NOT LET THAT PROCESS TAKE
ITS COURSE?
WE HAVE. IN FACT OUR
INFORMATION IS THAT THERE ARE
277 PEOPLE WHO HAVE RESIDENCES
AT THAT PARTICULAR ENCAMPMENT.
THERE ARE 455 TOOTLE WHO HAVE
TRANSIENT RESIDENCES.
WE UNDERSTAND MR. BOOK HAS
FOUND HOUSING FOR SIX OF THEM.
WE ARE DELIGHTED THAT SIX
PEOPLE CAN HAVE SHELTER.
THERE WERE 277 REGISTERED THERE
AND 455 REGISTERED TRANSIENTS
IN THE COUNTY.
AS USUAL, MS. BAKER AND THE
ACLU USES DISTORTED AND
MISLEADING AND IN ACCURATE
NUMBERS.
FIRST OF ALL, WHAT I SAID WAS
JUST MONDAY NIGHT ONE PERSON
BLOCKED SIX ADDRESSES.
WE HAVE RELOCATED MANY TO OTHER
COMMUNITIES AT OUR EXPENSE.
WE HAVE HAD -- HAVE FOUND
HOUSING FOR A NUMBER OF THEM.
LET ME CORRECT ONE THING YOU
SAID.
WHEN YOU GET YOUR TAX BILL
THERE IS NO LINE ON THAT TAX
BILL FOR THE HOMELESS TRUST.
THERE ARE NO TAXES THAT GO TO
FUND THE HOMELESS TRUST OR THE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OVERSIGHT
BOARD.
WE ARE FUNDED WITH A FOOD AND
BEVERAGE TAX AND THAT PROVIDES
FUNDING BOTH FOR THE HOMELESS
TRUST AND THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
OVERSIGHT BOARD.
THIS NOTION -- WITH ALL DUE
RESPECT, NONE OF THOSE
OFFENDERS THAT HAVE COMMITTED
ACTS AGAINST CHILDREN CAN BE
CURED.
THAT IS ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE.
WHERE ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO
LIVE?
HOUSING AVAILABLE IN THE
COMMUNITY IS OUT THERE AND
AVAILABLE.
WE HAVE PROVIDED YOUR STAFF,
YOUR REPORTERS THAT HAVE BEEN
OUT AT THE SITE AS RECENTLY AS
MONDAY NIGHT, THEY WERE GIVEN
THE MAP TO SHOW WHERE THOUSANDS
OF THEM LIVE.
WE WILL KEEP FOLLOWING THE
STORY.
THERE IS A LAWSUIT, AND IT WILL
PLAY OUT IN COURT.