Way to Be Tammy Lee

(Originally Posted 6/24/2008)

What would most moms do if they find out that a man they had seen talking to their 10 year-old daughter was a sex offender of the highest level? Most of us would panic and call the police. Some of us might completely wimp out and just tell our daughters to stay away from them. But 40-year old Tammy Lee Gibson did the right thing. She sent a message straight to the offender by way of a baseball bat putting him the hospital before his arrest. William Baldwin, a 7 foot 3, convicted sex offender made several mistakes that provoked this courageous and necessary response from Ms. Gibson.

First, he failed to register as a sex offender and notify his neighbors. Second, he talked to Ms. Gibson’s 10 year old daughter. Baldwin claims, “I am not like that anymore.” If this had any grain of truth and Baldwin was indeed reformed he should know that him alone and talking with a 10-year child is wrong and risky.

Ms. Gibson did everything right. “I was thinking he would never hurt any child again.” She had every parental responsibility to defend her daughter and her community against this sick man. Unfortunately, Ms. Gibson is in jail and awaiting bail. Like me several people are supportive of her actions and many have offered to help pay her bond. Though Detective Ed Troyer of the Sheriff’s Office disagrees. He reports to us that Gibson is “not a soccer mom in a minivan who lost her temper. She’s been in jail before.” And continues, “If everybody went out and beat up a sex offender, we’re going to have to stop doing notifications.” Whatever she drives, Mr. Troyer is beside the point. Whatever she has done in the past is not the point. The point is that when she took a bat to William Baldwin she was a hero. She had the courage to do what most of us should, but wouldn’t because we are the soccer moms in the minivans who are afraid to hurt someone’s feelings or we are afraid of how we might look. What Mr. Troyer should be thinking is that if everybody went out and beat up a sex offender, we might have a lot less sex offenders. This is the point. Home run and bravo to Ms. Gibson.