Sex Offender Dies in Cold After Being Denied From Shelter

abcnews.com ^ | January 30, 2009 | SCOTT MICHELS

[Free ThinkerNY]

A homeless man found dead in the cold earlier this week in Michigan had been denied a place to stay in local homeless shelters because he was a sex offender, social workers said.

The body of Thomas Pauli, 52, was found in the snow in an auto body salvage shop in Grand Rapids Monday. The results of an autopsy were not yet available.

Homeless service staffers who have worked with Pauli said he has been denied a spot at local shelters because of a state law that bars sex offenders from staying within 1,000 feet of a school. It was not immediately clear whether Pauli had tried to stay in a shelter the night he died; shelter directors said they don't keep records of people who are denied beds.

"It is such a tragedy that I can hardly even speak about it, thinking of this poor man who froze to death because of a law that the missions had to enforce," said Marge Palmerlee, the director of the Degage Ministries. "As a community, we need to do something about this. Change has to take place."

[poindexter]

I think they’re trying to get us to feel sorry for the chap.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

What kind of sex offence was he convicted of? This could range from child rape all the way down to urinating in a public place.....

[goldstategop]

Sure... a kiddie pervert died and the libs are all torn up about it! No one forced him to sexually assault someone.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[mysterio]

What was the offense? They put people on that list for peeing outside or for dating a sophomore when they were a senior in high school.

[Clint Williams]

Forget the "poor man" element. The lesson that will be learned by some sex offenders is that if you need shelter you have to take it by force. Kill the occupants and live off what they've provided you, before you move on.

A way to escalate criminality that the politicos love, because then they can enact more laws that cause more crime that enables them to enact more laws...

And many of those laws set precedents that reduce our liberties.

[gimme1ibertee]

“As a community, we need to do something about this. Change has to take place.”
Yours Truly,
ZER0bama

[Magnolia]

It was not immediately clear whether Pauli had tried to stay in a shelter the night he died; shelter directors said they don't keep records of people who are denied beds.

SHOCK...seems to be a bit of a disconnect between the headline and text of the article.

[UCANSEE2]

Thanks for posting the article.

---

“It is such a tragedy that I can hardly even speak about it, thinking of this poor man who froze to death because of a law that the missions had to enforce,” said Marge Palmerlee, the director of the Degage Ministries. “As a community, we need to do something about this. Change has to take place.”

---

Yes, Marge. Maybe you could have let him stay at your house.

[skeeter]

Another casualty of political correctness.

There were good reasons they used to lock these guys up.

[UCANSEE2]

Yes, but that is only because you are thinking, using your brain, and understand basic logic.

You are supposed to ignore that, and go with the emotion.

What is wrong with you? Don’t you want to be a sheeple like everyone else?

(/sarc)

[jeffc]

Well now, maybe the nanny-staters can do some good sometimes! Although, inadvertently! LOL!

[max americana]

Bingo!

Makes you wonder why these “community leaders” always protest for change when they themselves don’t offer their own homes to criminals, child molesters, terrorists et al.

[goldstategop]

If the bleeding hearts wanted to help this man, put him up in their own home! Its not society's fault he died.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[DoughtyOne]

I looked him up on the Michigan sexual offender web site.

He was guilty of second degree sexual misconduct with a child under the age of 13.

He was listed currently as non-compliant.

I don’t want to see someone die. I also don’t want to give this guy a chance to screw up a kids life.

Others can look here.

http://www.mipsor.state.mi.us/PSORDisclaimer.aspx

His name is Thomas Pauli. He was in Grand Rapids. He was 52 years old.

[Dallas59]

What offense? I’ve seen a 22yo with SO for dating a 17yo....with child.

[org.whodat]

Pauli was convicted in 1991 of second-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a child under the age of 13 in Grand Traverse County.

I hope they play happy days when the burn the piece of dog dung. Meaning no disrespect to dogs.

[goldstategop]

Ain't that special now. The MSM purposely omits to tell us he was a pedophile. Someone should sue them for malpractice! At least he can't molest someone else's kids. My tears stop when it comes to the scum of the earth. There is such a thing as a sense of misplaced compassion.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[utahagen]

I’m no liberal, but I think this is a very sad story. If we believe that sex offenders remain dangerous forever — and this may be the case — we should not let them out of jail in the first place. But sending sex offenders back into the world, yet severely restricting where they may live, is nuts. This does nothing to protect children — the offenders are still out there — and it makes sex offenders into actual pariahs (as opposed to social pariahs). I understand why these no-sex-offenders-here policies are popular with the public, but they do not make anyone safer. In fact, the fewer legal options sex offenders have once they get out of prison, the more likely they are to go “off the grid”, meaning they won’t be tracked at all. Requiring sex offenders to register with the police, and publishing their addresses, is working; these additional regulations that rule out 90% of the places offenders will be permitted to live, accomplish nothing.

[wardaddy]

ambivalent on this one