CA Extended Stay of America Hotel Houses Five Registered Sex Offenders

Is there a sex offender living in your neighborhood? If you live near the 'Extended Stay of America' Hotel in Huntington Beach, there are five at the same address. Actually, registered sex offenders clustering in one spot is common practice.

Registered Sex Offenders Clustering at Huntington Beach, CA 'Extended Stay of America Hotel' (5050 Skylab Road)

The Orange County Register pulls no punches when it outlines how the Huntington Beach police department went to great lengths to let visitors of the 'Extended Stay of America' Hotel know that five registered sex offenders are living on the premises.

Officials are quick to point out that the names, photos and address of the sex offenders are not to be used for harassment purposes.

The public should nevertheless use the information for personal protection. The offenses that landed these individuals on parole and in a clustered living situation are worrisome to the any parent and the general public. They include sexual battery, sexual activity including a child under 14, forcible rape, indecent exposure and molestation of a child.

Sex Offender Clustering is a Common Practice

In February of 2008, 15 registered sex offenders were found living at a residential Long Beach, Calif., address. In November of 2009, Bremerton residents were surprised to learn that eight sex offenders were living nearby, all on the same block.

The Kitsap Sun reports that enraged residents were told by local Washington officials that government does not have authority to determine how many registered sex offenders may live together.

In February of 2010, the Post Star reports on 14 sex offenders residing at a Warren County motel. It appears the motel is also used by Social Services as a short-term residential solution for homeless families - with children.

Practical Aspects of Sex Offender Clustering

Those worrying about sex offender discrimination suggest that group-living enhances the ability of neighborhood residents and others to watch parolees. There is also the belief that sex offenders on parole hold one another accountable.

This notion may get some traction when looking back at a 2007 New York Magazine article that examined a Long Island town housing 45 sex offenders, of who 17 lived on one block and seven to a building. As men who are society's outcasts, sex offenders banding together is a self-protection mechanism that allows them to live within reach of normal society, which makes rehabilitation a possibility.

This belief is echoed by the Bremerton detective who points out that registered sex offenders need to have "access to buses, their community corrections officer, counseling" and similar services.

When Neighbors are Powerless

While registered sex offenders are treated as society's outcasts, local area residents are powerless to demand change. Going back to Long Beach, where 15 sex offenders were clustered into one residence, a public outcry led to Long Beach City Council mandated changes in the housing of sexual deviants.

Unfortunately, a 2010 Press Telegram article outlines that there are so many loopholes in the new rules that legal wrangling is likely to continue for an indefinite period of time. In the meantime, 21 sex offenders are now clustered into a condo complex within the very same Alamitos Beach neighborhood.

Of these, seven appear to be living in a one-bedroom apartment. Frustrated residents are sure to take little comfort in the words of Long Beach City Prosecutor Tom Reeves - undoubtedly echoed by other authorities nationwide - that inform those who would listen that (referring to sex offender clustering) "just because it's unlawful, doesn't make it criminal."

Sources
Orange County Register. "Police warn about 5 sex offenders at hotel" (accessed March 12, 2010)
Kitsap Sun. "Bremerton Neighbors Question Cluster of Sex Offenders" (accessed March 12, 2010)
Post Star. "EDITORIAL: Sex offender story raises questions" (accessed March 12, 2010)
New York Magazine. "The House Where They Live" (accessed March 12, 2010)
Press Telegram. "Sex offender crowding still a major issue in Long Beach" (accessed March 12, 2010)