Halloween is the only night of the year that children can safely go out and collect candy from neighbors and strangers.
Oct. 31 is a day that children look forward to and love because of the treats, dressing up and the tricks they can get away with. However, if a law passes that requires sex offenders to put signs in front of their yards, this night could be changed forever.
The law was set to keep the future generation safe from potentially dangerous people. Some may say that the sign required for them to put in their yard is against the First Amendment rights. If a person decides to do such acts, they should know that there are consequences for their actions.
The First Amendment is lost in this situation, but for good reason. The laws that founded America were put there to protect the citizens like the First Amendment was put there to give citizens a voice. If someone were to hurt a child then parents should have a right to protect their children.
This is not a matter of rights, it is a matter of protecting an innocent child from potential dangers. Children are not strong enough to protect themselves, especially from an adult whose mindset is to harm them. This law was set in 2010.
Janice Bellucci, an attorney and president of the California Reform Sex Offender Laws is fighting this law because she feels it is not fair for the sex offenders to post the signs themselves.
One man who is a registered sex offender is the one who brought the law to Bellucci’s to see if they could fight it. Bellucci will not reveal the man’s name, in court she addresses him as John Doe.
Bellucci was quoted in the LA Times and The Orange County Register stating that the reason she believes this law is unfair is because the older trick-or-treaters may find these signs to be a target for their tricks. John Doe is apparently the one who is the target in his neighborhood so that is why Bellucci is addressing this issue.
The laws of what makes a person a sex offender is a little rocky. A person can be declared a sex offender if they pee in public 500 yards away from a school or if someone gets caught undressing in their car. Any indecent exposer can turn an innocent person into a sex offender.
The law says that even though they are not purposely showing themselves to a child, they could still be caught by a child, therefore they will be considered a criminal.
According to city records, the law was passed in February 2010 in which officials counted 81 registered sex offenders and 81 percent of them having convictions that involved minors.
So should the sex offenders of Orange County post signs in their yard? Yes, especially the ones that have hurt people should be the ones considered offenders. However, the ones that did not hurt anyone should be able to fight against it.
According to Megan’s Law, there are 68 registered sex offenders in Fullerton. If you are worried about your child’s safety this Halloween, you can look up Megan’s Law and find your neighborhood to see if any of your neighbors are registered on there website. www.meganslaw.ca.gov