Falls residents demand that pedophile leave city

Rally More than 60 people rally outside his home

The Standard (St. Catherine, Ontario)

Posted By ALISON LANGLEY, SUN MEDIA

20 October 2008

Tanya Petrak has found a kindred spirit in a nine-year-old girl she has never met.

A victim of sexual abuse, the Niagara Falls woman felt compelled to organize a rally outside the home of convicted sex offender Mikell Case.

 "Our children are our future and we need to stand up for our children," the mother of four said Sunday as a crowd of more than 60 people gathered outside a home on Dawlish Avenue.

Case, who was convicted of kidnapping, raping and beating a nine-year-old girl, is believed to be living in a small bungalow set back from the street and surrounded by a long wooden fence.

"I feel such a bond to that little girl and her family," Petrak said as she looked at the spray-painted words "Dirty Rapist Lives Here" written along the fence.

Case, 50, was recently released from jail after serving 2 1 /2 years for kidnapping, beating and sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl in York region.

"We want to let everyone know we will not tolerate these kinds of people in our neighbourhoods," Petrak said.

"This is not just about Mikell Carol Case anymore," Petrak said. "These people are walking around barely serving any time and it's despicable. Our children are not safe."

Niagara Regional Police cruisers were parked along the quiet tree-lined street for much of the rally.

 "The on-duty officers described it as a peaceful rally," NRP Const. Jacqueline Forgeron said.

Wayde Best, a member of one of several online groups on Facebook dedicated to the Case matter, would like to see the rally become a weekly event, and has contacted area politicians, including MP Rob Nicholson, for support.

A Facebook petition to have Case moved from Niagara went up shortly after he moved to the city. More than 1,300 people have signed up.

One group, Get Mikell Case Out of Our City, logged more than 7,000 members in less than a week.