Ga. Sex Offender Law Challenged

Opponents of a Georgia statute that restricts where sex offenders may live are fighting against a new provision that would evict convicted offenders who reside within 1,000 feet of any churches in the state.

The Southern Center for Human Rights, based in Atlanta, filed a motion, which cites the cases of nine disabled and elderly convicted offenders who would be kicked out of trailers, nursing homes, and relative’s houses, if the church provision is enforced.

“By virtue of their advanced age and/or physical condition, these plaintiffs are not a danger to anyone,” the motion states. “Yet the law makes no exception for them.”

The church provision is part of a blanket law—effective July 1—that prohibits offenders from working, living, or loitering within 1,000 feet of any place children may collect including parks, schools, gyms, swimming pools, and bus stops.

Currently, some state authorities are beginning to crack down on the church provision, evicting about 61 offenders who live near churches.

Ruby Anderson’s husband was convicted of statutory rape over 10 years ago. The couple tried to find a new place to live after they received a notice from the authorities, but rent prices are too high.

Anderson claims her 81-year-old husband has advanced Alzheimer’s disease and is no threat to the community. “I’m not saying that they shouldn’t be concerned about these things,” Anderson said. “I’m not saying that at all. But we’re not going to be a problem.”

However, supporters of the sex offender law contend that enforcing the law is vital to protecting the most vulnerable people in the state: the children.

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