Monsters of Miami

Follow the film maker Nick Ahlmark on Twitter:

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Very well produced piece. Check out this pod: http://current.com/items/90942192_through-stills-of-life-the-annenberg-space-for...

This is an amazing podcast. Very well told story. I agree that no one wants to have sex offenders living near their children, but what are some of the solutions for this? Obviously not to make them live under a bridge.

Wow, this is just about the tip of the icebeg as it floats its way downstream. Another shining example of overzealous christian politics. I agree that people should be punished for atrocities, but lobbyists/lawmakers go waaaay too far.

The real monster is the felon system itself. In a country that boasts rehabilitation, we have seen anything but. After jail, a felon cannot work,(unless its some terrible job no one else wants to do) a felon cannot live/eat on his own,(no job remember?) a felon cannot even vote to better his situation.(keeping the status quo in place) How is any of this rehabilitating?
It isn't. The powers that make money off your incarceration sit and wait for you to start making illegal moves, so they get you right back in.

If a felon is looking for a job, he is no longer following the same path that got him incarcerated, no? Yet they receive no quarter. Let's be honest here, answering yes to the felony conviction question almost GUARANTEES your barring from that position.(they dont want criminals anywhere in their christian community)

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Don't even get me started on this BS they call crime"labs." They do not hold to scientific tolerances, evidence is botched, or even made up, and really, a cop is no scientist. It is all geared against us.(detroit is a prime example) We have to submit to this?
I believe it is high time for transparency within law enforcement. Too many good people have served unnecessary time. We have offenders on a list, online, but where is our list of cops under investigation? Conversely, commended cops?
Break the law and we receive no quarter, shouldn't they?

First I would like to say thank you to current for getting the story out to the public. I know some one who is going through this madness. Once a person goes to jail for any crime their rights are subject to be stripped and the person has to abide by the rules and regulations of the jail. Once that person has served his or her time in jail and they come back out into the free world they should not be subjected to being homeless due to the fact that there are laws in place that restricts them from living certain areas. Don’t get me wrong I believe the public should be protected from danger but there needs to be a system put in place that qualifies or disqualifies a person from this law. Not every person is a repeat sex offender in these cases and not every person that has made a mistake in their life is a monster. Some people are not even guilty of the charge.

it would have been impactful to include the number of true victims in this story. well the ones that are known, as surely there are others that the offenders did not get caught for. lets add up those numbers of the children that will NEVER be the same and are now sentenced to a life time of undeserved shame and guilt.

the one perv said it all when he stated he "allowed" a 9 year old to touch him. clearly implying that the VICTIM ( a child for gods sakes!) 'wanted it' and that his only wrong was "allowing" it.

that sex offender does not take responsibility or even acknowledge his own actions, meaning he will most likely repete the crime if giving the chance to be around a child.

most sex offenders if they are truely honest will be the first to tell you that when they are around their victim of choice, the trigger is released and they cannot control themselves.

some of these comments on here are REALLY disturbing. waaaaaaa poor sex offenders.

do you want them living next door to YOUR child? do you want to defend them and cry along with the horrible wrongs being done to them, to the extent you are willing to take them in?

thats what i thought.

i like the one persons comment about them getting a job and getting out from under the bridge. right on!

the courts did not order them under that bridge. the law just says they cant be close to children. thats all.

people need to stop feeling sorry for these guys and feel sorry and fight for the rights of the innocent children they molested and left scarred for life. good lord!

i love the one guy who said animals get treated better. thats because animals dont molest innocent children.

great film. well done.

i really don't feel sorry for these bastards hell they should be lucky they are free from prison they're are people who did less crimes are still in prison.

atharrach: "so be it'??? THREES: "Killed"??? An eye for an eye, now the world cant see. A tooth for a tooth, now how the f**k do we eat dinner.

maybe its not right but did they think about the human rights of people they abused?? if some1 robs a bank and you lock them up for 20 years they might think 'damn im not gonna do that again' but can the same be said for these kind of people?? i think not

Fascinating. I have no sympathy for these guys because I've had more than a few friends and family throughout my life who were sexually assaulted.

I do, however, think they should be given much more help finding a place to live than just "Go live under that bridge." No point in making their lives more miserable and giving them even less to lose - that will just lead to stronger temptation to attack someone again. Everyone needs some kind of stability to stay out of trouble.

I wonder how many of the cities have considered buying or building apartment complexes in areas that are outside "safe zones". Not that most taxpayers will want to spend money building apartments for sex offenders, but it could solve the problem. Having somewhere safe for these guys (and even women) to go would benefit both them and society.

Monsters is not a strong enough word for these killers of children. In fact they are murderers and have NO childhood anymore. I believe they should be put to death...Killed. As they have murdered the potential in the children that theyve destroyed. They have to suffer "cruelty shame and embarassment"? What an as&h*le! These people are dangerous predators. Let that stupid woman from the ACLU have them move in next door to her children...unless of course that f*&*ing womans husband has his hands in her kids pants already! Women are protectors of these idiots who kill their kids! I speak from real life and wouldnt let them live under the bridge! That this guy says that he is a victim oh my god!!!! what a disgusting pig!

I feel no sadness for those men. They chose to commit a heinous crime. Be it rape or murder I think that they reap what they sow and if they have to live under a bridge for the rest of their lives then so be it. What about the children they fucked up? Those children have to live in my society, and contrary to what everyone thinks, every person in society affects not just their families and themselves, but the society they live in. I don't know the figures, but don't a substantial number of persons who commit sex-crimes go back out into the world to commit more sex-crimes? And many of the children who were once victims become victimizers who perpetuate the cycle. So if dad touched son, son is going to touch his son or someone else, who is going to get touchy feely with a niece or someone.

That one guy who said they're exposed to filth and unsanitary conditions... is he serious? I'm supposed to feel sorry for him?

I have so many mixed feelings about this.

I feel like in our system, we need to separate "sex offenders" into classes.
In the US, an 18 year-old (if convicted) who had sex with their 16 or 17 year-old girlfriend is considered a "sex offender." Individuals who fall under this classification do not deserve the kind of treatment as depicted in this pod. But child molesters do, however, deserve the squallid conditions they live in.
Sure, they're sad and are exposed to unsanitary and possibly harmful elements, and maybe some have honestly changed, but the lives they have ruined will stay scarred forever. Thus, they deserve to pay a considerable price.

I agree that the ordinance is not the answer. However, I do enjoy the fact that SF has so many parks that it makes it impossible for convicted pedophiles to live here.
I think we should find a better solution and treatment! for these people who have quite frankly turned into monsters so the cycle does not continue.
But it comes down to the fact that I do not really give a good god damn if they live with the rats and exterminated as such. I'd rather live next door to a gang (and i have) then live near a pedophile.

This is a good pod. I'm sorry for what happened to the lobbyist but how will this 2500ft. ordinance help another kid? I mean helping this people get back into society is a change and getting them back on track.

True, bbut still...

If they move to another area, they do not have to live under a bridge.........

This is a total breach of the Constitution. It strictly prohibits cruel and unusual punishment no matter the crime.

Sex offenders are left under a bridge that's probably got tons of health problems, constant amplified noise causing hearing damage, and the possiblity of many casualities if the bridge collapsed. But, what about violent criminals? Are they allowed to roam free? That's not even right.

Plus, our forefathers didn't die so that we can just butcher the constitution to our needs. Just because we have the power to interpret the constitution to our taste does not mean that you can have people who've learned their lesson in unsanitary conditions while homicidal maniacs are free to do what they please.

They need to rethink their laws.

By the way, great pod.

the only aspect this is missing are the other reasons why they ended up under the bridge. I dont know there personal stories, but what stopped them from leaving the city? Getting a job outside of the county would be out of their jurisdiction. Sex offenders live in houses everywhere else.

the only aspect this is missing are the other reasons why they ended up under the bridge. I dont know there personal stories, but what stopped them from leaving the city? Getting a job outside of the county would be out of their jurisdiction. Sex offenders live in houses everywhere else.

great pod. great story.

Sex offenders are not seen real people and any pod that can make a person feel for the difficulties they face while trying to get their lives back together has done a good job.

But what I like best about this pod is that it's un-biased. The issue this pod presents is not at all cut and dry and this really does a good job of presenting both sides.

Nobody wants these people near their children. These men have fallen from morality, have been convicted of horrible life-scarring crimes against the innocent, and our society is keeping them there, at the bottom. Is this moral? Do they deserve to live on the streets like animals? Are they really monsters? If so, can they ever become men again?

We have similar laws in NJ. If they cannot find a place in a certain town or county then find a place where you can live. Why do we worry about these peoples rights when they themselves ignored the rights of the child(ren) they have abused. The punishment fits the crime.

This was amazing, Nick...thought provoking, and very even handed.

Plus the comments from the 1st lady, shows her ignorance. She is assuming all sex offenders harmed children, which is another myth propagated by the media and politicians.

You are assuming all sex offenders made to live under the bridge are pedophiles.

People need to learn the difference between sex offender, predator, pedophile and molester, they do not all mean the same thing.

http://sexoffenderissues.blogspot.com/

The video was not bad, but I have a problem with the use of the word "paedophile" in the description. Out of all the people in thisw video, Ron Book is the REAL monster in this video. His comments make me believe he should live under a bridge far away from civilization. Blind hatred and ignorance makes one as bad as those they hate if not worse!

http://sexoffenderissues.blogspot.com/

I want to first start off with saying I am NOT pro-pedophile or pro-sex offender but pro-Constitution. I am totally against any form of abuse to any animal or human being. Anybody who commits any crime should be punished. But, once that person has done the time they were convicted under, via contract, and is off parole and/or probation, they should be able to get on with their lives without all the rules and regulations. No other criminal has to live by such draconian laws, so why sex offenders? If we must do this for sex offenders, then I think, to be fair, all criminals must be under similar rules and regulations.

When an ex-offender is forced to move from his/her home, thus having to sell it, cannot find another home within the law due to the residency "buffer" zones, get fired from their jobs due to being on the registry, cannot find a new job due to being on the registry, their husband/wife lose their jobs due to a significant other being on the registry, their children lose their friends and are harassed and bullied in school due to a family member being on the registry, thus destroying the children's lives, ex-offenders are forced into homelessness and to live under bridges, harassed by police, neighbors and probation/parole officers, have to wear "I'm a sex offender T-shirt" or have a neon green license plate on ALL their cars, have "sex offender" on their drivers license and forced to renew their licenses every year, forced from shelters during tornadoes or hurricanes, cannot give blood at some places due to being discriminated against for being on the sex offender registry, denied housing due to being on the registry, signs placed in their yards inviting harassment and ridicule from the neighbors, forced to move when the neighbors start picketing outside the ex-offenders home, the list is endless.

I THINK THIS IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT, BEYOND THE EXTREME!

that ron book is a real ass-hole these laws are wrong and un-american!!!

Ron Brooks 12 year old daughter was abused by someone close to the family circle. If I am correct to asume I believe it was the babysitter......how did a 2500ft. ordinance protect that child? Statistics show that most of these cases involve a family member, or someone known personally to the victim and their family. Very few cases involve stranger danger...besides all these offenders only have to be living at the causeway bridge from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. the remainder of the time they are free to roam the city streets.... Again how do these ordinances help?

sorry this is out of synch everyone - current are trying to sort it out right now.

thanks to you all for the positive feedback!

nick

I can't believe things like this happen in the city I live in. Thanks so much for this video, it shows so well how corrupted things have become.

I agree. They have problems, let's help them and not just put them under a bridge. Jesus.

I am terribly sorry for the Lobbyist and his daughter, however, I don't know how he can sleep at night putting offenders from prison to the underbelly of a bridge.

At least prisoners are allowed food and personal facilities.

Wow. this is a excellent and fascinating pod.

Very well done. You covered such a complex issue. I learned about this recently after speaking with ACLU members who have been working on this.
Yes, precautions are necessary when releasing individuals who have sexually abused children. Psychological treatment/therapy can be effective and successful alternatives. To dehumanize people by calling them monsters and segregating them instead of trying to understand them will only make things worse. Institutionalized homelessness not only denies a person's basic human rights of dignity & respect, but also creates a situation that facilitates further criminal behavior.

How do other countries handle similar offenders?

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damn.
this is one of the best pods i have ever seen.
this is insaine-
its only an hour away from where i live.
i had no idea.
the lobbyiest has a right to be concerned...
but they did their time.
"you cant turn back and erase that...
who is not worthy of forgiveness?"
It makes me wonder if that lobbyist is a 'christian'...