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Sex Offender Dies in Cold After Being Denied From Shelter
abcnews.com ^ | January 30, 2009 | SCOTT MICHELS

Posted on 01/30/2009 5:05:50 PM PST by 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."

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: cool; grandrapids; homeless; ilaughed; michigan; pedophile; sexoffender
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Comment #21 Removed by Moderator

To: Free ThinkerNY

At 52 he couldn’t have had a job and been supporting himself and keeping his hands off children? Nobody made him do that.


22 posted on 01/30/2009 5:28:19 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: org.whodat

I was wondering whether to be happy or sad. Thank you for clearing that up. I’m happy.


23 posted on 01/30/2009 5:28:19 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Dissent is Patriotic. Palin 2012!)
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To: UCANSEE2

I’m always surprised when people try to carry on a discussion based on glimpsing headlines alone. Too many times the headline negates the premise on which they base their argument! Stupid people!


24 posted on 01/30/2009 5:31:52 PM PST by Magnolia
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To: sinsofsolarempirefan

A quick search of the Michigan sex offender registry identifies his crime as: Criminal Sexual Conduct 2nd Degree (Person Under 13). I won’t lose any sleep because this POS is taking a dirt nap. I do, however, find it interesting that Scott Michaels did not feel the need to publish the fact that this guy was a pedophile in his bleeding heart, cry me a river story about this dirtbag.


25 posted on 01/30/2009 5:32:02 PM PST by ConservaTexan (February 6, 1911)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

“Marge Palmerlee” does not score any points with me. Go get a job, pervert.

Sorry to sound so insensitive..............


26 posted on 01/30/2009 5:35:25 PM PST by EggsAckley
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To: Free ThinkerNY

This is discrimination based on sexual preference!!!


27 posted on 01/30/2009 5:36:24 PM PST by NeoConfederate
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To: sinsofsolarempirefan
What kind of sex offence was he convicted of?

You can find the information here........if its still available.

OTIS

28 posted on 01/30/2009 5:37:03 PM PST by Hot Tabasco (Welcome to Detroit, the Renaissance city......)
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To: poindexter
I think they’re trying to get us to feel sorry for the chap.

Well, I do.

29 posted on 01/30/2009 5:40:28 PM PST by krb (Obama is a miserable failure.)
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To: utahagen
Really, we should be executing them. This bastard was convicted of assulting a child under the age of 13. This isn't peeing on a tree while drunk.

Dying from freezing to death is much kinder than what I'd mete out to perverts.

30 posted on 01/30/2009 5:41:09 PM PST by hunter112 (SHRUG - Stop Hussein's Radical Utopian Gameplan!)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
King said Pauli wanted people to realize that he wasn't "a monster."

Let's hear what he did and then I'll decide for myself

31 posted on 01/30/2009 5:43:40 PM PST by paul51 (11 September 2001 - Never forget (July 4, 2009 see you there))
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To: poindexter
I think they’re trying to get us to feel sorry for the chap.

I do feel a bit sorry for him. But also I'm very curious to know how serious his "sex crimes" were. All the article says is:

...convicted of criminal sexual conduct in 1991,...

But what does that mean? Is the guy really dangerous or not? This doesn't really tell me.

32 posted on 01/30/2009 5:49:58 PM PST by AndyTheBear
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To: goldstategop
Don't know the particulars, but whenever I see something like this now, I think about the fourteen year old girl that was charged with child porn for taking a topless photo of herself. I've had to do background checks on some people, and found that people registered as "sexual predators" included some terrible people, but also a 26 year old that had sex with a thirteen year old when he was fourteen. I don't trust the "sex offender" tag until I know what the person did.

Whew, I'm getting seriously cynical, aren't I?

33 posted on 01/30/2009 5:57:04 PM PST by Richard Kimball (We're all criminals. They just haven't figured out what some of us have done yet.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

I wish reporters would do their damn job and fill in exactly what he was charged with, so you can figure out if the guy really was trouble or not. They leave out the most important part. If they did it on purpose it’s because it was bad and would turn off sympathy for him. If they didn’t do it on purpose they’re just typical dumbass veneer journalists.


34 posted on 01/30/2009 5:57:05 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

Can we start an assault on mis-placed “compassion” first, and then all of political correct whining with this story?

“Oh well”.

I mean, seriously.


35 posted on 01/30/2009 5:59:08 PM PST by Cringing Negativism Network (During any "d" administration: USA's msm, become indistinguishable from the ussr's pravda.)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

The correct descriptive is “pedosicle”


36 posted on 01/30/2009 5:59:14 PM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . The original point of America was not to be Europe)
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To: Free ThinkerNY

So what’s the problem?


37 posted on 01/30/2009 6:00:01 PM PST by fish hawk (Atheism is a non-prophet organization)
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To: hunter112

If sexual offenders should be executed, so be it. What we should not do is what we do now: release them from prison AND prohibit them from living in most places, thereby encouraging them to go off the grid. My point was these current laws are making children LESS safe.


38 posted on 01/30/2009 6:04:02 PM PST by utahagen
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To: Secret Agent Man

Reporters leave out data intentionally because they have an agenda to fulfill.


39 posted on 01/30/2009 6:07:49 PM PST by LuxMaker (The Constitution is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary, Thomas J 1819)
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To: AndyTheBear

I’m very ambivalent about this case. I certainly agree that pedophiles need to be strongly punished and removed from positions where they can prey on children. On the other hand this guy was convicted 18 years ago of a pretty vague offense. What the heck is 2nd degree criminal sexual conduct anyways? Could it mean that some kid saw him urinating in an alley? Or maybe his neighbor got offended when he gave his kid a piggyback ride? I just don’t know.


40 posted on 01/30/2009 6:09:07 PM PST by LuxAerterna
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