Keith Devos News Today

Tenino residents and community members protested the proposition for weeks due to the risk factors of the home being near a playground.

Some residents of Enumclaw and Tenino even said they were unaware a sex offender had even moved into their neighborhood.

Concern and outrage are spreading in some local communities, which are now becoming homes for sex offenders.

Where — and how — to house violent sex offenders in Washington has become a debated topic among residents, lawmakers, and state officials.

Garden House was been reviewed by the Department of Corrections before residents moved in — but neighbors have decried what they see as an unconscionable lack of security measures.

Many see huge issues with Garden House specifically, but also with the entire process of moving sex offenders off McNeil Island into these group homes.

On Wednesday, state officials' plans to move the first resident into the home were postponed. Meanwhile, community members protested outside the property.