Felon Friendly
Facebook just keeps on giving.
My wife, Linda, pointed out a post on a local group page for Somerville…we have several.
A lady posted the following: “I'm looking for a felon friendly rental property.”
She must have changed her mind about the “rental” part---perhaps because of a fellow who advised her to purchase rather than rent. She added in a second post: “I'm looking for a couple of acres with a mobile home. Does anyone know of anything? Purchase, not rent.”
In response one fellow posted, “In Somerville? Can you even live in Somerville if you have a clean record?”
Another respondent posted, “Never heard of that one before but that's funny.”
A “kind” soul posted, “Excuse the rude people. Some people's mothers never taught them how to act kind.”
I found this post colorful, “Try Freedom Ranch at PR57. The place is full of felons and the leader is a convicted pedophile.” This one got a response, “Wow. Sounds so warm and inviting,” and “Yeah---real Norman Rockwell atmosphere---NOT.”
Another “kind” soul posted, “Just because someone had a felony does not automatically mean an evil person. Everyone has broken the law in some form or the other…they just didn't get caught. Maybe you seen Con Air one too many times.”
Here is another, “Not all felons are created equal. So an embezzler of some cash from the PTA felon or fed the bodies of his/her victims through a wood chipper felon.”
Then someone gave some sage advice, “If you could buy this house, little as 6 to $10,000 down, your mortgage would be less than any rental; then after a year, you could sell it for more than you bought it for and get your down payment back as well. It might be a stretch but it's a wealth growth plan.”
I like this post, “All felons are accepted in Summerville (spelling). I love that place. Everyone is just overall kind.”
I'm really undecided if I should laugh or cry. What seems odd to me is that the person who made the post might as well hang a sign around her neck saying, “I'm a felon.”
I checked to see what percentage of the US population are felons: it turns out as of 2010 it was 8%. I'm relatively sure that the numbers haven't gone down in the last decade.
In case you're interested in what is a felonious crime, the different classifications of felonies, and the accompanying penalties, see the following:
First Degree Felonies
οConfinement for life or from five to ninety-nine years and a possible fine not to exceed $10,000
οPossibility of community supervision
EXAMPLES:
οAggravated assault of public servant
οAggravated kidnapping
οAggravated robbery
οAggravated sexual assault
οAttempted capital murder
οArson of habitation
οBurglary of a habitation with intent to commit or commission of a felony
οCausing serious bodily injury to child, senior citizen, or disabled person
οEscape from custody (if serious bodily injury occurs)
οMurder
οSolicitation of capital murder
οTrafficking of persons under the age of fourteen
Second Degree Felonies
οTwo to twenty years in prison and possible fine not to exceed $10,000
οPossibility of community supervision
EXAMPLES:
οAggravated assault
οArson
οBigamy
οBribery
οEvading arrest (and death of another occurs)
οImproper relationship between educator and student
οIndecent contact with a child
οIntoxication manslaughter
οManslaughter
οOnline solicitation of a minor under fourteen
οPossession of fifty to 2000 pounds of marijuana
οRobbery
οSexual assault
οStalking---second offense
οTrafficking of persons
Third Degree Felonies
οTwo to ten years in prison and possible fine not to exceed $10,000
οPossibility of community supervision
EXAMPLES:
οAggravated perjury
οBail jumping of a felony arrest
οDeadly conduct with a firearm
οEscape from felony custody
οIndecent exposure to a child
οIntoxication assault
οPossession of a firearm by a felon
οRetaliation
οStalking
οDWI (third offense)
οTampering with evidence
οViolation of protective order (third offense)
State Jail Felonies
ο180 days to two years in a state jail and possible fine not to exceed $10,000
οPossibility of community supervision
οPossibility of punishment as Class A misdemeanor
EXAMPLES:
οBurglary of a building
οCoercing a minor to join a gang by threatening violence
οCredit card abuse
οCriminally negligent homicide
οCriminal nonsupport
οCruelty to animals
οDWI with child passenger
οEvading arrest in a vehicle
οFalse alarm or report
οForgery of a check
οFraudulent use or possession of identifying information
οWhite collar fraud getting a hard money loan
οImproper photography or visual recording
οInterference of child custody
οPossession of less than one gram of a controlled substance
οTheft of something valued between $1500 and $20,000
οUnauthorized use of a vehicle
Now, I can understand folks who have rental property not wanting to rent to felons. As for purchasing property, I suspect that is not a problem. If you have the money, they will negotiate.
As for Somerville being a “kind” community---yeah, that's probably correct.
enough