Should communities be able to determine where sex offenders are allowed to live? Or is a state standard needed to guarantee uniformity across rural and urban areas?
I choose the former. And I hope you do too.
This is a local control issue, and an effort by some in the legislature, including two Milwaukee-area legislators, to outlaw local sex offender ordinances is misguided.
I realize that the lack of uniformity brings with it some issues (sex offenders being concentrated in Milwaukee and in rural areas, for instance), and there is probably a larger debate needed here about just what to do with sex offenders in the penal system.
But stripping the power of local governments to make their ordinances is not the answer.
Click here to read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story on this issue. And click here to see the South Milwaukee child sex offender residency ordinance.
I’d like to know what you think on this. Post your comments below.
South Milwaukee Blog 
Two mildly tangential points:
1) The state has already set a precedent for doing a power grab on local government ordinances. A municipality can no longer block windmills with a more restrictive rule and this is just another example.
2) I am sick and tired of this being about “sex offender”. I don’t want ex-drug dealer, ex-batterers, or any other ex-felon living next door…but it’s only politically correct to talk about the sex offenders….just like the register – ALL felons should register or none.