Blind Brook Park exposes a problem with the sex offender ordinance. Blind Brook Park, 02.28.08. Photo by ctblogger
Can you tell what's wrong with this photo (click to enlarge)?
This is a photograph of Blind Brook Park in the city's 6th ward. Now, I posted this photo to bring attention one of the several problems with the city's sex offender ordinance in it's current condition.
Blind Brook Park is one locations where, current sex offender ordinance, child predators are barred from entering. Under the established city ordinance, each child safety zone is required to have a sign in plain sight alerting parents and police that offenders are barred from entering the location. There's only one problem...there's no sign at Blind Brook Park alerting residents that the park is a child safety zone.
Now as I parent, I have a problem with this for obvious reasons as this type of nonsense can lead to uncertainty and confusion. Is this place off limits? If it is, after a year and two months of the passage of the ordinance, where is the sign?
I brought this problem to the attention of Mayor Boughton at last week's town hall meeting and to his credit, he stated that he would look into that particular issue (NOTE: I'll post the video from my encounter with the mayor at the town hall meeting at a later date). Unfortunately, that doesn't negate the underling concern regarding several problems regarding this ordinance, which were brought up by several council members who attempted to address flaws within the law back in December of 2006.
A year and two months after the ordinance was adopted and one of the popular small neighborhood parks (which is less than a 1/2 mile from City Hall) goes unnoticed is clearly unacceptable for the parents in that section of town.
UPDATE: Since posting this piece, I was able to find other locations with the same problem in the city.
For the record, 1 YEAR, 6 MONTHS, AND 26 DAYS after the adoption of the ordinance, THREE months after posting this report and MONTHS after notifying Mayor Boughton and Sex Offender ordinance ad-hoc committee chairwoman Mary Teicholtz about the situation, and WEEKS after schools were closed for the summer, the problem at Blind Brook Park STILL exists.
04.25.22 (RADIO): WSHU Latino group call on Connecticut lawmakers to open a Danbury charter school
06.03.22 (OP-ED): KUSHNER: "Career Academy ‘a great deal for Danbury"
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
Blind Brook Park is one locations where, current sex offender ordinance, child predators are barred from entering. Under the established city ordinance, each child safety zone is required to have a sign in plain sight alerting parents and police that offenders are barred from entering the location. There's only one problem...there's no sign at Blind Brook Park alerting residents that the park is a child safety zone.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
