In a recent interview with North Carolina Democratic senate candidate Kevin Griffin, Griffin slams national Democrats for endorsing Deborah Ross despite her flaws.
Among the worst of Ross’s obvious flaws is her opposition to establishing a sex offender registry. As an ACLU lobbyist, Ross sided with sex offenders and tried to make the case that a registry wouldn’t protect children.
Griffin is challenging Deborah Ross, Chris Rey, and Ernest Reeves in next week’s primary. The most recent public polling in North Carolina indicates that 55 percent of primary voters are still undecided.
Click to watch Griffin’s interview.
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
REPORTER: “One of your opponents, Deborah Ross, has the endorsement of the National Democratic Senate actually, and she has a lot of other endorsements as well. Why do you believe they’re wrong?”
KEVIN GRIFFIN: “Because I’ve taken the time to look into her background. More than anything else, certainly some people value endorsements, I don’t. I want every person to look at each candidate, to research them, to do the background work and to make an educated decision.
“To rely on an outside party to do that I think is fallacy. You mention the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, yes, they endorsed Deborah Ross but there’s not one single member on that committee that’s from North Carolina, there’s no one who has an interest in North Carolina, so why should we listen to what they have to say about who is the anointed leader for North Carolina?
“They didn’t do the background to see where she stood on lobbying against the sex offender registry, they haven’t seen the pandering to industries like the utilities, and how she has personal ties into fracking. I think if people look a little bit deeper at what truly is there, then they’re going to see things that they don’t like.
“The other piece of that is, we’re here having this conversation instead of being in a debate because Deborah refused to engage in those debates. I want her to answer those questions. I want people to know where she stands. You don’t see it on her Facebook page, you don’t see it on her website, you see a candidate who is trying as much as possible to not answer the questions to get through the primary. People deserve better than that, they deserve people who are going to respect them and respond to them.”
THE FACTS:
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In 1997, Ross Was Opposed To An Online Sex Offender Registry In North Carolina Saying “It Will Have Unintended Consequences” And It Won’t Protect Children. “People checking offender lists might be surprised by what they find, some skeptics predict. They might discover people they know – not strangers who threaten their children. And even though victims’ names are supposed to remain private, those involving family members won’t be too hard to figure out. ‘It will have unintended consequences,’ said Deborah Ross, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina. ‘It’s another high-profile attempt to deal with the problem,’ Ross added. ‘The question is: Is this going to protect the kids?’ Her answer: no. Ross said the state could do much more to protect children by improving treatment for sex offenders and by helping families at risk of sexual abuse.” (Foon Rhee and Kathleen McClain, “Senate Broadens Sex Offender List,” Charlotte Observer, 5/22/97)
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Ross Said “There Are Serious Concerns About What People Do With This Information” And Warned Of “Vigilantism.” “At the same time, a registry this public could pose a threat to the idea of community itself. ‘There are serious concerns about what people do with this information,’ says Deborah Ross, director of the North Carolina affiliate of the ACLU. ‘There’s no oversight, and there’s no specific rules about how to use it–that’s where we will get into the problems of improper identification and vigilantism.’” (Austin Bunn, “Digitizing Megan’s Law,” The Village Voice, 4/21/98)
- Ross Said “One Would Hope That Law Enforcement Would Enforce The Law Against Vigilantes And Harassers Of Sex Offenders As Much As They Do Against Sex Offenders Themselves.” “The passing of Megan’s Law drew critical attention to the risks of violence against children, but online registries like North Carolina’s walk a fine line between civic duty and ‘exploiting paranoia,’ says the ACLU’s Ross. ‘One would hope that law enforcement would enforce the law against vigilantes and harassers of sex offenders as much as they do against sex offenders themselves.’ But with their past on public display, it’s hard to believe these offenders will ever be granted the gift of privacy.” (Austin Bunn, “Digitizing Megan’s Law,” The Village Voice, 4/21/98)