WALLA WALLA — Enough is
Enough, a local citizen’s group opposing the proposed sexual
predator halfway house in Walla Walla, will be looking for
potential help from Eastern Oregon, as members prepare to
battle the house, which may open as early as mid-March.
“We’re going to ask for alliances
with Milton-Freewater, Pendleton and all the surrounding
communities,” said Dorothy Werttemberger, an organizer with
Enough is Enough. “We’re in hopes that we can get
everybody together.”
Citing statistics that say 64 percent
of violent sexual offenders will repeat, typically within a
30-mile radius from their residence, Werttemberger said the
matter should be of concern to local communities, which have
so far been relatively quiet.
The city of Walla Walla has already
filed a lawsuit against the Washington Department of Social
and Health Services, claiming that state procedures were not
followed in the selection of the Walla Walla site.
Werttemberger said her group expects
to file its own lawsuit next month following a Wednesday
meeting at which anonymous individuals have promised to
contribute toward retaining an attorney to bring the suit.
“We believe this a sham,” she
said. “We are prepared to do whatever it takes to stop this.”
Pendleton City Manager Larry Lehman
said he would be willing to meet with the group and listen to
members’ concerns, although it was too early for him to
state the position the city would take.
The residents of the house, scheduled
to open adjacent to the state prison, will be inmates who have
completed mental health treatment at the state’s McNeil
Island Correctional Facility but are deemed too dangerous to
live without supervision.
Milton-Freewater council member Dennis
Widmer said it was a difficult situation for both the state
and cities, as the state wants to move people it claims are
rehabilitated into less-restrictive environments, while the
residents of the proposed locations do not want them.
“It’s a problem that needs to be
addressed,” Widmer said. “A lot of people say, ‘it’s a
great idea, just not in my backyard.’”
Widmer did say the Council may discuss
the issue at its first meeting next year, and it was possible
that the council may write a letter of objection to the
halfway house proposal.
Ruben Bybee, of Enough is Enough, said
Oregon city leaders could expect to start hearing from his
group shortly.
“We may make the initial contact
before the beginning of the year,” Bybee said. “We’re
completely open to working with any community.”
The group has also made a point of
mentioning the three-strikes law in Washington and how
offenders with two felonies could be spared from a lifetime
sentence with no parole by committing their crimes in Oregon.
“This definitely affects the people
of Oregon,” Bybee said.