Mary Gant speaking during community meeting. (Photo: Oralia Rubio)

Harbor Inn Hotel (Photo Source: Google Maps)

Tension was high as residents and city officials gathered Tuesday evening to discuss the high number of registered sex offenders living in Wilmington.

Organized by the Wilmington Community Organization, this meeting held at the Harbor Christian Center was a chance for residents to ask questions about the high number of sex offenders released in Wilmington, and to see if anything could be done to regulate it. The discussion cleared up a lot of misinformation that residents had about sex offenders and their parole conditions.

Parole Administrator Joe Martinez explained that, in general, offenders are on parole from one to five years with the average time being about three years. High-risk offenders can be on parole up to seven years or longer and have to be registered as sex offenders for life, Martinez added.

Offenders on parole are also tracked with a GPS ankle monitor and have frequent visits to their residence by parole officers.

The LAPD is responsible for registering offenders yearly in the Department of Justice Megan’s Law registry as well as enforcing any offenders who fail to register when needed, officials explained.

Although the laws became more clear to residents, it still did not seem fair to attendees that our community has to deal with LA’s problem of sex offenders. Wilmington has the highest concentration of registered sex offenders totaling to about 177. Flint Street in East Wilmington has a high concentration of offenders living in what officials called residential facilities or hotels. Residents believe this type of housing is a threat to our community’s safety.

Sex Offender Hot Spots
Places like the Harbor Inn were mentioned as locations where many sex offenders live. Last summer the motel was raided and eight people were taken into custody for alleged parole violations, including possession of child pornography or narcotics. Stuffed animals, teen magazines and children’s underwear were found in the motel, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Martinez explained that sex offenders under parole supervision are allowed to live anywhere they would like as long as its 2,000 ft. away from a school or park. He said they also take into consideration the offenses and if it is near other places where youth conjugate.

However, once the offender is off parole or probation, he or she can live anywhere they please. This information displeased and angered many of the attendees. A main factor as to why there are so many sex offenders in Wilmington is the low cost of housing, officials said.

Next Steps
The community has definitely united in this effort in hopes of making our community safer. But with the sensitive nature of this topic and with a system that doesn’t seem to empower resident, many feel powerless and by the end of the meeting, had some suggesting extreme measures as solutions.

It was also important to residents that they be informed when an offender moves into their neighborhood. As of now, officials said they can only monitor the whereabouts of the offenders as well as enforce violations.

Community members advised anyone who is committed to this issue to speak to local legislators, council members, supervisors and anybody who can help Wilmington be a safer place for residents via legislation changes.

“We need to continue pushing for change, attending meetings and voice our concerns,” said Mary Gant, organizer of the meeting and member of the Wilmington Community Organization.”It will not happen overnight and not with just one meeting.”

Although residents were unhappy about the current situation, it was a motivating meeting to continue to voice their concerns and spread awareness about the issue. Police officials also assured residents that they will continue to monitor offenders and address any concerns.

The next meeting is scheduled for August 14, 2012 at the Harbor Christian Center, 1551 Wilmington Blvd. Wilmington, CA. For updates, please email the Wilmington Community Organization at wilmcomorg@gmail.com


Story was written by Oralia Rubio