NY- Locals rally against Steve Levy's sex offender trailers

5-21-2009 New York:

Toting signs that read "Share the Burden" and "Protect our Children," some 45 locals gathered at the Riverside traffic circle Friday to protest the county policy of housing homeless sex offenders in trailers in Riverside and Westhampton.

"It's not fair to be packing such a high percentage of the county's sex offenders in one area," said Kim Yazic of Riverhead, a mother of two, as she spoke over a steady stream of honking horns. "Sure, it's a difficult problem of what to do with these people, but the problem should be shared."

It was also learned Friday that the sex offender shelters -- trailers operated by the county's Department of Social Services -- reached capacity at points last week, forcing some sex offenders into motels in Suffolk.

County legislators Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) and Jay Schneiderman (I-Montauk), whose districts encompass the entire East End, speculated at the rally that the overflow offenders were sent to motels in the Riverhead area.

County officials said otherwise.

While they confirmed the trailer in Riverside reached its capacity of 18, and that the Westhampton trailer reached its capacity of eight, they said the other offenders were placed in motels in western Suffolk. They would not say exactly where.

"Periodically, the number of homeless sex offenders exceeds the capacity of the trailers used to house this population," said Roland Hampson, a social services spokesman. "When this occurs, individuals are provided a motel placement. These motels are outside of the Riverhead and Southampton area.

"No Level 3s are placed in motels," he said.

Level 3 offenders are deemed the most likely to re-offend.

When asked by e-mail how it was determined which motels are used to house offenders, Mr. Hampson replied, "We use motels that comply with the laws that restrict where sex offenders may live."

He said no offenders were staying at motels as of Monday night, though according to the New York State Sex Offender Registry, 27 Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders called the trailers home, putting the trailers one person over.

"It is incumbent upon the sex offender to accurately report where they are staying," Mr. Hampson said.

County officials wouldn't comment directly on the protest.

Riverhead area residents have been angry with County Executive Steve Levy ever since a trailer for homeless sex offenders was unhitched in a parking lot outside the county jail in Riverside in mid-2007. At the time, Mr. Levy said that the trailer would be rotated throughout the county. He later reneged on that promise, citing the unavailability of land to house sex offenders due to state and local laws restricting where they may live.

Then, last September, as first reported in the Riverhead News-Review, the county quietly replaced the eight-person trailer in Riverside with one that could house as many as 18 sex offenders.

The larger trailer, though guarded at night by private security teams, sparked a renewed outrage.

Friday's protest at the Riverside traffic circle came about four months after a forum at Riverhead High School, which drew about 250 members of the public. At the forum, county officials and elected leaders fielded questions or expressed concern, but the policy has remained in place.

Thus, the need for Friday's protest, organizers said.

"We're here because we're wanting the sex offenders who do not live here to go where they live," said Laura Brewer of Flanders, whose husband, Mike, helped organize both January's forum and the protest. "We'll take the burden of the Flanders residents, but not upstate or up the island or anywhere else. We're not saying get rid of all of them, just the ones that don't live here."

Ms. Brewer was also joined at Friday's protest by her daughters, Ashley, 17, and Megan, 12.

Ashley said sex offenders from the trailer could be often found loitering at Riverhead Free Library.

"They hang out there," she said. "They stare at you. This one guy was like bald and stuff and he looked really creepy. The entire time he followed me around, even after I went downstairs. And you can look them up on the Internet and their pictures will pop up and stuff. So you know that they are [in the trailers]."

"God forbid something happens to one of my kids," Ms. Brewer interjected. "Then the county will do something."

Carl Iacone of Flanders, 76, doesn't have young children. Still, he said, he felt it was important to join the protesters Friday to fight for what is right.

"We're trying to make Steve Levy understand that what he did isn't fair," he said. "The trailers are just escalating more and more. What are they going to do next, put double-deckers? It's got to stop.

"This is something where something bad could happen," Mr. Iacone continued. "Why should we as a community have to suffer? Let's see if justice can prevail."
..News Source.. by MICHAEL WHITE | EDITOR