Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Background check Screening of Prospective Members

[Courtney Overby (over0286]

Not to suggest that a child of 2 yrs of age would understand or have the
“responsibility” of consent, that’s why they carry a protected status as
“minors”, the vulnerability of this early development at understanding and
keeping themselves out of harm using prefrontal cortex thinking and
reasoning. However, as young as two years old children ARE learning the
word “no” and how effective, useful or powerful (or not powerful) that word
is in their “habitat”.

Learning how to constructively and meaningfully talk about and teach both
children and adults in our communities about “consent” and the value of
“no” in understanding and honoring my own personal intuition and boundaries
is invaluable to creating the fabric of trust of the cohousing societies
and environment, where “manipulation” is a far less common tendency and
it’s (more) obvious where transparency is lacking in the operations,
policies/procedures and governance model.

Coops specifically have seven principles as intention and as “living”
values practice, how does the community practices, values, beliefs, history
and goals contribute to these individual and interpersonal empowerment and
boundaries?

Obviously, none of these perspectives I'm offering absolve all risks, of
child abuse or otherwise traumatic events of this work/living. Regular due
diligence is important to creating the enriching and flourishing spaces we
all are drawn to and uphold. I agree with the comments in other threads
about the narrative that communities are a target or “at risk” communities
for this actor - how are those claims qualifying a communities likelihood
of being the victim of such a traumatic / abusive member?



Courtney


On Thu, Mar 17, 2022 at 6:30 AM Diana Carroll <dianaecarroll [at] gmail.com>
wrote:

> The sex offender registry is actually even more subject to bias and
> injustice than other areas of our justice system.
>
> I mean, sure, look at the registry, but understand what it actually means
> in context. (Very little.)
>
> I have a close friend who ended up in the registry because he had pics of
> his little niece and nephew on his phone while on probation for an entirely
> unrelated charge. (Which itself was trumped up and he got bad advice to
> plea bargain from a public defender because he couldn’t afford a private
> defense lawyer.)
>
> He then couldn’t get a job for 5 years until his name came off of the
> registry.
>
> Had he been blocked from your community, not only would you have missed out
> on a great person as a neighbor, you would have been acting to perpetuate
> the injustice he had already suffered.
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 16, 2022 at 8:47 AM Kristina B. <kristinabridget [at] hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > I would agree, except for sex offender registry websites. I have a 2.5
> > year old daughter and what was said on this list recently about cohousing
> > being a perfect target environment made me a little nervous. I could not
> > imagine anyone I know from our community but why would anyone object to
> > that screening I wonder? Open to hearing other thoughts...
> > ________________________________
> > From: Cohousing-L <cohousing-l-bounces+kristinabridget=
> > hotmail.com [at] cohousing.org> on behalf of Margo Solod <
> margosolod [at] gmail.com>
> > Sent: Friday, February 25, 2022 8:04 AM
> > To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> > Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Background check Screening of Prospective Members
> >
> > I find the idea abhorrent and totally against the spirit of cohousing.
> >
> > On Fri, Feb 25, 2022 at 11:02 AM Diana Carroll <dianaecarroll [at] 
> > gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Before you ding people on account of arrests and incarceration,
> consider
> > > the inequitable way our law enforcement and legal system treat people
> of
> > > color and immigrants.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Fri, Feb 25, 2022 at 10:58 AM Jim Bronson <
> > jimbronsonashland [at] gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Thanks to others on this listserv for reflecting on their financial
> > > > screening approach.  A similar, currently hot topic for us at River
> > Song
> > > is
> > > > screening for behavior history, so-called background checks.  We
> > probably
> > > > all have encountered the numerous websites that promise to find your
> > > person
> > > > of interest, investigate their interactions with the law and
> > government,
> > > > and give you a report of their misdeeds, including arrests,
> > convictions,
> > > > fines, etc.  At RSC we wonder if these sites are accurate, and
> whether
> > it
> > > > is ethical and appropriate to use them to screen for prospective
> > members.
> > > >
> > > > For reference, here is a link to a Seattle Weekly article that
> > suggests 8
> > > > sites they have investigated.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.seattleweekly.com%2Fmarketplace%2Ftop-8-background-checks-sites-to-search-criminal-records-social-media-accounts-educational-history-and-more%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7C%7C8cff531606a24d75cd3008d9f92b4eda%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637814786671269554%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=y86do%2F60Vi40EhI2lVMt4G2zwkRHn7A0EMJI0EMZDKw%3D&amp;reserved=0
> > > >
> > > > There are many more back-ground check sites advertising through
> Google
> > > > which will pop up when you enter a name search.  I would love to hear
> > > from
> > > > cohousing membership team folks about this topic.  Thanks.  Jim
> > Bronson -
> > > > River Song Cohousing, Eugene, OR
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> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Margo Solod
> > Author of *Cuttyhunk: Life on the Rock, Coyote Summer and Washed Up in
> the
> > Waves*
> >
> >
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> >
> >
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> >
> >
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> >
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>
>
> --
Courtney A. Overby, MPP, LEED Green Associate

*"If your only tool is a hammer, you're apt to go around treating
everything as if it were a nail" -Abraham Maslow*



Community Development Associate, Minnesota Housing Partnership
Master of Public Policy, 2020
Minneapolis Global Shapers | Initiative of World Economic Forum
Email - over0286 [at] umn.edu Mobile - (612)750-0808 <(612)%20750-0808>
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caoverby