By Sandy . . . An interesting screen shot was captured online. Titled “Barefoot Lake Issues” and written by someone who signed his name as the town manager of Firestone, CO, it sounds as though it could be a coded message in a conspiracy plot. He speaks of continuing not to draw attention to “what the town is doing now” and how important it was “not to tip Mobarez off.”

He talks about an increased police presence and includes a cryptic reference to deploying “some technology . . . on the neighborhood.” He then, before signing off, says that as a husband and father, he wouldn’t want “this” in his neighborhood.

What is “this”? And who is “Mobarez?”

A quick online search answered both questions—and more.

Mobarez Solutions in Colorado is a company that offers a vital service; working with Colorado’s parole and probation departments, Mobarez provides housing for men with sexual crime convictions who are in need of sober-living residential services. This includes housing and counseling for substance dependency as well as more standard counseling.

The company has a good record. Its homes are in compliance with federal and state requirements. Probation rules for persons required to register are many and complex; one of the duties of recovery residences is to support and help clients navigate the maze and remain compliant.

In brief, Mr. Mobarez opened a home in Firestone, Colorado, in the Barefoot Lake area, to be used as a sober-living  recovery residence for men . The facility was inspected and certified for that purpose by the state, and it is listed with the Colorado Association of Recovery Residences (CARR), an organization that certifies Colorado’s recovery residences as provided for by the state’s Office of Behavioral Health. The executive director of CARR has written a letter to the town of Firestone commending Mobarez Solutions, and the letter concludes with:

CARR records indicate that Mobarez Solutions has either met or exceeded recovery residence certification requirements upon every application it has submitted to the State. Moreover, CARR has yet to receive a grievance filed against Mobarez Solutions from any resident, affiliated organization, or community in which any of their residences are located.

Locations for recovery residences must be chosen carefully. Persons on probation or parole after incarceration for any of a multitude of sexual offenses have restrictions on where they may live, with any area close to schools and other “child-use” areas being off-limit. Finding suitable locations is difficult. The home chosen in Firestone is ideal, large enough to accommodate several residents at a time as well as staff and in an area far enough away from schools and other off-limit locations.

In spite of the company’s excellent record, in spite of the need for the services provided, the town of Firestone, as verified by several sources, has taken actions to sabotage and remove the recovery residence and its residents from the area.

The immediate neighborhood has been hostile, vocal, and threatening. Reports were made that the office responsible for registering those who are required to be on Colorado’s sex offender registry refused to register the men living in the Mobarez Solutions residence, causing them to be out of compliance, which is a crime.

And the cryptic note warning of the necessity of not alerting Mobarez to what the town was doing?

That referred to an item that would, as secretly as possible, be added to the agenda for the upcoming town hall meeting April 24. The town council’s regulations require that nothing be added to a meeting agenda less than 24 hours prior to the meeting. The item that was added—added at the absolute deadline, secretly and quietly, in hopes that Mr. Mobarez would not learn of it in advance—is an ordinance making it illegal for two registrants who are not related to live in the same home. It was given the designation of “emergency” so that it would take place immediately.

It passed as quickly as all council members could say yes, and it passed to an outbreak of applause and verbal approval from many in the large group of citizens who packed the room. This was the last act of an outgoing mayor and board.

After a tribute to the outgoing board, the new board was sworn and the reason for the large group became known: public comments.

The purpose was an appeal to the new board not to undo what had just been done, and they pulled out all the stops.

Someone “explained” that the actual recidivism rate of registrants was very high; he gave a skewed and incorrect interpretation of the DOJ report and used the term “pedophile” as a synonym for “offender.” A mom spoke of her fears for her children.  One man issued veiled threats, using the phrase, “a powder keg with the fuse lit waiting to go off,” and comparing the home and the situation to Columbine, Waco, and Ferguson, saying, “Something is going to happen.” Almost in tears, another man spoke of how his daughter had her safety stolen in a matter of hours.

Mr. Mobarez was called a shyster and a convict and spoken of in extremely disparaging terms. Mobarez Solutions was constantly referred to an illegal operation, born of “a convict’s greed.”

There is no evidence to substantiate these characterizations.

The residents of Barefoot Lake in Firestone, Colorado, are missing the opportunity of a lifetime, an opportunity to practice for themselves and to teach to their children a civics and societal lesson with vital components.

Get all of the facts from reliable sources and data before forming opinions and taking action. Recognize that sometimes what benefits society is more important than individual comfort. Support opportunities for second chances for others as this helps assure they will be there when we ourselves need them.

Cliches become cliches because they have stood the test of time. The Golden Rule is still the best measure we can use in our relationships with others.

Postscript: Since publication, we have been notified that one of the residents–one of the former residents–of the home has been forced into homelessness because, before the ordinance was voted in, he was refused registration at the registration office; police remain on the street; and Mr. Mobarez has received several death threats.

The post When it comes to “sex offenders,” how far will “Not in my backyard” behavior go? first appeared on NARSOL.