Right to be Forgotten

[house]

I know almost zero about some guy we have rented a vacation property from on several occasions. He takes decent care of the property, and is friendly.

I googled the property to look for some photos to remind myself how many beds the kids rooms have. The top google result is “teacher fired for inappropriate conduct with kids”. This was 20+ years ago, but someone has recently decided to raise a red flag, so public records of the proceedings are out there and pretty disturbing. The rural county prosecutor decided not to file charges, but the state revoked his teaching credentials.

In years past we have seen the property owner quite a bit while renting his house. Now I’m a little anxious about him being around. Knowing this shit just makes my skin crawl.

I’m reminded of a recent radiolab podcast about the “right to be forgotten” The dude is obviously not a great guy, but I would have never known if not for the level of access we have to information these days. Should some piece of shit human be “punished” for the remainder of their days with this information being public? Since no formal punishment has been meted, maybe yes?

[Danno]

tough call. especially tough without actually knowing what he did. how often. etc.

[AK47bp]

Check for toilet cams dude.

[adrenalated]

8 year olds, Dude

At my last house in Denver, a registered sex offender due to inappropriate conduct with children moved in two doors down from me. His conviction was several years prior and during the trial (according to news articles) he expressed remorse and a desire to get treatment (which I have no idea if he received). In my interactions with him he was friendly, kept to himself, had an appropriately aged partner, and never behaved in an inappropriate way that I observed. If I had children I likely would have felt a little uncomfortable but I don't, and I can recognize that people can change.

In your situation, you're under no obligation to rent from the dude. If it makes you uncomfortable (particularly if you're there with kids) then don't rent from him.

[old goat]

20 years ago and no evidence of any problems since I presume.
Has he been teaching in the meantime.
He was never charged with a crime.
Someone raising a red flag now--maybe the same kind of person that calls librarians and teachers "groomers"
Remember all the false accusations of ritual satanic abuse that ruined lives
I'd say keep renting from him unless you have something stronger.

[AK47bp]

Also “inappropriate conduct” could mean tackle football with the 3rd graders or a screening of the beginning scene to Saving Private Ryan as an intro to History class, we don’t know.


But yea, probably sex stuff.

[ZomblibulaX]

In law school, my wife did a paper on the sex offender registry. The number of people who end up impoverished, destitute or dead by their own hands on that list is pretty awful. Do some of them deserve it? Absolutely. No one is trying to be an apologist for child molesters. But the registry is typically a condition of release, not a punishment, but functions as a far worse punishment than prison. No one will knowingly and willingly hire a sex offender for basically any position. Murderers have better luck getting jobs. It's pretty crazy, but getting rid of the sex offender registry is equally terrifying.

My past is quite checkered, most of it easily chalked up to youthful stupidity. Literally, when I tell people my rap sheet they typically laugh. But people deserve to have access to that information in case they are trying to hire me in to a position of trust, rent me a home, etc. I think most offenses would benefit from more transparency, so say an employer could be like, okay, you sold some drugs, you did some time, did you learn your lesson? Let's get to work. Rather than in the story OP mentioned, where it's just left up to speculation, and regardless of what that guy did, he'll live under that cloud for the rest of his life.

ETA: no way I would rent a place from that guy and let my kids stay in it. See what I mean?