Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Background Checks

[Crystal Farmer (crystalbyrdfarmer]

As an educator I am a mandated reporter, but I know that there are ways
I'll never be able to know if a child is in a dangerous situation. The
state of our carceral system means that background checks will increase the
likelihood of you excluding Black, Latino, people with disabilities, and
low income people. It will not decrease the amount of people on
medications, criminals, or abusers.

Not saying being medicated is the same as being a criminal or abuser. Some
people need medication, and some people need medication to prevent
themselves from harming others. But we should not be asking about their
mental health as a precondition to joining. What about the people who
acquire so-called mental illnesses while they're living in the community?
What if their children are diagnosed? Community should be a place where
people feel safe relying on each other. I'd love to have a conversation
about how we can acknowledge the difficulties many people face while
holding solid boundaries. But asking for any kind of mental health review
plays into the harmful attitudes and stereotypes we already have about
mental disorders. For example, many of you probably know a sociopath, you
just don't know they have that diagnosis. They are functional members of
society and there's no reason we should be scared of living next door to
them.

Crystal Byrd Farmer
--
Pronouns: she/her

Websites:
www.crystalbyrdfarmer.com
www.bigsisterteams.com

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