Right on Mississippi! (h/t Stop The ACLU who got it from Assorted Babble)
The billboard is emblazoned with screaming red letters: “Convicted! Sex crimes against children!”
On either side of the message is a photograph of a convicted sex offender along with his name, sentence and description of his crime – all printed in bold red print. One is serving 20 years for sexual battery against a 9-year-old; the other, 15 years for statutory rape of a child under 13.
This 12-foot-by-25 foot billboard – now hovering over U.S. 49 in Richland for all southbound drivers to see – is part of an effort by the state Department of Human Services to raise public awareness about sexual crimes against children.
The billboard, pasted Wednesday over an old picture of three smiling Girl Scouts hawking cookies, is one of 100 that will be put up statewide by the end of the week. Another, larger billboard that was rolled out earlier this week on I-55 in Byram states, “Statutory rape is a crime!”
Two convicted sex offenders are depicted on a billboard on U.S. 49 in Richland on Wednesday. The sign is part of a campaign sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
The signs use photographs of sex offenders currently serving time.
And so far, the public, at least in Mississippi, seems to be behind the department – sometimes with a have-no-mercy attitude.
“Put all their pictures up there,” said Tammy Rhodes, who works near the billboard at Southern Sports Center.
“I think, if you weren’t thinking about anything else on your drive to work and you saw that picture, you’re going to think about it: What’s in my neighborhood?”
Have you checked your area to see how many sex offenders live nearby? If not go here. Do a search of your zip code, don’t enter a name, and you will get a complete list. Every state has a dedicated website so do a google search for your state.
I have 52 registered offenders in my zip code. 52! They should have their photo’s plastered on every billboard across this town.
But living in the Socialist State of Kalifornia that will never happen. Thanks to the ACLU.
And now the ACLU is a bit peeved at Mississippi:
Nsombi Lambright, who heads the American Civil Liberties Union in Mississippi, has called the move a waste of taxpayer funds. She has questioned the logic of using convicts who are serving sentences and whose information goes public on the sex offender registry list.
But the ACLU, a tiny office consumed by its fight against a bill that would ban most abortions in the state, shows no sign of taking on the issue as one of its causes.
“Of course, we’re concerned with every civil liberty violation, but because of the small staff, we can’t work on everything,” she said.
Lambright, who has gotten calls from Good Morning America and Nightline on the issue, said she has not made a decision about taking action.
No action yet, guess the ACLU is too busy representing NAMBLA and Sheehan.
No action yet, guess the ACLU is too busy representing NAMBLA and Sheehan.
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Thank you for linking this story and my blog. Unfortunately you are probably right…in CA..you will most likely never see billboards. It is shocking because here in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area….I had over 100 come up…on the north side of Broward county. This was just a fraction of the NE side.
One thing about FL though, we are tough on sex predators and we are allowed to shoot a gun (person) if we feel threatened. We are making a difference here, but unfortunately it took dead children with their names on Laws to make it happen.
Burn in hell, bastards!