How well do you know your neighbors?

On the message boards, we were discussing Jessica Lansford and her tragic death. The topic of sex offenders comes up from time to time, because we're moms and worry about these things. Have you checked your state's registry? I have, and there is a registered sex offender a few houses down from me. In TX you can see the crime committed, age of victim, etc, so I know this man raped a little girl. I also know that there are more than a few offenders on there who were arrested for statutory rape, they were 18 and their partner was not. That makes me sad, because people will forever judge them because they are registered sex offenders, when in reality they aren't predators. (Of course, this doesn't always hold true, but like I said, in TX it lists whether the crime was aggravated, with a minor, etc.) My point here is another member on the message board, who has a baby girl, said there is a sex offender living on the street behind her. She had signed a petition to have him forced out of the neighborhood, but nothing came of it. My response to her was you can't kick him out of the neighborhood, because even though you don't want him there, he has rights. I'm not sticking up for rapists, but once they have paid their debt to society, they have to live somewhere. Be glad that he's registered, because many (like in Jessica's case) don't register as they are required, and it's the ones you don't know about that you have to worry about. If you know about them, you can protect your children and yourself better, but ones who have not been caught, or haven't registered, could be living next door and you wouldn't know. Also, think about this... If you sign a petition to get an offender out of your neighborhood, and he/she decides to leave on their own because of the embarrassment, he might not register at the next address. After all, it cost him his home once, he was ostracized to the point of having to move. Why register and go through that all over again if you can fly under the radar and avoid it? So, for the sake of safety, just leave these people alone. Yeah, no one wants to live near a predator, but you probably already do, because that's the sad state of the world. Be glad Megan's Law, and the laws that followed, allow you to know about the predators, and protect yourself. Then again, don't let your kids roam free around people you don't know. Teach them not to talk to strangers. Be a parent, because no list or law can take the place of that. (And believe me, that's in no way implying the Lansfords didn't do what they could, that was a horrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to the family. I'm only saying we cannot expect to rid the world of these monsters, we need to accept that and be careful.)