OP/ED: Vigilantism and the Sex Offender Registry

John Dawe

The following Opinion/Editorial appeared in the December 20, 2024 issue of MerionWest.

Portez Smith arrived outside Jesse Grover’s Pennsylvania duplex early on Sunday, November 17th of this year, yelling through the closed door, “Grover, you’re a f—ing pedophile.” When Grover opened the door, Smith pulled out a gun and shot him to death. Grover was registered on Pennsylvania’s sex offender registry as a Tier I offender. This holiday season,  Grover leaves behind his wife, parents, four siblings, four stepchildren, and numerous other family members. He is remembered for his sweet smile and as a beloved family member, a good friend, and a lover of reading, cooking, and music.

Grover’s murder is not the first registrant to face such a fate…

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John Dawe, MNA, CNP, RCP, RCP-F is Managing & Policy Director at PARSOL where he uses his personal experience as a person who is both a survivor and perpetrator of sexual harm to help others with similar life consequences to live healthy and productive lives through recovery coaching. He is is a professional writer, a trauma-informed credentialed recovery coach/case manager, and fan of treatment as prevention. He has a Masters in Nonprofit Administration is a Certified Nonprofit Professional with additional graduate certificates in leadership, governance, and fundraising.

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