How was your 4th?

The following was sent to us via the "Tell Us Your Story" form and posted with the users permission.

By Jeffrey:
So it's the 4th of July once again. How do you feel about it? I'm sitting at home alone and feeling like an outsider. I don't feel like I really should be out celebrating. I'm a little bitter with what has went on with these sex offender laws in this country, and I have to realize that it's not the countries fault, it's the lawmakers fault. When the Supreme Court sided with the the states and approved by a 5-4 vote, Megan's Law, saying that it was not ex post facto, it gave lawmakers the right to play judge with people who they've never met. They were able to come up with any bizarre sex offender law as a result of the Supreme Court of the US not doing what was fair or just, and allowing for this insanity to continue. So I am not a fan of the court system or lawmakers of this 'great' country of ours. Now I get to look forward to all the story telling about the monsters out to get the little kids on Halloween. Fun huh?

FL - American Horror

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By Mike:
Megan's law is a sickening display of American law. After finding myself "tricked" by the state of Florida into becoming a registered sex offender; now I find myself being raped by the justice system because of a label. First off I took a plea agreement in 1992, when i took my plea, no judge told me about SO registration, nor was it in my plea agreement. They needed faces on the website when it was launched in 1997, so they worded the law so that people still on probation were to register, even though it was not part of their plea agreement. They achieved this by wording it the following way: "convicted on or after Oct 1, 1997, or still currently serving sanctions". The "still serving sanctions" part is the part that did me in, and it is the ONLY law in FL that is worded that way...all other laws say "convicted on or after a certain date". That has been found to be unconstitutional in several states...the last being MD last yr in 2014, when MD was forced to remove people who were convicted before Megan's law became active. Fast forward 22 years, and a lot of suffering and humiliation, and I move to Illinois in 2011. The ISP said I was not required to register in IL., and even faxed me a letter saying I had completed registration requirements. In 2014 I had contact with a rogue cop who decided he wanted to turn my life upside down. I had an apartment, a job, and a girlfriend. When I failed to register timely, he arrested me and seized all my computer equipment while I was in jail. Even though the law states I do not have to register, the DA is sitting on this case for over a year now and doesn't appear to want to let it go. The ISP refused now to talk to me when I called and asked why they aren't backing me up on the letter...after all, THEY have the final say on who registers in their state..not a cop. They want my blood on their hands, even though they are in the wrong....just because of the SO label. U have fewer rights than a murderer, and it shows this country at its most vicious and corrupt. I can only pray.

SC - WHERE LOOKS AND LIES CAN TAKE YOU

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By Charles Farabee:
I'm Charles Farabee, and I'm a sex offender in South Carolina. I moved to Clinton South Carolina in 1996 from Thomasville North Carolina. Now before I moved to South Carolina I never been in any serious trouble with the law period. With me being a new face of the Clinton South Carolina population I met new people, new friends & new relatives. In 1998 I dealt with 2 girls that looked very adult like. They were living in a children's home/private school at the time. They told me their ages which they stated legal ages. So I did take their word for it cause again they did look extremely adult like. I dealt with 1 of them for about 4 days and we had sex maybe twice out of the 4 days we seen each other, and the 5th night I ended up having sex with the other female, but soon after that the person who was running that place at the time ended up pressing charges and I ended up getting charged and arrested for 2 counts of CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT W/MINOR. Now the females did admit to everything on their behalf during the questioning, preliminary hearing & at court. So I ended up getting 10 years suspended to 5 years probation. I didn't do no prison time, but come to find out 1 female was 12 and the other female was between 14 or 15 years old which I stated that I didn't know that which I honestly didn't. At the time I had just became 21 in march. I just feel that a person like myself and a few others who may have been tricked and lied to shouldn't have to live life like this. I'm no threat in no manner, but I have to live on with life suffering from this to where it's extremely hard to get a job even in restaurants cause I'm labeled as a sex offender. It's hard to find a place of residence, hard in so many ways in life while the victims of the past get to live on happily ever after and progress in life and I don't think that's right I shouldn't be doing a life sentence out here in the free world. I ran into a trap I did not see and made a mistake by it. Sex offenders in cases like me shouldn't be treated to where we living as the living dead to where we don't deserve anything not even life itself. Now I can't speak on the violent, sick minded & habitual sex offenders. I can only speak of me and those who are like me cause we don't deserve this.... Thanks for reviewing this!!

WI - HELP! I dont know what to do anymore.

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By Dilly:
At age 20, in Wisconsin (St. Croix county) I received a misdemeanor 4th Degree sexual conviction for having relations with 16 YR old who lied about her age. We dated for about 2 months and I had no earthly idea!! I was told I will not have to register as an offender at all. I later moved back to my hometown in Texas. After a routine traffic stop, I was told if I had a warrant in Minnesota and they wanted to extradite me. At that time I was then charged with failure to comply with offender registration. I was told I was charged for not letting MN know I was moving to TX (didn't know I had to if I wasn't supposed to be a registered offender in Texas or at all!!! Wasn't on any probation or anything). Which was a felony. Couple years later I missed by 2 weeks updating my address and then charged AGAIN felony failure to register. Now I have 2 felonies stemming from the Wisconsin misdemeanor. Is there a way I can get the misdemeanor off my record to put a end to all this madness in Texas? I'm 32 yrs old now. Legal help is needed!! PLEASE! This shouldn't be fair at all!!!!

OK - Kidnapped by DHS

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By Jeff Wendel:
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services has taken my 2 step-children from my wife and I because of a 1999 Conviction of a sex offense with a minor child. I believe this is a civil liberties issue. They are telling my wife that she is depriving the children of safety because of my past. They have removed them from the home and placed them into emergency custody. There are no charges against me nor allegations of abuse. They are filing for the two children to be placed in care of Child Protective Services and wanting my wife to either divorce me or be without her children.

The OKLAHOMA LAW STATES:

10. Effective November 1, 2012, it shall be unlawful for any person who is required to register pursuant to the Sex Offenders Registration Act for any offense in which a minor child was the victim to reside with a minor child or establish any other living accommodation where a minor child resides. Provided, however, the person may reside with a minor child if the person is the parent, stepparent or grandparent of the minor child and the minor child was not the victim of the offense for which the person is required to register.