Council to revisit ultimatum sent to local church over sex offender issue
Councilman Rikke Van Johnson has submitted a request for the council to rescind its Sept. 1 21 demand that First Church of the Nazarene, home of the city's flagship Operation Phoenix youth center - ban sex offenders from its premises.
The issue is scheduled to be discussed during Monday's City Council meeting. Johnson expects the public to fill the council chambers.
"I expect to have the largest crowd we've ever had at City Hall," he said.
The council voted 5-0 to make the ultimatum after the body received a leaked memo from the Police Department. The memo reported that police had investigated the circumstances of a registered sex offender who performed work on church grounds. Police determined that the man's presence was neither a crime nor a threat to children at the youth center or schools on the church site.
First Church of the Nazarene's pastor, David Rhone, has said the man is a former member of the church but has since moved out of San Bernardino.
Johnson, who was not present when the council voted Sept. 21, said he thinks the council overreacted in issuing the ultimatum.
"We made a decision that I think was crossing the line between church and state," Johnson said.
Councilwoman Wendy McCammack asked her colleagues to support the ultimatum at the Sept. 21 meeting and has said the demand is not a way for government to try to run a church but was intended to protect children using a city facility.
This is not the first time issues surrounding a sex offender have generated controversy at this particular Operation Phoenix center.
The center at First Church of the Nazarene was managed by Mike Miller until Miller's arrest in July 2008 on suspicion of child molestation. Miller has pleaded not guilty.
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Andrew Edwards. E-mail Andrew here.
I don't care if the city council recinds the ultimatum. I do, however, believe the city should stop funding this church to host the Operation Pheonix site. After the first child molestation occurred at this same church I would have expected that pastor Rhonne would have taken extra precautions. Churches are not inmune from federal or state regulations when they accept taxpayor money. Council man Johnson is himself over reacting to calls he is probably receiving from pastors espousing false religious indignation. The council should show some backbone and stick to its decision.
I was "cc" this and will forward to you all:
For the same reason a bus stop must not be near a known pedophile's house (ie @ Devore rd , they could not make the pedophile move so the bus stop was moved, the same on Cajon blvd), why can't the council just motion/ second and vote; to cancel OP Phoenix for the same reason. No one will lose face in that method, and it would appear to be a win win for all.
There is freedom of religion in this country, and the state has the requirement of safety for the children. Stop Operation Phoenix in this location, on extreme legal grounds(injunction or what ever) due to liability to the city ; let the church be known for what they are doing to their own parishioners' children. I am sure the ACLU is already looking at this issue. That is the nature of that beast.
I understand the argument and support it up to the problem of freedom of religion. The state must be the one to vacate the properties in my opinion. Should save the city some money too. It is absurd to keep this operation in a church any way.
This is the problem of partnering such a programs with the churches, any churches. They ( the churches) should be on their own , responsible for their own liabilities and actions and not funded by any tax assessed funds.
Churches should not look to the state for funds as well; for any function; as that creates a legal problem. If they want to be separate from the state, they should stop looking to the state for help. It was bound to happen and will again, due to the nature of the Judeo/ Christian make up of our country and the concepts of forgiveness with in the church beliefs.
Amen, amen, and amen!!! Who has the guts to rebuff the huge crowd and motion to move Operation Molestation out of religious facilities??? And then who will vote to do that? Cowards won't be lectured by Pat so they will do what he says. Watch how he lectures them when they vote opposite of the way he wants. So much for independent thinking. I am so done with the political rubber stamping for the sake of comraderie and cohesiveness. If I disagree with someone, I won't agree just to look like we are on the same page. That would be dishonest. But that is what Fred wants, dishonest government to fool people into believing everyone gets along so come here and spend your money.
No, the ACLU isn't going to touch this one. That's certain. It is not the civil right of a pedophile to be around little kids. Anything involving Operation Phoenix is cut off from any respected civil rights activist protection. They'll have to hire their own lawyer. This "church" needs to be cut out of all government funding if they're going to have pedophiles there at the city funded Operation Molestation center. However, the mayor and his cronies would never allow that to happen to anything with the Operation Phoenix name, though it may be the moral thing to do. They would see it as backing down on Operation Phoenix: not what they want to do in light of what is coming, and I don't mean the election.
Seeing the council vote in unison, from their hearts on this issue was inspiring. They were like that with the marijuana thing, too. They couldn't give a care less if rights were violated on the pot issue. It was like they each took a Phokitol and just voted from their hearts while the mayor crapped his Depends. Do that again. The ACLU is NOT going to touch this one! NOBODY is going to support this program from the movement!
Andrew,
I'd do a follow up on what's coming for Operation Phoenix. That statement may be ready.
Fred: there are children involved here. These centers are dangerous. If you have any form of will, let it be good just this once and do something to save these kids.
I expect Estrada (no contest, I'm sure), Kelly (prove to me that you don't think this is funny), McCammack ('nuff said, I know you'll do right), Brinker (Aren't you a teacher?!) and Baxter (supposedly believes in family values & used to be a civil rights activist, what about the kids' rights to be safe? You know the rules...Gummint Muny = Gummint Rules) to do something to keep those kids safe and help put an end to Operation Molestation.
Johnson: your political career is over if you continue to put children in danger like this & I won't have to do anything to see that it happens. You're drilling holes in your own ship, here. Have some consideration for those who cannot defend themselves.
Morris: There is an especially hot place in Hell for the likes of those who do the things you do. How in the heck do you sleep at night while knowing that you provide opportunity for children to be molested?
Maybe I am naive & just don't get it but:
Since the San Bernardino City Unified School District operates its Creative Afterschool Program for Success (CAPS) on virtually all of its elementary school campuses these days,why could the city have not "piggybacked" on that and partnered with it for Operation Phoenix?
That would have avoided all of the church-state mess, and placed the program in settings that already are familiar with and given over to working with youngsters.
Kimball is right... Partnering with the school district would have supported or expanded an already successful school program. It also would have saved the city money instead of funding separate Operation Phoenix sites.
Vote Penman for mayor!
Decisions Good/Bad
What has happened to the elected of San Bernardino? The ones we entrust to provide direction and ensure safety and wellbeing to the citizens of SB? In a rare unification of themselves they made a swift decision to assure this entrusted safety and wellbeing was maintained at yet another of the Mayor’s Operation Phoenix Centers (OPC). “Good Show” to each member of this Council. It was there at this OPC the news broke about a convicted sex offender that was on site at the same time children were present. Once again, due to inept decision making by our current Mayor and his lack of mandatory oversight more embarrassment has been cast on how our City is being run by a Mayor who is vying for re-election. We can only hope the Council stays unified on their (or this) decision and do not do something really stupid like reversing themselves due to political or racial pressures. Remember it is the kids you are protecting.
Separation of Church and State
The phrase separation of church and state is generally traced to the letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists, in which he referred to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as creating a "wall of separation" between church and state…meaning GOVERNMENT (Local, State, or Federal). If this still holds true, what on earth is a City run or sponsored program (Operation Phoenix) doing at a Church? How can this happen? We know who’s idea it was (Mayor Morris’) but how can the Council approve it? Is the Mayor really that far above the law, discounting his nepotism issue? How can we even consider his re-election based on his demonstrated performance? As the first Operation Phoenix child molestation embarrassment is now entering the courts, San Bernardino has been embarrassed yet again with another child molester (parolee) issue at the Mayor’s Operation Phoenix Center. San Bernardino deserves and must have better leadership than we currently have.
Forgive me for joining the conversation so late, but isn't it mandatory for school administrators at the very least to be notified when a registered sex offender is within the property of their school? Doesn't it have something to do with not being negligent when and if something does happens to a child in their care and they are later sued?
Can someone please tell me why the parents are not up in arms for this happening at this location again? If my children were attending here and I was a parishoner at this so-called church I would be livid for not being notified.